ON a quest for perfectly blow-dried hair? We had the chance to review the Shark Style iQ hairdryer and styler – here's how we got on.

You might know Shark better for its vacuum cleaners, but the brand launched its first-ever hairdryer last year, taking its expertise in airpower tech up a notch (and rather conveniently rivalling the Dyson Supersonic, which it frequently gets compared to).

With fast drying iQ technology, intelligent stylers and promising fast results with no heat damage, it's a powerhouse product suited for both straight and curly styles: win-win.

But does it live up to expectations, and more importantly: is it worth the price tag? Read on for the verdict.

• Shark Style iQ Ionic Hair Dryer & Styler HD120UK, now £199.99 (was £249.99) from Shark – buy here

Shark Style iQ hairdryer and styler review: quick summary

Let it be said: the Shark iQ definitely feels like salon-quality when it's in your hands. Everything from the spaceship sound to the ionised air felt like an obvious upgrade from my usual hairdryer.

It took me a couple of goes to get used to it, but by the third time of trying out this dryer and styler, my hair looked way smoother and glossier than it usually does post-drying it myself.

I usually rely on straighteners to tame the frizz, but I could completely skip this step after drying with the iQ – in the long term, I reckon this would improve the quality of my hair no end. Let's just say it could do with a break from all that heat damage.

The downsides are the price (it's defo more of an investment than run-of-the-mill hairdryers) and the heaviness was noticeable at first – but wasn't personally an issue for me.

On the flip side, the drying time was amazingly fast, it left my hair incredibly smooth and I loved that I didn't get boiling hot while using it – a problem which often creates more frizz for me in the summer.

Pros

• Fast-drying
• Versatile styling options, with three detachable heads including a diffuser (plus can be used with the AirWave for beachy waves – sold separately)
• Automatic heat and airflow settings for intuitive drying
• High velocity heated ionised air delivers fast drying with no heat damage – plus you won't get as hot when using it
• Quieter than standard hairdryers

Cons

• Quite heavy at 0.5kg
• More expensive than bog-standard models
• The style brush was a bit tricky to master

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Unboxing and first impressions

The hairdryer came packaged in a smart and stylish branded cardboard box. Once opened, my first impressions were that it's very aesthetically pleasing, with the rose gold detailing adding a pretty and luxe feel. Off to a good start.

Upon picking it up, I wasn't expecting it to be as heavy as it is: at 0.5kg, it's weightier than my go-to hairdryer but I liked that the overall size is more compact.

Performance

Powering on the Shark Style iQ is really satisfying, with an instant 'whoosh' that must be a good few decibels lower than standard hairdryers.

I've had hairdressers comment on how much my hair holds onto moisture when it's wet (aka it's hella porous and takes an age to dry), so the fast-drying results of the iQ was a gamechanger.

I was able to get my drying routine down to around 10 minutes, while the smoothness of my hair afterwards was really noticeable. Previously, I've only ever been able to achieve the same smoothness from hair-drying alone, by using the Babyliss Big Hair, which although great, takes ages.

I only tried the diffuser once, as these aren't something I normally use (i.e. my previous attempts have been disastrous) but I definitely noticed that it left my hair way less frizzy than the ones I've tried before. Could I be a diffuser convert, after all?

With a natural wave to my hair, I also tried the diffuser head which was decent for a messy bed-head style – and again, delivered fast drying. I didn't quite master the extendable prongs for defining curls and would probably need to practice a few more times. But for a first attempt, it was promising.

Features and Design

The Shark Style iQ is equipped with three temperatures and airflow settings, as well as a cool shot (which you have to keep pressed down to use).

These settings intuitively auto-adjust to each styler (the LED button illuminates when the styler connection is found) but you can also manually change them to your preference.

There are three stylers in total: a concentrator, a style brush and a diffuser.

The precision 2-in-1 concentrator has two openings that you can switch between– the wider one can be used for fast drying, while the narrow setting concentrates the air for even more control and precision, so it's great for finishing styling.

This was my favourite styler of all three as I found it easiest to use. I think I'd need a bit more practice with the style brush as the horizontal and vertical angles didn't feel natural for me – but this could be because I'm used to using the Babyliss Big Hair hot brush, as mentioned above.

How much does the Shark Style iQ cost?

It's currently on offer for £199.99 – a great deal, as the exact same set but minus the style brush, costs £229.99.

Where to buy the Shark Style iQ

You can pick yours up directly from Shark, as well as from the likes of John Lewis, Amazon and Very.

Shark Style iQ: the verdict

Ratings

• Comfort and ease of use: 4/5
• Drying time: 5/5
• Healthy drying: 5/5
• Smoothness: 4/5

I'm not exactly a pro when it comes to wielding a hairdryer: I tend to rough blast my hair which inevitably results in frizz, and then requires hair straighteners to smooth things down again (that is, unless I use my trusty Babyliss Big Hair, but my main gripe with that is how long it takes).

So to be able to dry my hair in a short amount of time with minimal effort and a concentrated nozzle that basically does all the work for you, was a revelation.

I also loved that a hairdrying session with this bad boy didn't leave me melting, which is always an issue with hot hairdryers (and a total nightmare if you have a fringe, as it ends up plastered to your head).

I may not have mastered the style brush and diffuser just yet, but I'll be checking out Shark's styling tips for more in-depth tutorials.

Price-wise, I'm not sure I would have personally invested in this myself – my current one isn't amazing but works fine, so in all honesty, it's the hairdryer I never knew I needed.

But if you're on the market for a hairdryer and styler with the latest tech and are prepared to spend a little more for something that gets you quicker results and will protect your hair from heat damage in the long run – I'd say go for it.

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