Shark has unveiled a new multi-styler, and it’s designed to be the only hair tool you’ll ever need. Scheduled for release in October, the Shark FlexFusion can shapeshift into a hair dryer, straightener, hot brush or curler. I had a chance to have a little hands-on time with it at IFA 2024, and was intrigued by what I saw, but I’m not entirely sold just yet. While there are some appealing and useful-sounding innovations in there, I’m not sure if the brand might have taken things a step too far in trying to be absolutely everything to everyone.
The base is an updated version of the Shark FlexStyle – one of our best hair dryer picks. Like that model, it can be used just as a hair dryer. Alternatively, you can snap on one of a few different attachments to turn it into a different kind of styler. The most interesting of these are the hot brush attachment, a straightener attachment, and curler attachments.
One particularly interesting feature is that the FlexFusion is designed for use on either wet or dry hair. In the launch presentation, Shark made the very valid point that most people don’t wash their hair every day, yet a lot of existing styling gadgets are geared towards use on wet hair only. The FlexFusion has the option to switch between ‘wet hair’ and ‘dry hair’ modes when used with the straightener or hot brush attachments.
Style shake-up
When the straightener end is on, hair is blasted with air as well as being shaped with hot ceramic plates (the kind that you’d find on today’s best straighteners). In wet hair mode, you get more airflow and only a little heat from the plates, whereas in dry hair mode, the plates are much hotter and the airflow is lower. The latter is for days where you just want to refresh your hair rather than going through a whole wash-and-style process.
It’s a similar story with the hot brush attachment, which combines sections of bristles and sections of heated ceramic combs. The idea is that you get the same blow dry style volume but the ceramic bits tame the frizz. In wet mode, there’s more air and less ceramic heat, and in dry mode it’s the opposite. The ceramic comb part is slightly teardrop-shaped, to allow you to get closer to your scalp. I can see the logic of this, and am interested to find out how it works with the blowout process in practice.
The curlers don’t have wet and dry hair modes – they’re just for wet hair, and employ the same hair-bending tech that powers the ultra-popular Dyson Airwrap. You’re also getting more standard dryer attachments like a concentrator, and Shark says it’s going to add a wider range of accessories to suit different hair types, like a wide tooth comb for coily hair. (This is a little overdue in my opinion.)
My main issue with the design is that when the brush or straightener is snapped on, the whole thing looks absolutely enormous. While Shark has gone to efforts not to introduce unnecessary weight – the dryer part itself is smaller and lighter than the original FlexStyle – it’s still one chunky gadget. When we tested the original FlexStyle our reviewer found it did a lot of things but only a few of them well, which is a danger when you’re trying to offer such a wide range of processes, but it’s unfair to assume that’ll be the case here.
The FlexFusion recognises which attachment is on and adjusts to the recommended heat and power settings in response. These can be overridden if you want, but the styler won’t remember your preference next time you snap the attachment back on. (In this way, it’s not as clever as the Dyson Supersonic Nural). Shark has also added a ScalpShield mode designed at ‘protecting new hair growth’, but further digging reveals it’s just a lower heat mode. Which is great if you want to protect your hair and are happy to add extra time to your routine in exchange, but not exactly revolutionary.
Shark’s ethos has alway been to offer cutting-edge designs at affordable prices. The FlexFusion will have a list price of £369.99 (equivalent to $490 / AU$720), which isn’t cheap, but perhaps isn’t bad for five stylers in one, assuming they all work as well as a dedicated tool.
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ruth.hamilton@futurenet.com (Ruth Hamilton)
