My relationship with my hair has always been rocky. Here’s my situation: My hair is super thick and coarse. I know, I know, it should be a blessing—but it actually makes styling very tricky. No matter the amount of products I use, it never stays the way I want it. My scalp tends to get oily, so I can’t go more than two days without washing it (clarifying shampoo is my BFF), but when I let my hair dry naturally, it’s wiry, frizzy, and poufy, so if I don't have time to do a proper blowout (which, TBH, I rarely do), up in a bun it goes. That's why the Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb and Blow-Dryer Brush has been a revelation.
I’ve tried hairstyling tools like the Revlon One-Step. While it was okay at first, I felt like I was pulling at my strands too much and the bristles were harsh on my scalp. By the end, I had hair all over my sink. I gave it away soon after. I recently tried the T3 AireBrush too, and it’s been an upgrade—with a few caveats. The heat isn’t as strong as I’d like (it takes so long that my arms are tired by the time I’m done), and the brush head gets loose on the handle. Needless to say, when I got the opportunity to try Shark's blow dryer brush, I was hopeful but not optimistic.
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What is the Shark SmoothStyle Blow-Dryer Brush?
It seems like we’re in the era of vacuum companies turning out beauty products like hair dryers and hair straighteners. It makes sense in theory—they have the motor technology—but do they actually measure up?
Shark has a few hair tools under its belt, but this is the first hair dryer brush and smoothing tool. What does that mean exactly? It’s a hair brush that can dry, volumize, and straighten (or smooth) hair. The combination of nylon and boar bristles and ceramic plates on the sides turns it from just a hair dryer brush to a heated comb and straightener. You can switch from Wet Hair mode (after wash day) to Dry Hair mode (if you’re styling the next day) to smoothing mode for straightening. Shark claims to use less heat than traditional flatirons, and I found that my hair was silky smooth without any flyaways or split ends. Unlike the $400-to-$500 Dyson hair tools, this humble air brush retails at $100. It doesn’t come with extra brush heads, but I didn't need one.
My honest review
After applying JVN Heat Protectant Leave-In Serum and letting my hair air-dry for about 30 minutes (Shark recommends you start with damp but not soaking-wet hair), I twisted the air brush to Wet Mode. I liked that the hairbrush is an oval shape because it can reach more of my ends than the traditional round shape. The standout feature here is the speed. I timed myself and I had a straight, sleek blowout in less than 30 minutes (25, to be exact), whereas with a traditional blow-dryer, it can take me up to an hour. Plus, the bristles are separated, so I didn't have to contend with tugging. Best of all: No frizz.
Here’s what I didn’t love about the tool. It is loud. It’s right next to my ear, so this was hard not to overlook. And while I appreciated the green light that turns on when twisted to smooth mode, a sound to notify me too would be a nice bonus, but the volume was worth the outcome.
In short, if you have thick, coarse, or wavy hair, this is an excellent hair dryer brush. It’s quick, it gave me salon-worthy blowouts, and it’s reasonably priced compared with its competitors. There was very little to no heat damage, minimum breakage, pulling, or flyaways, and it’s super easy to pick up and start using. While I still have mixed feelings about my hair, this Shark tool helped our relationship get just a little smoother (pun intended).
P.S. we're also big fans of Shark's FlexStyle, known for being a more affordable alternative to Dyson's Airwrap. The entire air drying and styling system is currently 12% off for Amazon's Big Spring Sale. The tool includes curling wands, a concentration nozzle for more precise blow drying, a large round brush, and a paddle brush.
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