The advances we’ve seen in hair tools over the past decade are wild, and Shark’s new flexfusion straight is the latest push down the innovation track that hair tools have been hurtling along.

Shark’s hit flexstyle tool has previously gained praise as a cheaper alternative to the Dyson airwrap, and while the texture of my hair makes air-curling a myth, I’m a big fan of the Shark device. The well-designed blow dry brush attachments and zero frazzle have made it my go-to tool for blowing out my hair before using straighteners.

This new flexfusion model may eliminate my need for that second tool altoghether, though, as Shark’s latest device has a straightener attachment. Yes, that’s right, you just take off the brush and pop on the straightener.

The beauty tool also offers wet-to-dry styling, even with the straightener attachment, and there’s a comb of ceramic plates down one side of the blow-dry brush, for setting the style.

I got a headache just trying to take in all the novel features of this new tool, which promises five-in-one practicality and no heat damage. So, I was eager to see if it lived up to expectations. Keep scrolling for my full honest review and verdict.

How I tested

I put Shark’s latest hair tool to the test by using it to create a range of styles (The Independent/Elena Chabo)

I have 3B/3C curly textured hair that varies from soft loose curls to fluffy corkscrew spirals. I used the hair tool’s round brush attachment to take my hair from wet to dry and didn’t then use any other tool or attachment to finish before going out for the evening, to test the attachment’s solo power. I used the straightener attachment two days later, to re-do and take the half-curly hair to straight. I tested the auto-wrap curler on dry and wet hair, too.

Shark flexfusion straight 5-in-1 air styler and dryer

Key features: Wet-or-dry fusion straightener, wet-or-dry fusion brush, auto-wrap curlers, styling concentrator and curl-defining diffuser

Why we love it

So many functions

Hair feels glossy and healthy

Take note

Hard to get to roots

Compromised finish on textured hair

This tool is a solid piece of kit that covers all of your bases in one. For me, the attachment I was most excited about was the round fusion brush, with its column of ceramic plates nestled down a gap in the bristles. I long for gorgeous bouncy blow-drys but even when done by world-renowned hair stylists, they last about five minutes in my naturally curly hair, before turning into shapeless frizz. My hair needs plates after air-styling for it to last. So, I was excited about the prospect of my blow-drying brush having those plates included, to lock in a voluminous ’do.

Though the flexfusion straight wet mode runs the plates at low heat, I opted to avoid that side of the brush until the hair section I was working on was dry, then turned to the plates. I was really impressed with the initial silky, bouncy results and, even though my hair didn’t stay exactly like that after leaving the house, it didn’t completely frizz, either, instead turning into loose curls. That’s a big improvement on any other blow-dry brushes I’ve used, and I feel like it would be absolutely top-tier on straight or wavy textures that aren’t quite as determined as my hair is to return to their true form.

Two days later, I restyled the fluffy curly hair. I sprayed it damp with heat defence and was pleasantly surprised by the straightener attachment. Using the dry mode, the combination of air and plates seemed to provide a much gentler straightening process that was done in 20 minutes and left my hair soft and glossy. The downside is this device is not as nimble as a traditional straightener, and I did find it a little hard to get into the roots and edges.

The diffuser has deeply curved edges, which is great for getting in among the hair and for drying without marked circles or lines. Meanwhile, the auto-curlers are designed to be used from damp, to get a curl that holds, which makes it pretty tricky with textured hair that typically needs to be straightened before it can be curled. When I tried it on wet hair I just couldn’t get a sleek or lasting finish on the curls, while, when used on dry hair, it dropped instantly.

Overall, I didn’t see any signs of heat damage during or after trialling the tool, with my hair looking healthy and happy.

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The verdict: Shark flexfusion straight

There seems to be an increasing effort to get hair tools to work on every hair texture but, to me, that’s like saying we’d expect every conditioner to do so, too. It doesn’t make sense, because we have different needs, our hair reacts in different ways and behaves differently. The new Shark flexfusion straight is a five-in-one tool with something for everyone but you probably won’t use every single attachment, and that’s OK. If your hair is pin straight, you won’t use the diffuser, and if your hair is curly or coily, the auto-wrap curlers are probably not for you. I do think it would be the best value for those with wavy or loosely curly hair, as all attachments would work well and create styles that hold.

While this tool isn’t going to change the game for me, I still gave it a four-star rating because it’s an undeniably innovative and efficient tool that is up there with the best I’ve used. It genuinely does have every hair tool in one, too. For many people, it really is a one-and-done offering, and would be the only tool you’d need to buy – all while limiting heat damage.

Want more inspiration? Check out our review of the Shark speedstyle 5-in-1 hair dryer