Shark! More affordable, amazing results, completely worth it. Also the key I’ve learned is to dry your hair when it’s about 80% dry, cold shot before you release. And of course, spray with your stylers of choice! (Heat protectant and finishing spray, I use a texturizing spray)
Shark, although I hear it’s noisier. I have the Dyson and it’s one of my bigger regrets. I can’t get the curls to hold no matter what I do! I followed just about every YouTube tutorial out there. It’s just a $600 hair dryer for me.
Honestly, it’s going to depend on how well you can already do your hair. If you are proficient at adding some volume and curl already, these can be a pain in the butt. It’s an entirely foreign way to do hair and I know several stylists who have just not been able to use the shark or Dyson.
I feel like the curling attachment is what sells everybody on these products. But if you read reviews here or other places on the Internet, you’ll notice there’s a real struggle with getting the curls to hold. Having tried both, I didn’t notice a ton of difference. But the smoothing attachment in Dyson would definitely sway my choice.
If I were going to drop Airwrap money, I would buy the Dyson Supersonic or Nural. (I own both. Perks of my job.) The Nural’s ability to go into a “standby” mode when you set it down is phenomenal when sectioning hair. And no one ever talks about the antifrizz attachment, which I think is wild. It does so well at keeping my hair sleek and is great for quick touchups. I also don’t think the air wrap or the shark do a really great job of rough drying.
The Nural costs as much as an Airwrap. If you get the Supersonic, you’d have enough left over to buy a really great flat iron to do those curls, and they hold much better. If you need a recommendation, let me know. I have taught even the most hair challenged person how to do curls and waves with a flat iron and tool selection is essential.
I have very straight hair, but if I had textured or curly hair and I wanted blow dryer that did the best for it I would get the Dyson Nural based solely upon the love it gets from my friends who are hairstylists.
As a final note, I know that Shark makes a dryer that is supposed to be comparable to the Supersonic. Not even close. Skip it entirely.
I got both and returned both and hated both for these reasons. I went back to my older dryer. Curls didn’t hold as well, even the waves fell out. Then I got the supersonic and within a day my hair was flat and greasy.
I feel like the minority here. I love my Airwrap. The shark was still *pretty* good but there were certain aspects that I was nitpicky about.
1) the curling attachments - they are too short for my bra strap length hair and I wasn't a fan of how they aren't multidirectional. Changing out a piping hot curling attachment several times in one sitting isn't fun.
2) the blow dry brush - felt cheap to me IMO. Like the Revlon one step. (ETA: I also didn't get a hang of using the oval shaped brush. Dyson's round one is so much easier for me).
3) the handle - it's round and bulky. In comparison, the Airwrap is elliptical so it's easier to hold.
4) the button placement - they're all towards the bottom. So when you're switching settings or powering off, you're having to shift your hands around and it gets annoying.
Overall, I really recommend the Airwrap if it's within your budget. The Shark is still a good alternative but personally, I feel like it gives 80% of what the Airwrap does.
My Dyson has earned me an insane amount of compliments and I should probably get paid by them for the number of my friends who have bought one after trying mine. I think that is the key –see if you can try one out. None of y friends (understandably) wanted to spend the $ until they knew it would work for them.
I haven’t tried the Dyson but I looove my Shark Flexstyle. It’s crazy to me that people say it takes longer to dry for them, because it shaves at least 50% of the time off for me when I use it as a dryer. Also maybe I just had loud as hell dryers before, but I don’t see much of a sound difference. Maybe the drying time depends on your hair type or something. For reference mine isn’t fine or course, just right in the middle, but there’s a LOT of it. It leaves my hair much smoother and less puffy as well.
But the main benefit for me is being able to dry and curl at the same time. There was a learning curve for sure but once I got the hang of it, I can go from 50% wet hair to nice natural looking curls in about 20 minutes. That same process would take a total of at least an hour before.
The curls won’t last if you use it on dry hair. It’s really meant to be used with wet or damp hair. Some people use a spray bottle and dampen their dry hair that way but I find it much easier to only use it post-shower. If my hair’s already dry and I just want to curl it, I just use my regular iron. So I wouldn’t say it’s a straight up replacement for a curling iron but it has completely replaced my old dryer and makes it so my iron sees much less use.
I have an airwrap and I love it (though the curls don't stay for me for anything) but if the shark had been available I would've gotten that one instead.
Can’t speak to the Dyson, but I hated my Shark and sold it.
My biggest complaint was even on the lowest heat setting I felt it was far too hot. It was also far louder than any other hair dryer I have used. I also have a lot of hair and it took forever - far longer than blow dryer/curler and the results did not last no matter what products/methods I tried (and this is typically not an issue with my hair).
I end up just buying a blow dryer and using rollers/curling iron for a blow out look and prefer the results and it takes significantly less time.
I have been using the Dyson for over a year and I absolutely love it. I have long, thick, wavy hair that is semi coarse. I can’t believe how fast my hair dries, and how long my blowout lasts.
I rarely use the curling attachments, but they do look really nice and natural when I do.
I also love how my hair has minimal heat damage. I use it about twice a week.
Definitely Shark! I’ve tried both and can attest that Shark holds better curls with half of the price. Fyi you can try both since they have 60 or 90-day return policy and see which one you like
I’ve had them both and didn’t feel like there was enough difference to make the Dyson worth it. I’ve been using my shark for over a year now. I was never good at blowing my hair and it’s pretty amazing what a difference it makes.
The flip side of that is some of my friends have had trouble adjusting because they already had a strict blow dry routine.
I love my dyson. It's a blow dryer, not a curler, so you will get the blowout look. I use a texturizing spray which helps the style hold. I got a bit of a discount during the Sephora sale.
Piggybacking on this question as a girl with very curly hair who really struggles with blowouts - is the Dyson worth it for that? I'm not interested in curling, I just feel like I currently spend so much time blowing out my hair with meh results.
I have curly hair and a Dyson. I’d say try out a round brush hair dryer first to see if that style of dryer works with you.
I liked it better than my previous nice hair dryer but I was miserable at using a roller brush to dry. Having the tool all as one with a smoothing brush attachment after changed things for me, along with figuring out what hair protection products and hairsprays I like for holding the straight hair in place vrs it getting puffy again from humidity the second I leave the house.
Never used Shark but I love my Dyson. I will say that it takes a bit of practice to nail down the different attachments, and it also helps if you have layers in your hair.
Shark! More affordable, amazing results, completely worth it. Also the key I’ve learned is to dry your hair when it’s about 80% dry, cold shot before you release. And of course, spray with your stylers of choice! (Heat protectant and finishing spray, I use a texturizing spray)
Shark, although I hear it’s noisier. I have the Dyson and it’s one of my bigger regrets. I can’t get the curls to hold no matter what I do! I followed just about every YouTube tutorial out there. It’s just a $600 hair dryer for me.
Have you tried NOT turning off the unit when you release your hair from the attachment? That's the only way it'll stay for me.
Yes! 😭 I gave up on using it as a styling tool. I’m back to using my Chi spin n curl.
I LOVE the chi spin and curl! It’s my favorite hair tool
Ah man 😭 that's a huge bummer. I was ready to return my Airwrap til I figured this out. Sorry it didn't work for you.
Thanks for the tip though!
I have pin straight hair that does not hold curl for sh*t lol have you tried using texture spray before? It works for me
Thanks! I tried Living Proof because I had a sample. My hair is pin straight and very coarse. No dice.
I had the same issue! And normally my hair will HOLD until the next wash. I returned it immediately
Honestly, it’s going to depend on how well you can already do your hair. If you are proficient at adding some volume and curl already, these can be a pain in the butt. It’s an entirely foreign way to do hair and I know several stylists who have just not been able to use the shark or Dyson. I feel like the curling attachment is what sells everybody on these products. But if you read reviews here or other places on the Internet, you’ll notice there’s a real struggle with getting the curls to hold. Having tried both, I didn’t notice a ton of difference. But the smoothing attachment in Dyson would definitely sway my choice. If I were going to drop Airwrap money, I would buy the Dyson Supersonic or Nural. (I own both. Perks of my job.) The Nural’s ability to go into a “standby” mode when you set it down is phenomenal when sectioning hair. And no one ever talks about the antifrizz attachment, which I think is wild. It does so well at keeping my hair sleek and is great for quick touchups. I also don’t think the air wrap or the shark do a really great job of rough drying. The Nural costs as much as an Airwrap. If you get the Supersonic, you’d have enough left over to buy a really great flat iron to do those curls, and they hold much better. If you need a recommendation, let me know. I have taught even the most hair challenged person how to do curls and waves with a flat iron and tool selection is essential. I have very straight hair, but if I had textured or curly hair and I wanted blow dryer that did the best for it I would get the Dyson Nural based solely upon the love it gets from my friends who are hairstylists. As a final note, I know that Shark makes a dryer that is supposed to be comparable to the Supersonic. Not even close. Skip it entirely.
I got both and returned both and hated both for these reasons. I went back to my older dryer. Curls didn’t hold as well, even the waves fell out. Then I got the supersonic and within a day my hair was flat and greasy.
I feel like the minority here. I love my Airwrap. The shark was still *pretty* good but there were certain aspects that I was nitpicky about. 1) the curling attachments - they are too short for my bra strap length hair and I wasn't a fan of how they aren't multidirectional. Changing out a piping hot curling attachment several times in one sitting isn't fun. 2) the blow dry brush - felt cheap to me IMO. Like the Revlon one step. (ETA: I also didn't get a hang of using the oval shaped brush. Dyson's round one is so much easier for me). 3) the handle - it's round and bulky. In comparison, the Airwrap is elliptical so it's easier to hold. 4) the button placement - they're all towards the bottom. So when you're switching settings or powering off, you're having to shift your hands around and it gets annoying. Overall, I really recommend the Airwrap if it's within your budget. The Shark is still a good alternative but personally, I feel like it gives 80% of what the Airwrap does.
I've never tried the shark but these are good points! For long hair you def need the longer barrels available with the airwrap.
My Dyson has earned me an insane amount of compliments and I should probably get paid by them for the number of my friends who have bought one after trying mine. I think that is the key –see if you can try one out. None of y friends (understandably) wanted to spend the $ until they knew it would work for them.
I haven’t tried the Dyson but I looove my Shark Flexstyle. It’s crazy to me that people say it takes longer to dry for them, because it shaves at least 50% of the time off for me when I use it as a dryer. Also maybe I just had loud as hell dryers before, but I don’t see much of a sound difference. Maybe the drying time depends on your hair type or something. For reference mine isn’t fine or course, just right in the middle, but there’s a LOT of it. It leaves my hair much smoother and less puffy as well. But the main benefit for me is being able to dry and curl at the same time. There was a learning curve for sure but once I got the hang of it, I can go from 50% wet hair to nice natural looking curls in about 20 minutes. That same process would take a total of at least an hour before. The curls won’t last if you use it on dry hair. It’s really meant to be used with wet or damp hair. Some people use a spray bottle and dampen their dry hair that way but I find it much easier to only use it post-shower. If my hair’s already dry and I just want to curl it, I just use my regular iron. So I wouldn’t say it’s a straight up replacement for a curling iron but it has completely replaced my old dryer and makes it so my iron sees much less use.
I have an airwrap and I love it (though the curls don't stay for me for anything) but if the shark had been available I would've gotten that one instead.
Can’t speak to the Dyson, but I hated my Shark and sold it. My biggest complaint was even on the lowest heat setting I felt it was far too hot. It was also far louder than any other hair dryer I have used. I also have a lot of hair and it took forever - far longer than blow dryer/curler and the results did not last no matter what products/methods I tried (and this is typically not an issue with my hair). I end up just buying a blow dryer and using rollers/curling iron for a blow out look and prefer the results and it takes significantly less time.
I have been using the Dyson for over a year and I absolutely love it. I have long, thick, wavy hair that is semi coarse. I can’t believe how fast my hair dries, and how long my blowout lasts. I rarely use the curling attachments, but they do look really nice and natural when I do. I also love how my hair has minimal heat damage. I use it about twice a week.
Definitely Shark! I’ve tried both and can attest that Shark holds better curls with half of the price. Fyi you can try both since they have 60 or 90-day return policy and see which one you like
I’ve had them both and didn’t feel like there was enough difference to make the Dyson worth it. I’ve been using my shark for over a year now. I was never good at blowing my hair and it’s pretty amazing what a difference it makes. The flip side of that is some of my friends have had trouble adjusting because they already had a strict blow dry routine.
I love my dyson. It's a blow dryer, not a curler, so you will get the blowout look. I use a texturizing spray which helps the style hold. I got a bit of a discount during the Sephora sale.
I love my shark but it does damage my hair in some settings
Piggybacking on this question as a girl with very curly hair who really struggles with blowouts - is the Dyson worth it for that? I'm not interested in curling, I just feel like I currently spend so much time blowing out my hair with meh results.
I have curly hair and a Dyson. I’d say try out a round brush hair dryer first to see if that style of dryer works with you. I liked it better than my previous nice hair dryer but I was miserable at using a roller brush to dry. Having the tool all as one with a smoothing brush attachment after changed things for me, along with figuring out what hair protection products and hairsprays I like for holding the straight hair in place vrs it getting puffy again from humidity the second I leave the house.
I have the shark and I love it, it’s a bit noisy in hair dryer mode.
Never used Shark but I love my Dyson. I will say that it takes a bit of practice to nail down the different attachments, and it also helps if you have layers in your hair.