Dyson airwrap complete Vs Shark flexstyle: Which hair multi styler is worth your time?

Buy now £499, Boots.com

Released earlier this year, there are a few notable improvements to the Dyson airwrap that cement it as a market-leading hair tool. Firstly, there’s the ability to change the air flow with the flick of a switch without having to change the barrels, saving you both time and effort. Secondly (and my favourite), there’s a new coanda smoothing dryer attachment that’s a hero addition for frizz-prone users.

The attachment works to quickly dry hair in preparation for styling while the enhanced air flow helps to smooth flyaway hairs. As well as the drying attachments and improved barrels – there are two different sized versions – there are also two new hair brush attachments, one with softer bristles and one with firmer bristles, which have been created to help straighten hair more easily. The former is designed for thinner hair while the latter is best for thick hair.

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Setting it apart from the competition, Dyson’s impressive array of varying brushes cater for all hair types. Plus, the use of air rather than direct heat – dubbed the “coanda effect” – styles with minimal damage. This works by attracting hair to the surface of your chosen attachment, with the tool projecting air along each sectioned strand to smooth, before you set your style with a burst of cold air. This applies to both curling with the barrels and straightening with the smoothing hair brushes.

Though this sounds complex, in practise the tool is a breeze to use. The drying attachment dries my hair quickly and effectively, with reduced frizz (and any remaining is rapidly gone thanks to the smoother). The brush attachments also turn the tool into a hot brush; simply brush through your strands, pulling up and away from the head to straighten, volumise or add a flick at the end.

Read more: 10 best hair curlers for salon-worthy hair at home

Though curling is a little more tricky, it’s also where the Dyson airwrap thrives. Depending on your desired volume and curl thickness, choose between the two barrels and touch it to the tip of your sectioned hair strand. The air then automatically wraps your hair around the barrel as you move upwards through your hair. Hold it there for around 10 seconds, finishing with a cold burst of air to help keep the curl’s shape.

Once mastered, the Dyson airwrap is a versatile, easy-to-use tool that helps to streamline your hair styling regime.

Buy now £279.99, Shark.co.uk

With two barrels (one for each air flow direction), a hot brush-style rounded bristle brush and a flat smoothing brush, Shark’s flexstyle by all appearances rivals Dyson’s for styling versatility. But where the Shark tool really comes into its own is its hair dryer function. By rotating the nozzle, you can snap Shark’s tool into a more traditional looking hair dryer, complete with a curl-defining diffuser and styling concentrator.

These attachments, four heat settings and three airflow options offer a far more powerful blowdry experience than Dyson’s airwrap – and even some fully-fledged hair dryers (my own included). Plus, the diffuser attachment is adjustable for short or longer length hair, just like the larger version in Shark’s hairdryers.

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Shark gets extra kudos for the rounded bristle brush attachment, which I found offered more grip and volume compared to the smaller size brush attachment that comes with the new Dyson airwrap. The flat paddle brush attachment, however, had less grip in our hair and caused more frizz than Dyson’s equivalent.

Now, onto the all-important barrels. Shark deploys the same coanda effect as Dyson, meaning curls are created with air in the 1.25 curling barrel rather than heat – helping to reduce heat damage. But unlike with the airwrap, I found my hair needed a little coercing to wrap around the barrel.

There is a cold-burst setting that helps set your curl, but there are two separate barrels for each airflow, meaning you’ll have to switch barrels for each side of your hair. Once I got to grips with the barrels, the curl’s created were just as defined as Dyson’s, but I did find they fell out more quickly.