'I tested a £270 Shark hair dryer on my straight locks - and it's worth every penny'

Walking out of the house with a fresh hair style is a great feeling, but some people can't achieve this look themselves.

Whether it's inexperience or plain laziness, many beauty fans find it hard to get perfect blow out or curly do at home, usually relying on a trip to the salon to do the job. But these days, there are many hair tools on the market that promise to make styling easier, but can cost a pretty penny.

One such gadget that has made waves among the hair world this year is the Shark FlexStyle 4-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer For Straight & Wavy Hair - a hair dryer, curling iron and styling brush all in one. While it's not cheap, costing £269.99, it has come to be known as a "dupe" of the Dyson Airwrap, which retails for £479.99.

It's not easy for everyone to cough up cash on tools like this, so it's important to know if they are actually worth the investment. Daily Record journalist Lucy Farrell set out to find out if the Shark FlexStyle is worth the hype and as someone who previously had no interest in styling, she is now "converted".

Available on the Shark website now, the FlexStyle includes four accessories for "versatile multi-styling", promising to produce in voluminous "salon" wavy curls or straight locks. These include include the auto-wrap curlers, straightening concentrator, a paddle brush and separate oval brush for gentle shaping.

The tool's moveable head means it can transform from hair dryer to styling wand in one twist. According to its online description, the SharkFlexStyle "measures heat 1,000 times per second ensuring consistent air temperatures" promising no heat damage or pesky fly away strands and weighs 700g, making it "the perfect travel companion".

Read below to find out what Lucy had to say.

'A bouncy blow dry'

When it comes to hair, I've never really given it much thought. As someone with naturally straight strands I've rarely felt a need to do much with it, even for special occasions.

But now that I've gotten a little bit older and mature, I've been wanting to put more effort into my locks even for every day affairs. However, I often find myself getting fed up with styling, be it a home blow dry or with using a standard curling wand.

As such, the Shark Flextstyle instantly appealed to me and I knew I would have to give it a try. After a thorough testing, using all four of its styling functions and hair dryer, I can say with certainty that it's worth its £270 price tag.

The first accessory that I was excited to try was the oval brush, as my hair is rather flat, so I'm always trying to inject a bit of volume. However, achieving this usually requires several round brushes and a lot of patience.

What makes the Shark's oval brush stand out is that it features a variety of bristles, to prevent locks from catching. Simply attach it to the hair dryer's head and you can shape as you dry with just one gadget, which I loved because I tire quickly of holding a hair dryer in one hand and a brush in the other.

The combination of the brush and moveable head made shaping my hair incredibly easy. While I find the back of the head tough to reach, an easy switch of the head from straight to sideways made for seamless styling.

Next, it was time to test out both of the curling tools included, with one labelled to use on the left side of the head and the other on the right. Again, as someone who is particularly bad at curling hair, this was a dream for me.

With no curling required, the Shark's suction technology wraps the locks around the barrel for you. This took some getting used to and I found it worked best with strands that are all the same length.

I wasn't looking for super stiff curls, so I held each one for five to ten seconds, then finished it off by using the cool air blast. With a click of a button, the wand lets through a blast of cold air for extra setting.

I also gave the straightening brush a go, but I honestly don't feel that I will be using it much with the hair I have. With it being naturally straight, it's tough to say if it offered anything different. There is also another Shark FlexStyle available that features accessories to cater to curly hair.

I didn't feel that there was anything special about the concentrator accessory and it did a good job of focusing heat to desired areas.

Final thoughts

It's no secret that the Shark Flexstyle is expensive and some may feel like forking out more than £200 for a hairdryer is too much. But ultimately, I feel that it offers so much more.

If you're someone who doesn't have a clue about hair, or regularly pays hairdressers for a shapely blow out, the investment is definitely worth it. I have really enjoyed the extra confidence boost getting out with styled hair, even for boring trips like the food shop - it's just nice to feel good and know that you can do it yourself.

That said, those who are already a haircare whizz may not find the Shark FlexStyle so captivating as a novice like myself and may feel that it's not worth the money. In terms of its drying technology, I didn't notice a difference in how my hair felt and still saw plenty of static strands.

There are many other hair products on the market that can suit all budgets, such as the Remington Blow Dry & Style 1200W Airstyler. For £49.99 at Boots, buyers will get six styling accessories for volume and curl.

To get the FlexStyle 4-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer For Straight & Wavy Hair for £269.99, visit Shark's website here to order now.

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