There’s no doubt about it: Natural textured hair is a thing of beauty. Whether yours is wavy, coily, tightly curled, or somewhere in between, it’s a gift & one of your best accessories!
Chances are, you already do plenty to keep your crown radiant, from relying on top-shelf hydrating hair products to using your favorite heat styling tools with care & caution.
But there’s one curl-enhancing hair care practice that may be missing from your regimen: treating your tresses with a first-rate hair steamer (like PATTERN Hair Steamer, one of the only handheld, standalone hair steamers on the market).
Long considered one of the most effective ways to stave off dryness, replenish curls & give your hair softness & strength, hair steaming is a downright game changer for keeping up the health of natural hair textures.
New to the technique? If so, you may have a handful of questions, like:
- How often should you steam your hair?
- What are the biggest benefits of steaming hair?
- What does steaming your hair do, exactly?
- How often should you steam your hair for major bounce & long-lasting hydration?
We have all the answers you need to rock your curls with complete confidence. In this blog, we’ll review hair steaming benefits & why you may want to weave this gem of a practice into your self-care routine.
But First, What is Hair Steaming?
Hair steaming is exactly as it sounds: It’s the process of applying moist heat to the scalp to open up the hair follicle. In doing so, impurities are eliminated & hair becomes cleaner & more receptive to products. This is why most hair steaming processes are paired with deep conditioning products.
Historically, hair steaming was performed by professional hair stylists in salons or at home with a shower cap, blow dryer or hot hand towel. While both beauty parlor & DIY methods are still popular, dozens of modern tools can now help you hair steam at home. These include:
- Hood hair steamer attachments
- Tabletop steamers
- Handheld steamers
- Steamer caps
- Professional-grade hooded steamers
Even better? There are a bunch of hair steamer benefits. In fact, some experts say it’s one of the best things you can do to maintain your natural hair’s lusciousness.
4 Hair Steaming Benefits
The benefits of hair steaming are vast. Whether you elect for an in-salon treatment or perform the process at home, hair steaming has the potential to:
#1. Fend Off Hair Breakage & Shedding
Hair breakage & shedding is a totally normal part of being alive. It’s estimated that we lose 50 to 100 hairs per day.
Even still, there’s a bunch of stuff that can further provoke breakage & increase the shedding process, which may lead to curly split ends, parched strands & a less-than-silky appearance. Some of the most notorious culprits come down to:
- Stress
- Diet
- Excessive (or incorrect) use of heat styling tools
- Weather, such as low humidity & hot temps
- Drying your hair improperly (like rubbing your hair instead of blotting it)
- Overwashing
- Underlying health conditions
Heat steaming works to counter this. A quality steamer crafted specifically for natural textures—like the PATTERN Hair Steamer—may stop breakage, shedding & hair loss in their tracks. The result? Juicy, joyful, lovable curls.
Here’s how it works: Steam encourages the hair cuticle to open, which allows breakage-reducing, ultra-moisturizing hair products—like the PATTERN Intensive Conditioner—to penetrate on a deeper, more nourishing level. In other words, hair steaming helps your hair soak up all the good stuff you feed it.
#2. Enhances Scalp Health
It’s safe to say that scalps are one of the most overlooked parts of the human body. Unless you’re sporting a pixie cut or have a shaved head, our scalps largely go unnoticed.
But the health of your scalp is absolutely key to your natural hair’s resilience, vitality & capacity to grow.
When coupled with the right hair smoothing products, hair steaming promotes scalp health by:
- Increasing blood circulation
- Delivering essential ingredients to your scalp (& hair), such as the proteins, lipids & humectants it needs
- Removing toxins & impurities, like dirt, sebum, product buildup, flakes & dead skin cells
On this last point: Experts say that heat is more effective at removing substances from hair than cold & cold water treatments. Pair the heat steaming process with the PATTERN Hydration Shampoo & you might experience that fresh but nourished feeling you’ve been craving.
#3. Elevates Product Performance & Seals in Moisture
Whether you’ve decided to invest in the PATTERN Detangling Nectar specifically or a variety of our most coveted hair treatments for curly hair, know that even the most well-crafted products work better if your hair has been adequately prepped.
Hair steaming facilitates this—again, by opening the hair cuticle & encouraging product penetration into the hair cortex (or protein fiber). In turn, you may experience maximized absorption & hydration (& all the gorgeousness that comes with it).
Interested in replenishing your hair’s shine & buoyancy, especially if you’re transitioning back to your natural curls after a chemical treatment or a protective style? Consider the PATTERN Breakage Barrier Hair Mask. Created with a nourishing combination of White Tea & Manuka Honey, this treatment may lead to:
- Two times less breakage
- Increased moisture balance
- Boosted hair growth
#4. Bolsters Elasticity
Optimal hair elasticity is the secret behind magnificent curls—you know, curls that spring back, shine in the sunlight & feel super-silky to the touch.
But plenty of things can mess with our curls & coils’ organic ability to stretch, bounce & shimmer. When hair gets thirsty (which can happen for any number of reasons, from using harsh products to living in a windy environment), it may cause the hair cuticle to lift & prompt moisture loss in that cortex we just mentioned.
Hair steaming helps stop this by delivering hydrating & nurturing products where they’re most needed: in the protein fiber.
Revitalize your own elasticity by matching your at-home hair steaming treatment with the PATTERN Bounce Back Pre-Poo. It’s designed to bring life back to your curls after heat styling or hair treatment procedures. Created with Oat Extract & Hibiscus Flower, it minimizes frizz & spurs curls back into action.
Uplevel Your Natural Hair Care Routine with PATTERN
Considering all the benefits of steaming hair, it just makes sense to add this practice to your hair care routine—& PATTERN is here to help. The innovative PATTERN Hair Steamer harnesses the power of steam (as in 650W & 9 grams per minute) to give you stunning, well-hydrated & ultra-nourished curls & coils. Use it with our award-winning collection of products, & there’s no doubt you & your hair will glow.
Pour some love into your beautiful hair—naturally—with PATTERN.
Sources:
Glamour. I tried hair steaming and it transformed my hair. Here’s everything you need to know…
https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/what-is-hair-steaming
Refinery29. I skipped steaming my natural hair for years & my hair paid the price.
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/natural-hair-steaming-benefits
Cosmopolitan. 7 best hair steamers for natural hair of 2024, according to hair stylists.
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/g33248454/hair-steamers-for-natural-hair/
American Academy of Dermatology Association. Do you have hair loss or hair shedding?
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/shedding
Healthline. How to stop hair breakage.
https://www.healthline.com/health/hair-breakage
Health. How to take care of your scalp and why.
https://www.health.com/how-to-care-for-your-scalp-7482921
Byrdie. I tried a scalp steam and my curls have never looked better.
https://www.byrdie.com/scalp-steam-review-5120266
WebMD. Dry hair: symptoms, causes & treatments.
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/dry-hair-causes
