I Tried the Shark SilkiPRO Straight on My Type 3 Hair

I’m really particular about my hair. I wear it straight more often than curly—not because I don’t love my coils, but because with a busy schedule, I sometimes find it easier to maintain a blowout or a silk press. (Please don’t come for me, ha.) I love the look of a glossy, satiny mane with plenty of body—or at least a little bounce.

I’ve been getting my hair done since I was at least five years old, and I learned how to give myself a proper press while studying at Howard University—after plenty of trial and error and significant heat damage. Since then, I’ve tried my fair share of heat tools, from heated round brushes and hot combs to blow dryers and, of course, flat irons.

So when I heard Shark Beauty was launching a new straightening tool—the Shark SilkiPRO Straight—I had to get my hands on it. That said, I was a bit apprehensive going into this review. As any DIY textured-hair girlie knows, it takes time to adjust to a new tool, and at this point in my life, I know what works and which products make me feel gone-with-the-wind fabulous. Read on for my honest review.

About My Hair

My hair is fairly thick and falls somewhere in the type 3 curl range—though that’s shifted a lot over the years, making it hard to pinpoint an exact pattern, especially since it’s pretty heat-trained. Pattern aside, my hair craves moisture. Both my scalp and strands are prone to frizz and dryness, which means I have to be intentional about the tools I use and the products I prep with. My current go-tos include Amika’s The Cure line, Color Wow’s Dream Coat, and The Doux Heat Prep shampoo and conditioner. I also rely heavily on Olaplex’s No. 7 Bonding Oil. Without them, my hair feels noticeably dehydrated and reverts to its natural texture far more quickly.

Design + Features

The SilkiPRO Straight is slightly larger than the straightening tools I’m used to—but not in an intimidating way. Right out of the box, it’s clear the design prioritizes convenience (and we love convenience). I also wasn’t expecting it to function as both a blow dryer and a flat iron.

The tool comes with interchangeable combs and wet-to-dry styling settings, allowing you to go from freshly washed hair to blow-dried to straightened using a single device. There’s a wide-tooth comb attachment for blow drying, a gentle comb for straightening, and a precision comb designed to deliver a flatter, sleeker finish.

For blow-drying, the tool is engineered with high-velocity airflow for faster drying, delivering results in as little as one pass. To use this feature, set the power button to the “For Wet Hair” setting and adjust airflow using the fan control, which ranges from level one to three. When you’re ready to straighten, the ceramic plates—equipped with an integrated heat sensor that measures temperature 1,000 times per second—automatically adjust heat levels to help prevent damage. You can manually control the heat using the button located below the fan.

Despite its size, the SilkiPRO Straight isn’t heavy or difficult to maneuver, and there’s plenty of space below the plates for a comfy grip. I also appreciate the thick protective barrier around the plates, which helps prevent finger burns—something I’ve unfortunately experienced more times than I’d like to admit. And lastly, it’s worth noting that the tool is genuinely sleek and pretty. 

How I Used It

The SilkiPRO Straight is extremely intuitive. The settings are clearly labeled, and the attachments slide in and lock easily below the plates. I started with the wide-tooth comb, which I was initially nervous about since I typically prefer a brush—my hair is thick, curly, and often requires multiple passes to fully blow out.

Fresh out of the shower, I detangled, generously applied Color Wow’s Dream Coat, and parted my hair into sections, starting at the nape of my neck (which is usually my go-to starting point for blow-drying). At first, because the comb is so wide, I didn’t feel like it was fully catching the finer, shorter hair at my nape. But by the time I reached my crown, we were in business. The tool genuinely dried my hair—and did so smoothly—with just a couple of passes.

I was also surprised by how comfortable the heat felt. While it was clearly drying my hair, it never felt overly hot, and I wasn’t sweating or accidentally burning my ears in the process. Afterward, I swapped the wide-tooth comb for the gentle comb, again starting at the nape before moving up to my crown and front sections. Multiple passes weren’t necessary, and my hair immediately felt soft and straightened. To finish, I used the precision comb—especially on my money pieces—for an extra-polished look.

My Review 

My favorite feature of this tool is the wet-to-dry function—it genuinely works, and it works fast. That alone makes it a win for travel, especially since I tend to overpack hair tools. I was genuinely impressed by how smoothly it blow-dried my strands without my scalp feeling overheated. I’ve never been able to blow dry my hair and immediately run my fingers or a comb through it after just one pass—so that felt like a true game changer.

When it came to straightening, I was also surprised by how flat it got my hair, despite the tool’s bulkier design. I initially worried it wouldn’t get close enough to my roots, but that wasn’t an issue at my crown or top sections. That said, it was harder to reach the roots at the nape of my neck and around my ears, where I still felt the need to go in with a hot comb or heated root brush to smooth flyaways.

Still, the results lived up to the name: my hair felt silky-soft without ever feeling overheated, and there was no smoke in sight. I also think some of these minor challenges could improve with continued use—like most tools, there’s a learning curve, and getting comfortable with it in-hand may make it easier to reach tricky areas over time.

One thing to note: this isn’t the tool to reach for if you typically give yourself a silk press with lots of body or curls. That’s not a knock—it’s right there in the name. Because of the bulkier plates, there isn’t much room to wrap the hair, though I was still able to create a slight bump and add some volume. Ultimately, this tool shines when it comes to achieving that bone-straight, middle-part buss down.