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If, like me, you have curly (see: unruly) hair, you’ll know the struggle of choosing a hairdryer that actually works with it, not against it.

Not enough power settings and you’ll end up with a mushroom of fluffy frizzy chaos, not enough heat settings and it’ll be the driest hair known to mankind. 

And no two diffuser attachments are made the same either – they need to be the perfect depth to allow our natural curls to do their thing and wide enough to accommodate plenty of sections.

And unfortunately, so few hairdryers carry the magic winning combination of all three requirements being fulfilled.

With my ancient now-discontinued Tresemme hairdryer threatening to cause an electrical fire at any moment (no seriously, I’ve had it for over 10 years and it’s outlasted many relationships), I’ve had to begrudgingly accept that it’s time to move onto something new. 

And when I was given the option to be the envy all of my friends thanks to Shark Beauty, I took it as a sign to retire my old companion for good.

Enter the Shark FlexStyle 5-In-1 Air Styler and Hair Dryer – Shark’s answer to the Dyson Airwrap (without the hefty price tag).

With the Shark FlexStyle you can expect all of the things that made the Airwrap so popular in the first place: An adjustable-temperature stream of consistent air flow that promises fast drying and styling with minimal heat damage as well as multiple attachments that allow you to easily volumise, curl, straighten, dry and cool-shot hair to lock it all in place.

For me, it’s obviously all about enhancing my natural curls, but for those of you looking to style some into your hair, the FlexStyle utilises Coanda technology, the same feature for which the AirWrap is so famous. Coanda is the styling setting that reverses the direction of airflow so that sections of hair are automatically, yet gently, pulled and wrapped around the curling barrel for an almost hands-free styling experience.

My Shark FlexStyle came in a box and I immediately felt like a professional hair stylist (I’m not, but the fantasy is well and truly alive). The hairdryer is turned into a 90 degree position which made it super easy to work around my multi-directional curls, and for transformed the styler into a more traditional-shaped hairdryer.

Here’s what it came with:

• Auto-Wrap Curlers: Best for straight & wavy hair.
• Paddle Brush: Best for straight, wavy, curly & coily hair.
• Oval Brush: Best for straight, wavy, curly & coily hair.
• Styling Concentrator: Best for straight, wavy, curly & coily hair.
• Curl-Defining Diffuser: Best for curly & coily hair.

Helpfully, the FlexStyle comes with a booklet that offers a visual guide that walks you through each attachment and how to use it correctly. I had previously no idea how to use the brushes, having never needed to use one before on my own hair! 

Now, my verdict on the diffusing attachment... I can truly only describe it as a GIFT to curly hair girls as it has retractable teeth, meaning you can adjust it to the length of your hair – and as someone who is going through the hell that is growing their hair out, I couldn’t ask for a more perfect attachment.

I was able to select a perfect blend of heat and power to get my curls dry in just 12 minutes, even with sectioning. I also loved the blast of cool air I was able to set my hair with at the end, banishing frizz for good. I’ve experimented with other combos and if I have the time to spare, an incredibly low and slow combo on the FlexStyle brings out my natural curls at their best in just 20 minutes.

I recruited a far smoother haired pal to try out the auto wrap curlers (who was a die hard Dyson fan) and I now have to bring my FlexStyle to hers before every night out... 

I did actually try it out for myself too on a couple of rogue curls who weren’t behaving on day two and three post-wash and it magically revived them into bouncy springs with a little spritz of curling solution. Where normally I would have committed myself to pinning my hair up to disguise the loose bits of hair, I can now bring my blow dry back from the grave.

Something my Tresemme hairdryer will not be coming back from anytime soon.

My final verdict? I can’t believe I didn’t upgrade sooner.