Pattern’s Hair Steamer Has Made My Curls Softer & Bouncier Than Ever

Don’t get me wrong — I love my curls. But styling and keeping them healthy is no easy feat. Products are expensive, washdays take long, and they require way too many trips to the salon.

While I love chatting with my favorite hairdressers during appointments, professional treatments cost a pretty penny. Growing up, my mom regularly took me to the beauty parlor for steam treatments to address moisture retention and breakage, but, as a financially independent adult, I haven’t gone in years.

Thanks to the genius of Tracee Ellis Ross, however, I now have access to this hair health hack from the comfort of my six-floor walk-up. In October, her natural hair care brand, Pattern, released a hand-held steamer that allows you to steam your hair with ease — and without having to pay a stylist.

With this, my curls are better able to soak up my replenishing product lineup. And they look better than ever. Need more convincing about this innovative device? Below, you’ll find all the details on what makes this hair tool a 10/10.

Fast Facts

• Price: $169
• Best for: Breakage prevention, removing scalp buildup, locking in moisture, and improving hair elasticity.
• What I Love: It’s portable, user-friendly, and gives the same results that I’d get in the salon.
• Rating: 10/10

Pattern’s Hair Steamer

To appreciate this product, you must first understand what steaming can do for your hair. One key benefit? Moisture retention.

Natural hair runs very dry and has trouble absorbing hydration. Steaming helps open up the hair cuticle, allowing for deeper product penetration. Translation: Your curls and coils are drinking up more from the formulas you’re applying.

You may also notice after regular steaming that your hair’s elasticity has improved. When your strands are parched from factors like your environment, the cuticles lift, and your curls' ability to bounce is diminished because of moisture loss. This is why your curls are limp and begging to be saved whenever washday comes around. Steaming comes in as a savior that returns moisture to the hair. As a bonus, this reduces shedding and breakage — because moisturized strands are less brittle and not as prone to damage.

Steaming treatments also benefit your scalp by helping remove product buildup and boosting blood circulation. This is especially helpful for those who rely on a thick gel and edge control to secure their slick-back styles.

Pattern recommends using the tool monthly for healthy hair and every seven to 10 days if your curls are extra dry.

First Impression

Beauty tools can often feel overly complicated, but my first impression of this one was that it was easy to operate. After shampooing, I hopped out of the shower and applied the Pattern Breakage Barrier Hair Mask from root to tip, making sure to detangle along the way. I then filled the Hair Steamer’s water chamber, turned on the device, waited 60 seconds for the power switch to light up, and flipped the slider to activate the steam. It was smooth sailing from there.

I started by using the diffuser attachment and hovering over my strands to allow the steam to cover my entire head. After about three minutes, I swapped it for the pronged attachment and began to comb the device through my hair. The prongs glided through so easily, and I could feel the steam dousing my curls with moisture, making them noticeably softer.

Once seven minutes went by, I powered off the device since the brand suggests up to five minutes for short hair and up to 12 for medium to long hair (it turns off after 16 minutes, FWIW). One thing to note is that the device remains at one heat setting, 284˚F, which can feel hot near your scalp, so be careful about letting it rest on your skin.

To finish, I rinsed the mask, conditioned, and completed my curl definition regimen.

Final Verdict

This tool has completely upgraded my routine. After rinsing the mask, my hair felt super soft, but it got even softer after I applied my hydration products and blow-dried with a diffuser. The end result was shiny, moisturized, and bouncy curls. I used it during my next washday, and I’ve already noticed a more permanent change in my hair’s moisture levels. My strands feel exponentially more lush. The Pattern Hair Steamer is here to stay in my regimen, that’s for sure.