Shark SilkiPro Straight review: an impressive one-and-done tool for sleek, shiny hair - no matter what your hair texture

It’s launched today, but we’ve been testing it for weeks, so you can read this Shark SilkiPro Straight review with confidence that we’ve put the tool through its paces.

I’m always excited when the brand launches a new device - I’m a huge fan of the Shark Cryoglow LED mask and think they’ve created some of the best hair driers on the market. They have the most innovative tech without being wildly overpriced, and as a senior beauty editor (who’s, by the way, also dedicated to my Shark hoover), I’m thrilled about the expansion of their beauty range.

I have naturally curly hair, so I wanted to see how this multitasking styler would fare - will it really leave my hair looking straight and sleek? I’ve tried a few of these two-in-one stylers, and they’ve never really wowed me, but are Shark up for the job? Let’s give the Shark SilkiPro Straight a whirl.

Shark SilkiPro Straight review: Our curly-haired beauty editor puts it to the test

My first impressions of the Shark SilkiPro Straight

The tool is sleek, shiny and stylish. There’s no getting away from the fact that it looks a lot like the Dyson Airstrait, and it does feel as weighty, with the same luxe feel. It comes with two comb attachments (more on that later) and a handy pouch for storage in a matching colourway.

When you switch it on, it lights up, and you can select your styling mode, heat and speed preference - there are three for each. It’s all quite intuitive - it’s easy to click through the settings. Call me old-fashioned, but I much prefer actual buttons to digital screens and dials, so I’m pleased by how easy the Shark SilkiPro Straight is to operate.

How does it perform?

The Shark SilkiPro Straight has two settings - wet and dry styling. When you start with damp hair, you lock the plates together, and you’ll feel a whoosh of air coming through the panels. It sort of feels like a regular hairdryer, once you get to the initial weirdness of holding a straightener styler rather than the more ‘gun’ shape of a traditional hairdryer.

This is also where the combs come in - for the wet styling phase, they suggest using the wide-tooth comb to stretch out tighter curls to make the straightening step easier. It’s satisfyingly easy to click into place, and I found that it helped make my curls looser and more amenable before straightening.

After drying, unlock the plates and click into the dry styling setting. The air will turn off, and the light will flash to show that the straightener is warming up. I used the middle heat setting, which I found effective for my fine hair, although I did finish off with a few passes on the highest setting for a really smooth finish.

The straightening step was pretty easy - it glides through hair, and I only needed one pass for most sections. I attended the launch of this product, and celebrity hairstylist Jay Birmingham explained that most of us are straightening sections that are too big, which I’m definitely guilty of, rushing through to get the job done. Lesson learnt - sectioning hair into smaller areas, around 3 inches per section, will lead to a sleeker finish that lasts longer, and I definitely found this to be true.

The wide plates are both a good and a bad thing. It makes them similar to the best hair straighteners for thick hair - the bigger surface area makes straightening thick or long hair incredibly quick. However, if you have short hair, it might make the process a little trickier. I have a bob, and while it wasn’t a real struggle, when I was tonging the shorter pieces around my face, I did have to really concentrate to get the shape right.

I didn’t use the smaller comb in the dry styling stage (my fine, flyway-prone hair frizzes up if I brush it when it’s dry), but it would help with the smoothness for coils or more unruly hair types. It’s said to mimic the comb technique for hot presses.

How does it compare to other wet-to-straight stylers?

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve tried a couple of these wet-to-straight tools, including ghd Duet Style, and they’ve never really blown me away. I found that while, yes, my curls were straighter, my hair would feel frizzy and flat while somehow also being strangely big. When I used those tools, I always finished off a couple of passes of my ghd Chronos Hair Straightener to smooth things out and provide a sleeker finish.

The best thing about the Shark SilkiPro Straight is that I didn’t need to do that at all. My hair genuinely felt sleek, glossy and shiny with just this one tool. This makes this the best wet-to-straight tool I’ve ever tried. I think that’s also down to the combs, which also sets this apart from the others I’ve tried - it gave the tool better control and helped stretch out my curls before straightening.

My hair also felt sleeker for longer. Often by day three or four of wearing it straight, the frizz starts to creep in and it starts a bit lion mane-eqsue. With the Shark SilkiPro Straight, my hair looked nicely ‘done’ for well into a week. I did have to do some tidying up for some areas, but, hey, I live in the UK, the rain can’t be avoided.

Shark SilkiPro Straight: My verdict

I was thoroughly impressed with the Shark SilkiPro Straight. It’s incredibly easy to use, and it simply does what it promises incredibly well. Damp, curly hair can be transformed into sleek, straight styles with one luxurious-looking tool. The comb attachments set it apart from its competitors, which leads to a sleeker finish and makes it particularly effective for curly and coily hair.

If I’m digging for downsides, I’d say that the wide plates might make styling very short hair difficult. At 781g, it's quite heavy too - I imagine if you were straightening very long hair, your arm might get tired.

All in all, I think it works brilliantly, and I’d really recommend it - especially if you have long, curly or coily hair, and you regularly dry and straighten it.