We got a sneak peek at the NEW Shark FlexFusion 5-in-1 styler. Here’s everything you need to know
Shark’s innovative FlexFusion hair styler can dry, straighten, curl and blow dry all types of hair – these are our expert thoughts
Since its first foray into haircare with the Shark Style iQ hair dryer, Shark has released three hair styling tools – the FlexStyle multistyler, SpeedStyle hair dryer and SmoothStyle hot brush. Today, Shark announced that it would be adding the Shark FlexFusion to the lineup. This wet-to-dry multistyler offers many of the same benefits as the FlexStyle but in a smaller, lighter package. The main benefit, however, is that it can straighten your hair too.
When I first heard this, I wondered if this could be Shark’s response to Dyson’s Airstrait. Thankfully, that is not the case and the FlexFusion offers two main differences. Firstly, its method of straightening doesn’t use airflow alone. Instead, it uses a combination of ceramic heated plates and direct airflow to straighten both wet and dry hair. Shark claims the device can straighten and dry wet hair in as little as one pass, or it can create straight looks on dry hair.
The second difference is that the FlexFusion can be converted to serve different styling purposes like curling and adding volume. It comes with Shark’s Coanda effect curling wands, which automatically wrap and curl hair using airflow, without causing heat damage. This is mostly identical to the technology used in the Shark FlexStyle so, unless you want your multistyler to straighten your hair, I don’t think there’s any need to upgrade.
Another attachment that’s included in the 5-in-1 FlexFusion styler is dubbed a ‘wet or dry fusion brush’. This works like a normal blow dry brush to add volume and bounce to the hair, but it has a teardrop shape that helps to give closer access to the root for end-to-end smoothing. Shark claims this design gives 50% less frizz than normal – I can’t wait to test out this claim when we do our full review.
The final attachments are the styling concentrator and curl defining diffuser – both standard inclusion in Shark multistylers and hair dryers. When using the FlexFusion in hair dryer mode, users can activate the ‘Scalp Shield’ mode by holding down a button. This setting protects the scalp from extreme heat, limiting the temperature to 50°C while keeping the airflow steady to get hair dried quickly and comfortably.
Shark has also made improvements to the FlexFusion’s controls, compared with the FlexStyle. Namely, the styler has wet and dry modes, which automatically adjust the heat and airflow settings to the safest and most effective levels. This varies automatically depending on the attachment you have chosen.
Its temperature regulation also sounds impressive. The FlexFusion regulates and measures the temperature of the airflow 1,000 times every second, ensuring it never exceeds 110°C. That’s far gentler than other hair stylers available now, especially straighteners that only use heated plates. That means if you swap out highly heated styling tools for the Shark FlexFusion, your hair should become stronger and healthier with continued use.
The Shark FlexFusion 5-in-1 multistyler will be available to buy in October and will cost £370. Other configurations of the FlexFusion, including a 4-in-1 option that doesn’t include a straightening attachment, will be available to buy later in the year. I’ll be testing the FlexFusion on release, so will reserve my final judgement until then. However, Shark’s FlexFusion looks to be the first proper wet-to-dry straightening multistyler, which is incredibly exciting. Time – and testing – will tell if Shark is onto a real winner, though.
