Some people seem to have a knack for styling their own hair and making it look good, but I am not one of them.
I used to spend most of my time with my hair tied up because I struggled to know what else to do with it. My hair dries naturally straight but it lacks volume and looks like I've actually stuck it down to my head with something.
I'm a big fan of a proper curly blow dry but who has the time or the money to go regularly? So when I heard about the Shark FlexStyle I was extremely intrigued.
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What drew me towards the device most is that it's said to be quick and easy to use. As a mum with her hands full, as well as someone who is next to useless at doing her own hair, this sounded like a dream come true.
On its own it is basically a hairdryer but you can quickly transform it into a number of hairstyling devices. The FlexStyle's five attachments enable you to dry, straighten, curl, and boost the volume of your hair.
At first glance it looked a little intimidating but a quick scan of the instructions and I was good to go. When it comes to curling there are "left" and a "right" attachments (for each side of your hair) and it can be fiddly if you chop and change, so it's easier to do one side of your hair first, and then the next.
After applying some volume mousse to damp hair it took me around 25 minutes to curl my locks. The device's suction feature means the wand almost magically pulls your hair to it so there is no need to wrap it around. Mind blowing!
I pinned my curls because my hair struggles to hold them. Whenever I get a curly blow at the hairdressers I get it pinned, so I did so here for a fair comparison.
While the process took no longer than it would in a salon, I must admit sitting on my floor in front of the mirror with my knees starting to fall asleep amid the noise of a busy house was just not a patch on relaxing in a proper chair, reading a magazine, and having a gossip with my hairdresser.
I left the pin curls in for three hours before taking them out, giving them a last spritz of hairspray and heading out. The overall look was a little less sleek than if someone had done it for me, it just didn't look quite as symmetrical.
If a curly blow was a 10, I'd say the finished look with the Shark FlexStyle was a 9 - though someone who is better at doing hair than me could probably achieve something better. It's also one of those things you become much more skilled at after a few attempts.
The curls didn't last quite as long as they would if I'd had them done in a salon but the Shark FlexStyle is definitely the next best thing, and I'd definitely recommend this item to anyone who would like to be able to make their hair look presentable quickly and easily.
The Shark FlexStyle is currently £249.99 (normally £299.99) in the Shark Black Friday sale. Alternatively, Dyson has launched a new 'Dyson Airwrap Origin' which is now available for £399.99.
Elsewhere, one product that's currently trending on the Argos website is this BaByliss Keratin Shine Volume Hot Air Styler that's down from £33 to £22. The styling tool has an almost five star rating on the Argos website and is designed to create 'volume and shape' for the hair.
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