When the Shark flexstyle first launched in 2022, it was a highly anticipated arrival, giving people a chance to try air-powered wrap styling without the sky-high Dyson price tag.
Four years on and not only have other affordable haircare brands followed suit, but Dyson has new airwrap tools, so it’s clear brands are on a mission to produce more innovative multi-styling tools.
Shark, too, has been busy of late, with the launch of the silkipro, the glam and – in the world of skincare – the cyroglow plus LED face mask. And the latest addition to its lineup is the flexstyle ioncurl or, as the brand puts it, your key to bouncier, smoother, shinier and less frizzy curls.
I saw the new tool ahead of its launch, with celebrity hairstylist Jay Birmingham styling my infamously stubborn strands with it.
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Shark flexstyle ioncurl air styler and curler, £299.99, Argos.co.uk – launching 23 September
Besides the new pink and purple colourways (which the brand seems to be releasing through all its latest launches), the ioncurl styler looks the same as the original flexstyle. The dryer still functions via a twisting motion that pulls the air nozzle down at a right angle and the wrapping barrels are still encased in foam. But as you’d expect with a £60 price hike, the brand has made key changes.
Most notably, it now harnesses the same “coanda airflow” technology as its Dyson competitor, which aims to produce a more powerful wrapping force. I watched this wrapping strength in action as Birmingham repeatedly lowered the ends of my heavy strands towards the barrel and, without fail, they grasped onto the curler. When my hair was removed from the barrels, the curls were defined and bouncy, which is no easy feat with my floppy hair.
Contributing to this definition, the ioncurl also features a total of 200 million negative ions – hence the device name – which work to minimise static, flyaways and frizz. This was the key draw of the device in practice, as my main Dyson airwrap bugbear is how fluffy and mussed my roots appear after wrapping.
The finished results were silky and soft locks, free from tangles. For context, the Dyson airwrap also uses negative ions in its styler, but from this first session I’d argue Shark has implemented the technology better.
The hair tool also has a scalp shield mode to protect your roots from ultra-high heat. Again, this proved effective during my styling session, with the barrels causing no stings or heat against my scalp. Despite skewing more of a Dyson fan, its airwrap certainly feels hot against the head.
There’s a neat airset button, allowing you to pause airflow mid-session by double-tapping or push out a shot of cool air with a single tap. While this isn’t on par with Dyson’s automated I.D function (which wraps, heats and curls the hair at the touch of a button), it’s certainly an improvement on the OG flexstyle. Of course, given that my hair was styled by a professional, I didn’t get to fully road test the helpfulness of this button – so watch this space for my full, hands-on review.
My early first impressions are good. And I can’t wait to bring you my full review soon. The styler will be available to buy from 23 September.
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