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- Straightening plates add versatility
- Dries, curls and straightens hair
- Fast and easy to use
- One-size, uni-directional curl attachments
- More expensive than separate tools
The Shark FlexFusion is the second iteration of Shark’s FlexStyle multistyler. When I reviewed the original in 2023, it was clear that the airflow-based multistyler was a competitor to Dyson’s popular Airwrap. With its drying, curling and styling attachments, the FlexStyle has remained a popular tool for styling from wet to dry.
Now, Shark has added the FlexFusion – a new upgrade to its multistyler concept – to the Flex family. Like the FlexStyle, it’s an all-in-one drying and styling tool, with an updated styling brush and a new straightening attachment that uses warm air to smooth and straighten the hair. It also includes hot ceramic plates to straighten your hair when it’s dry.
With five different ways to dry and style, I questioned whether the FlexFusion could truly replace all the other styling tools in your closet. Having put the styler through its paces, I thought it was mighty effective, but worried that its versatility might be superfluous for some.
Shark FlexFusion review: What’s in the box?
As with the original FlexStyle, the main body of the FlexFusion is a tube-shaped drying unit that blows warm air exactly like your usual hair dryer. There are three temperature and three speed settings, which can be independently selected, and the dryer is powered with a fairly beefy 1,500W motor.
There are also settings on the handle for wet-to-dry and dry styling; dry mode can be selected for use with the brush and straightener attachments (see below) and is recommended for final finishes or touch-ups on dry hair, while wet-to-dry mode can be used with all of the FlexFusion’s attachments.
Like many standard hair dryers, the FlexFusion can be used by itself for rough-drying hair before you begin styling, and there’s a concentrator nozzle to smooth the hair and a diffuser attachment to add volume. In the box, you’ll also find two 32mm curler attachments, which use the now-familiar Coanda effect to wrap hair around the barrel and curl the hair. The FlexFusion’s curlers each wrap in a different direction, so you can choose where you’d like your finished curls to sit.
Put simply, the Coanda effect is a principle in aerodynamics, where airflow tends to ‘stick’ to smooth surfaces when it moves past them. So, when air is blown past a curved surface, the airflow bends to follow the direction of the curve. For this reason, when air is blown through the vents in the curling barrels, the Shark FlexFusion automatically picks up the hair and directs it around the curling barrel
Curling using warm air means there’s no contact with heated styling plates and therefore less heat damage, which can be especially good for fine and brittle hair. It also means you can style as you dry, rather than needing to dry your hair before using a curling wand.
The FlexFusion comes with a styling brush; rather than the separate paddle and round brushes found with the FlexStyle, this new version includes an updated Fusion brush, which has a round brush side and a pear-shaped ceramic side for smoothing. Those familiar with Shark’s other products may recognise this design from Shark’s SmoothStyle hot brush. It’s a neat brush that allows you to add a flick or curl at the end of the hair without needing to switch attachments.
With the FlexFusion Straight model, which I tested here, you also get Shark’s new wet-to-dry straightening attachment. This attachment uses both heated airflow and ceramic-coated styling plates to style the hair as you dry it from wet. This promises a smoother, flatter finish than blow-drying alone. You can also use the straightener in dry mode to finish your hair or touch up a style.
If you’re worried about heat damage, the hair straighteners include smart heat controls that measure the temperature 1,000 times every second and limit it to 110°C – much lower than your typical ceramic plates. Shark claims that, even on wet hair that is highly vulnerable to heat damage, this lower heat preserves the hair’s moisture and minimises damage. For further peace of mind, there’s an auto-shutoff feature if the tool overheats.
The FlexFusion weighs 790g with all its attachments – about 100g more than the original FlexStyle – and comes with a 2.44m swivel cord. Conveniently, the whole thing packs into an oval storage case that keeps everything nicely organised.
Shark FlexFusion review: Price and competition
The FlexFusion is £370, and for that you get a flexible multi-styler with five attachments, including the new ceramic straightening attachment. Shark’s biggest competition continues to be Dyson’s ever-popular Airwrap, which recently launched an app-connected ID model, priced at £480. I found the Airwrap less effective than the FlexFusion as a standalone hair dryer, and the Airwrap has no straightener attachment. If you want a tool primarily for curling, the Airwrap ID’s conical curling barrel offers superior results.
Of course, the FlexFusion also competes with Shark’s original 5-in-1 FlexStyle Multistyler, which costs £280. Both the FlexFusion and the FlexStyle create voluminous curly blow-out looks with ease, but the FlexStyle lacks the straightening tool. So, if you wear your hair straight and want an all-in-one styler, you’ll prefer the FlexFusion. Shark’s £80 SmoothStyle Brush is a simpler wet-to-dry styler, functioning as both a blow dryer brush for volume and a ceramic hot brush for smoothing.
Two premium options for wet-to-dry straightening include the newly-launched £379 GHD Duet, and the £450 Dyson Airstrait, which both use airflow to straighten hair without hot plates. Both these tools are very effective at straightening using air instead of direct heat, but as they are designed to create straight hair, they aren’t as versatile as the FlexFusion.
If you’re simply in the market for a good hot brush, the £180 T3 AireBrush Duo and the £80 BaByliss Hydro Fusion Brush offer interchangeable styling heads and ionic technology to reduce frizz, at a price significantly lower than the FlexFusion. Again, these brushes have fewer styling options.
Shark FlexFusion review: What it’s like to use?
As with the original FlexStyle, the first step in styling with the FlexFusion is rough-drying the hair. This tube-shaped unit pivots around a joint to switch easily from a vertical to a right-angled setting, which you can use without any attachments to get hair mostly dry and ready to style. You can also add the concentrator nozzle or diffuser attachment to the drying unit in this configuration to finish styling.
To add the curling barrels and FlexFusion brush attachments, you’ll need to pop the drying unit back into the straight configuration. This is a simple process – simply slide the latch down and rotate the top half of the drying unit until it clicks into place. To add the attachments, line up the arrows, twist and click them into place.
As a hair dryer, the FlexFusion works just fine – the three heat and three airflow settings can be selected independently using the buttons on the handle, which makes it easy to find a combination that suits your hair type and texture. I found that my hair preferred the middle settings, while the temperature of the hottest setting was too high.
The diffuser attachment is quite compact with a nice deep bowl, good for plopping your hair into, or using a gentle drying setting to keep curls soft and moist. I also thought the slim concentrator nozzle worked well if you prefer to blow-dry with a separate brush. However, you may find the Fusion brush attachment gives a similar result without needing a separate brush and nozzle.
The Fusion brush has a round, vented side with brush bristles, which you can use like a round brush to create a blowout with plenty of volume. Unlike the round brushes on the FlexStyle, it also has a ceramic side which smooths the hair when heated by the air from the drying unit. With a bit of practice, I was able to style my mid-length hair from wet in under 20 minutes. In this time, I could achieve a simple daytime blowout that calmed my curls and left my hair feeling soft and looking healthy. Spending a little longer with the brush in dry mode meant I could curl my ends under for a mini Veronica Lake look, or outwards for more of a Farah Fawcett.
For a completely straight look, you’ll need the new straightener attachment. This clips onto the body of the FlexFusion in the same way as the other attachments. When styling from wet, Shark recommends that you start with rough-dried, damp hair and style using the wet-to-dry mode. This passes warm air through the vents at the side of the straightening attachment and gently warms the styling plates as it air-dries the hair.
I straightened my mid-length hair in around ten minutes using the attachment this way, and it felt soft and healthy afterwards. There were a few stray flyaways at the end of the air-straightening process, so I found it useful to be able to make some final touch-ups using dry mode to finish the style and smooth everything down.
The FlexFusion also includes curling barrels, which use the Coanda effect to automatically wrap hair around the barrel, styling the hair without direct heat. As with the FlexStyle, the FlexFusion’s curling barrels worked quickly and without much practice. Sadly, however, the curling barrels are unidirectional, so you’ll need to swap barrels every time you want to change the curl’s direction. This adds slightly to the styling time, but is only a minor inconvenience. I found that the cool shot, operated using the blue button on the handle, really helped to set curls. In my tests, a good five or six second blast of cool air helped my curls stay in place from daytime into evening.
Shark FlexFusion review: Verdict
The FlexFusion is a significant upgrade from the FlexStyle, with the new brush and straightener attachments making it a serious contender for the title of “one tool to replace them all”. Together, the drying unit and brush tools work well to create a voluminous blowout style in minutes, and the diffuser attachment works well too if you’re looking to create soft, natural curls on wavy or curly hair.
As with the original FlexStyle, the curling barrels need to be switched to change direction, and only one barrel size is included with the set. This adds a little to the overall faff of using the attachments, so if you’re mostly interested in using the FlexFusion as a curler, you might prefer the ease of Dyson’s Airwrap. The straightener attachment works quickly and left my hair feeling soft and healthy. Importantly, all the styles I tried lasted for a typical working day.
The FlexFusion isn’t cheap, and if you prefer to wear your hair in one specific style, then there are excellent options at a lower price that will do that one job for you. On the other hand, if you want to upgrade several styling tools and regularly change up your hair styles, the Shark FlexFusion’s ease of use and healthy results are definitely worth the price.
