Beauty feels beyond my reach. This isn’t about self-deprecation, I swear. I’m talking about accessing the tools that can help you feel beautiful. Facials and fillers and blowouts seem expensive and exclusive to celebrities and influencers. Like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, I want to be a part of that world, but my jaw dropped the first time I paid more than $100 for a haircut. There’s no way I could ever afford (or justify) frequent skincare and hair treatments, right? The at-home beauty market disagrees.
Companies like Therabody and Dyson have expanded into high-end beauty in recent years with trendy tools like the Airwrap and the TheraFace Pro, and other companies have quickly popped up and followed suit. Now, you can get Drybar-like hairdos, LED light treatments, and even dermaplane your skin from the comfort of your home.
The Shark FlexStyle, TheraFace Pro, and Dermaflash Luxe+ are favorites among self-care-loving staff members at WIRED. Each beauty tool offers its own unique treatment without a hefty service fee for every use. Don’t get me wrong—the tools themselves are still an investment, but they eventually pay off the more you use them, especially when you consider how much you’d spend at salons and spas over a year. Here’s what makes them worth it.
At-Home Blowout
I want what Matilda Djerf has: influencer hair. It’s luscious, bouncy, and beautiful. But I know I’ll never be good enough with a round brush or velcro rollers to get achieve this level of hair perfection. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says the Shark FlexStyle Drying and Styling System can give you all that glam without the high price of a Dyson.
The FlexStyle experience is extremely customizable. From the start, you get to choose from three models that each have a bevy of tools, ranging from standalone curling and blow-drying attachments to more specific bundles for curly and coily hair or straight and wavy hair. Luckily, you’re not locked into what you pick forever—you can purchase standalone attachments.
Once you’ve sorted out all of your accessories, that’s when the real fun begins. Like the Dyson Airwrap, the FlexStyle features a vortex of air called the Coanda effect. There’s less direct heat on your hair, so it’s not as damaging as most curling irons. Giordano says the only difference between using the Airwrap and the FlexStyle was that she had to …….