Is The Shark Beauty Hot Brush Worth The Hype? A Beauty Editor’s Review

Can it really transform tresses in the face of humidity? Viva beauty editor Ash Cometti found out.

The Viva beauty team are a questioning bunch.

With every new release product/styling tool/treatment we’re kindly gifted to review, we’re quick to ask ourselves: “This is great, but if I had to buy it myself, would I?”

From low-heat styling tools said to minimise hair damage without compromising on results, through to cordless, flexible straighteners to style and smooth, we’ve been lucky enough to put a number of devices through their paces in the name of delivering an honest review.

Over the past 12 months, there’s been one hot tool brand on everyone’s lips: Shark Beauty.

First came the FlexStyle, a multi-styler touted to achieve a salon-worthy blowout on all hair types — from poker-straight strands through to kinky, coily hair types. Next was the SpeedStyle, a standalone hair dryer compatible with multiple attachments like a diffuser and finishing tool to minimise frizz and flyaways.

Then, during an aptly-named “Smoothcation” press trip in sunny Noosa, Shark Beauty revealed the next innovation in its line of air stylers: the new SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener and Smoother.

It’s the latest in what’s now a long line of air brushes — all of which promise a state-of-the-art ability to dry and style hair in one fell swoop, leaving hair looking silky smooth with minutes to spare.

What it says on the tin

It operates with two different modes depending on your styling preferences or needs on the day.

On wash day, try Wet Hair Mode which promises to both dry, volumise and style damp hair at the same time; or on next-day hair, consider Dry Hair Mode, which employs pink, ceramic-coated heated plates to smooth and straighten hair while banishing pesky fly-aways.

Its three air temperature settings (100C, 70C and 50C) and one heated smoothing comb setting (215C) claim to use less heat than traditional straightening irons, meaning you’re guaranteed results without any hair damage.

In Dry Hair Mode, a heat indicator light turns from amber (while the plates are heating up) to green (when the heated smoothing comb is ready to use).

First impressions

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the aforementioned Smoothcation to put the Shark Beauty SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener and Smoother to the test again in Noosa’s fickle weather — namely its unseasonably high temperatures and soaring humidity levels (neither of which I accounted for when packing).

Hosted at a private residence at Noosa’s Little Cove Beach, we were treated to a first look at the SmoothStyle thanks to a demonstration led by Sydney-based hairstylist and owner of Willomina salon Chris Hunter.

Like any hairstylist giving a demonstration on how to achieve a perfectly bouncy blowout, Chris made working with the SmoothStyle look like child’s play, expertly achieving maximum volume at the roots by pulling the brush through the model’s hair at a 90-degree angle, before bending the hair with a quarter turn at the ends for extra body and movement.

He used the word manipulate no fewer than 267 times when explaining how to style bangs — stretching them way over to the opposite side of the head using the SmoothStyle before letting them loose.

Honest thoughts

As one of the heavier hot tools I’ve tried (it weighs little over 700g) the SmoothStyle is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre.

I first tried Wet Hair Mode on my 70 per cent dry hair on wash day, and found that it wasn’t as tiresome on my arms as using my current hairdryer. Large and in-charge as it may be, the size of the barrel meant I couldn’t get as close to my roots as I would’ve liked, but managed to get mid-lengths and ends as bone dry as I like them.

The next time I tried it, I worked with my hair dryer first to dry my roots off a little more before going in with the SmoothStyle and found my results were much better.

As far as efficacy goes, it really depends on your hair type, the look you’re wanting to achieve and how patient you are. Because my hair is super thick and long, I prefer to use it to create a smooth blowout as opposed to big, bouncy waves (I use a curling wand for that).

It’s certainly smoothing, but the jury’s out in terms of promising to humidity-proof your hair. It would be safer to claim a humidity-proof style if you use the right products to first prep then set hair after styling. A leave-in treatment, heat protectant spray and hair spray are the Holy Trinity here.

If your hair is on the knotty side (like mine) I found it’s best to separate hair into two sections and brush well with a Tangle Teaser (or the brush of your choice) first before you reach for your first section to style.

In Dry Hair Mode, I was able to twist the brush using the cool-touch tip to allow for better control while styling, meaning I could create a natural-looking flick at the end of each section. The heat indicator rating was helpful (though it doesn’t beep when ready like many other hot styling tools I own) and the plates took very little time to warm up.

The most important thing when styling in this mode is to ensure that the hair passes through both sets of combs, which calls for rotating the brush almost the entire way around as you style. I wasn’t game enough to try and create an actual curl with it just yet, but that will come in time.

I stumbled upon some additional styling tips after I’d written this review, like flipping your hair to one side and brushing the comb through hair to the opposite direction, then flipping your hair upside down and brushing well from underneath. Hello, volume.

All in all, considering how affordable it is, I think it’s a great option for someone who loves a smooth, shiny blowout. It’s a fraction of the cost of its more expensive counterparts at $199, and for some hair types will replace the need for two hair tools in your beauty arsenal instead of one.

Rating

4 out of 5 stars — if not for its ability to beat humidity, then for its ability to cut my wet-to-dry styling time in half.

Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener and Smoother, $199, is available from selected department stores, including Farmers or online at Sharkclean.co.nz.

Ashleigh Cometti is an Auckland-based beauty journalist with more than 12 years’ experience in the industry. After joining the Viva team in 2018 and being appointed as beauty editor in 2020, Ash has fine-tuned her skills at sniffing out new fragrance launches, discovering the next generation of talented makeup artists, and writing about all things that feed her obsession as a skincare fanatic.