Shark SmoothStyle review: Such a Libra

There are plenty of places where the Shark SmoothStyle could improve; it is heavy, its temperature settings aren’t totally accurate, and the controls are impossible to use one-handed. Yet, it is still the styling tool I find myself gravitating towards the most. Despite its flaws, this styler combo offers fast styling with unparalleled hold, at an equally enticing price. It is the scales of Libra, Jekyll and Hyde, comedy and tragedy, yin and yang. While technically the SmoothStyle is flawed, the results keep it in perfect balance.

The Shark SmoothStyle is a blow dry brush with a twist, or maybe I'll call it a flick. On Wet Mode the dryer operates like any other brush, blasting hot air out through the plastic bristles, allowing you to style your hair with the large oval design. It is perfect for creating body at the roots and straight hair with a nice flick at the tips. On Dry Mode however, the combs on either side of the brush heat up like a typical flat iron. This lets you comb through and separate your strands while smoothing out the style.

On Wet Mode the device is a lower heat styler, with three settings Shark claims to sit at around 50°C, 70°C, and 100°C. I do need to emphasise the ‘around’ in that sentence. On the Shark website it states that these temperatures are approximate, which is a change of pace from most other styling brands that remain headstrong on their claims. In our testing we found that these temperatures were more like 44.7°C, 62.6°C and 77.3°C. None, bar the lowest setting, sat within a 10% margin of error, with the worst offender being the highest setting which was off by around 23°C.

Fortunately for everyone’s hair, these numbers are below Shark’s estimates. Even at the approximate temperatures, the SmoothStyle shouldn’t cause any heat damage, but these being lower are arguably better when we consider hair health.

For the most part I used the medium setting, which proved to be hot enough for my thick, wavy hair. Concentrating at the root gave an immediate lift, and it was easy enough to guide my hair through the brush for a sleek finish. Ideally I would have liked to have seen more boar hair bristles - they tend to create smoother styles - but in their absence the combs on either side did a cracker job aligning my locks throughout styling. While my hair did fall a little bit, it maintained a flicky style and some body for multiple days after styling. This is the longest my hair has been able to hold a style, even in the face of many sweaty pilates classes.

Dry Mode isn’t as effective, but is equally inaccurate. The combs are supposed to heat up to 215°C, which is extremely high heat for all but the coarsest hair types. Our testing revealed the combs heated up unevenly however, with our highest recorded temperature sitting at 199°C, and the lowest at just 54°C towards the bottom of the device. This trend was the same on both sides of the brush, with the hottest concentration of combs sitting towards the very top. Uneven heating on high heat styling devices can result in the user needing to complete multiple passes to achieve the desired style. This adds unnecessary heat to sections of hair that are exposed to the hottest points, which can quicken damage and leave hair dry, and frazzled. For me, the results weren’t as exciting in Dry Mode either. I found that I needed to go through in smaller sections, and at a much slower rate to get a similar result, but even then the styles fell faster. 

While Dry Mode seems like a great way to touch up your style, and one that is echoed throughout the styling industry (the Dyson Airstrait does something similar), the execution is off on the SmoothStyle. It would be great to see not only even heating, but multiple temperature options to cater for different hair types.

On the other end of the scale however sits Wet Hair Mode. Not only does this mode offer beautiful results, it does so without causing hair damage, and locking in the hair proteins for long-lasting hold. Truly the angel sitting on your shoulder.

Although the SmoothStyle has a similarly sleek look, the practical design elements leave something to be desired.

Take the controls - these are located at the bottom of the device and are toggled by twisting a metallic ring wrapped around the base. Clockwise clicks turn it up, anti-clockwise turn it off. On paper it is actually a clever design but practically it is impossible to operate with one hand which isn’t ideal for a hair styler. Once you’ve separated out a section of hair you need to drop it, grab the device in two hands, and crank it to the right setting before picking up your section again. The finickiness is only further exaggerated if you’re using any kind of styling product that makes your hands slippery. If you don’t mind keeping it running throughout the whole styling process then this won’t bother you, but if you prefer to switch it off in between passes then it gets old really quickly.

The whole unit is also real heavy. According to Shark the product is 710g and you can feel that a lot of that weight sits in the handle. While it doesn’t seem like much, when you’re spending 20-30 minutes with that weight above your head, it does start to add up. Typically your more high-end hair dryers sit at around 400g for comparison.

It has its upsides though. The large brush cut my styling time in half, and the bristles are strong enough to detangle as they style. The white and silver finishes are bright and shiny, and don’t tarnish when hit with styling products like other devices we’ve tested.

The SmoothStyle retails for $149.99 in Australia, but there are usually deals runnings across a range of retailers.

From a technical perspective the SmoothStyle falls below my expectations for consumer products, and yet I can’t stop using it. The ease of operation, despite the added upper body workout, coupled with how well it styles and holds my hair actually has me looking forward to hair wash day. It has taken a tedious styling process and turned it into a joy. 

Truly the SmoothStyle presents a conundrum for this reviewer. I can’t argue with the results, but the inconsistency of the process is hard to shake. Wet Mode is a high point, even if the temperatures are lower than expected, while Dry Mode is simultaneously too hot and simultaneously not hot enough. I love the concept of the design controls, but practically they’re difficult to use. Each point of contention adds an equal sized weight to either side of the scale.

As with all budget products there are going to be trade-offs, and in this case I do believe the flicky ends justify the means. While the temperatures are off, they’re not inaccurate to the detriment of your hair’s health. Even though the controls are annoying, they’re still workable. Though the device is cumbersome to use, it still cuts back the labour of a blow dry. These checks and balances ultimately result in a cheaper product that actually facilitates the results you’re looking for.