Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly need or want another hair tool (if you read my review on the GHD Hot Air Styler, you’ll know why), another one shows up, luring me in like a moth to the flame. I’m minding my own business, sipping my takeaway oat flat white and there it is plastered on the side of a bus. I’m waiting for the tube after a long day of events and meetings, and there it is again, staring down at me from the opposite side of the platform. Finally it’s time to get into my PJs, put my feet up and treat myself to an uninterrupted scroll session—of course it’s the first thing I see when I open social media. Okay, okay. You’ve got my attention.
The tool in question is the Shark FlexStyle 5-In-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer, which has been making waves in more ways than one since it launched back in September 2022—it’s already racked up an impressive 338.2M views on TikTok and counting. Much like Dyson, Shark is best known for its vacuums, and first launched with a hairdryer in 2021 as I can only assume it also ended up getting FOMO because the beauty industry is pretty darn great and, if done right, exceptionally lucrative.