For the past few years in the natural hair community all the rave has been about hair steamers.  While most Naturalistas are used to the “cap and hooded dryer” method of deep conditioning, many are now using the steaming method of deep conditioning.  Hair steamers emit steam to infuse and hydrate hair strands with water a.k.a moisture.  The warm steam is supposed to lift the hair’s cuticle to allow moisture to penetrate the hair strands intensely and quickly. Applying a conditioner and/or essentials oils to the hair prior to steaming is said to enhance the steaming effects.

I received a Huetiful Hair Steamer for Christmas two years ago and have been using it faithfully every week (sometimes twice a week), so I feel compelled to share my experience, the good and the bad, with you all since I’ve been using it for two LONG years.

Huetiful Hair Steamer claims:

No process or product has been proven to both moisturize and hydrate natural, relaxed or transitioning hair better than a Huetiful Hair Steam Treatment.The award winning Huetiful Hair Steamer restores and hydrates your hair 5x more effectively than leading conditioners alone.         

• Restores moisture to your dry hair up to 5x better than the leading deep conditioner. 

• Strengthens hair by replenishing moisture lost to keratin treatments, relaxers or heat straightening

• Significantly reduces breakage and split ends caused by dry hair while improving manageability

• Easily converts into a Spa Facial Steamer in just two minutes

My Thoughts:

The Huetiful Hair Steamer was very easy to assemble.  It had 3 major parts that easily attached to one another: the base with a detachable cup for water; a plastic connector; and a detachable plastic hood.  Once assembled, I noticed that the overall material seemed to be a bit fragile; particularly the detachable hood.  My hooded dryer is definitely more sturdy and constructed with better material.  I also noticed that you could not adjust the height of the hood to properly fit your head under it.  This is a major drawback.  Luckily my table on which the steamer sits is the perfect height, and I don’t have any issues with getting my head and all of my hair under the steamer hood. Once assembled, I fill the detachable cup with water to the “Max” line and turn on the “power” and “ozone” buttons.  After about 1-2 minutes the water starts to boil and generate a thick cloud of steam under the hood of the steamer.  The steam session lasts about 20 minutes before it automatically shuts off.

After my first steam session with my staple deep conditioner, I immediately noticed that my hair was very saturated, as if my hair strands had drunk the conditioner and water (from the steam).  I know that sounds weird but that’s the only way I can describe it. The steamer definitely allowed the conditioner and water to penetrate and infuse my hair strands.  My hair was also incredibly soft, intensely moisturized, shiny and kind of fluffy.  It made my detangling session a lot easier, which I loved!  After detangling and rinsing out the conditioner, I also noticed enhanced curl definition.  My curls were poppin’ with no added products!

My hair after a steamer session

After several uses I noticed that my hair began to retained moisture A LOT better than it used to.  My hair is naturally dry…I mean VERY dry.  I would normally deep condition my hair using the “cap and hooded dryer” method for 30 mins to an hour.  I even slept in my conditioner sometimes to try to get the most intense conditioning effects possible.  My hair would be soft and moisturized; my detangling sessions would still be a little difficult; but my hair would be back to its dry state within a couple days. One 20 minute steam session seemed to hydrate my strands intensely and allow my hair to retain moisture for extended periods of time, which is something I could not achieve with the “cap and hooded dryer” method of deep conditioning.  So, the steamer saved me a lot of time I used to spend deep conditioning and also did an overall better job of moisturizing my dry hair.  I noticed that my hair was a lot more manageable and breakage was at a minimum.

Also, I couldn’t help but notice the positive effects it had on my scalp.  I had dry, flaky scalp issues.  No matter what I washed my hair with, it would flake up within a couple of days.  The steam seemed to have wiped out my dry scalp issue over the course of a couple of months.  No more flakes, dandruff etc.

Stash it or trash it?

Well, the fact that I’ve been using it for two years now says a lot. LOL.  I most definitely love my steamer.  It has played a vital role in my hair journey and has improved the overall health of my hair.  I will say that initially I was not pleased with the material and construction of the steamer, but I can’t complain since I’ve been using it 1-2 times a week for the last two years and I haven’t had one problem with it.  The Huetiful Hair Steamer is pretty pricey ($120-$130), which can deter a lot of naturals from purchasing one, but if you’ve had success with steaming, I highly recommend you invest in one if you have very dry 4a-4b hair like I do.  The average hair salon charges about $20 for a steam session, so it may definitely be cost-effective to purchase one, as opposed to paying $20 per steam session at your local salon. Overall, the Huetiful Hair Steamer has been an awesome addition to my hair regimen.  For more info on the Huetiful Hair Steamer click HERE.

Do you have a hair steamer or have you tried a steam session before?  If so, how was your experience with it?