I’ve always wanted a Shark FlexStyle, mainly because it’s designed to significantly reduce (though not completely eliminate) heat damage from blow-drying. When I purchased it, the copper special edition was the only color available. At first, I was a little disappointed in the color and worried it might chip over time—but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The coating is very high quality, and I don’t see any chipping or flaking happening anytime soon.
I was especially excited to try the curling attachments. I have fine hair, but a lot of it, and I didn’t realize I would be receiving separate right and left curling barrels. While I did see two barrels in the product images, it wasn’t clear why there were two. Once I started using them, I found the learning curve to be frustrating. Because I have layers, I had to take extremely small sections and make sure each section was wrapped at the same length, which was difficult and time-consuming. The result was uneven curls that I didn’t love.
I also discovered that I really don’t like the concept of having separate right and left barrels. When I curl my hair, I prefer to switch back and forth between sides to keep things even. Constantly removing and reattaching different barrels just isn’t practical for me. I’m sure someone with more advanced hairstyling skills could master this system, but it’s simply not for me. I may try again in the future, but I have a feeling the curling attachments won’t be a regular part of my routine.
On the positive side, I absolutely love the brush attachment. It gives my hair noticeably more body and volume compared to regular blow-drying. The dryer itself is excellent—very high quality and much faster than my previous standard blow dryer. It doesn’t create a chaotic wind tunnel; instead, the airflow feels precise and intentional. I have slightly wavy hair, and after drying with this, I only need minimal straightening to get the smooth look I want. With my old dryer, I had to use a flat iron forever because it blew my hair everywhere and made it bend in odd directions.
One other major downside is the cord. While the FlexStyle itself is lightweight, the cord is extremely thick, heavy, and bulky. When attempting to curl my hair, the cord twists up constantly, forcing me to stop and untangle it. It doesn’t swivel well due to the stiff bend where it connects to the base. The only way I could prevent it from twisting completely was by holding the cord near the base while curling, which isn’t ideal.
Overall, I truly adore this blow dryer—it’s everything I hoped for in terms of performance, speed, and hair finish. The brush attachment is fantastic, and the dryer itself is a huge upgrade. However, two major issues hold it back from being perfect: the heavy, hard-to-maneuver cord and the curling barrel system. If Shark addressed these, this would easily be a five-star product.