Steaming is the best thing I could have done for my hair!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am an avid DIYer and advocate of learning your own hair and how to maintain it. With that, having the right equipment will make the process easier and more effective. My mission was my deep condition treatments.

In an attempt to amp up my deep conditioning, I went online to find a solution. Even though the plastic bag on my head generated heat, it just wasn’t enough for me. I wanted a hooded dryer that gets to a decent temperature to speed the process . After reading TONS of reviews and blogs, I came across a review for a steamer. And THAT is when I realized I was searching for the wrong thing!

Fast forward 6 months later and I found an excellent replacement for my plastic bag 😄 Hot Heads by Thermal Hair Care is what I use when I am relaxing, need to multitask, do chores while conditioning. I am so glad I purchased it. I wrote my review of it!

I didn’t need a dryer. I always allow my hair to air dry. In the 5+ years of no chemicals, I have also somehow managed to avoid using flat irons and blow dryers. Not intentionally actually. But I have. And now I would like to keep it that way. The only thing I really want to do is to use the heat to help activate and moisturize quicker that my natural head heat. What I needed was a steamer.

I researched the many benefits of adding a steamer to your regimen. Now, there are many brands of steamers you can purchase. Amazon, Walmart and Target sell a few different brands online. But I already knew which one I wanted to purchase.

Huetiful Salon has a location here in my hometown, Chicago. Curl Kitchen is attached and they sell natural hair care products and accessories. What is better that buying online? …Purchasing at the store and getting your product the same day 👏 Waiting for something that you bought two weeks ago is unbearable at times. So my sister and I hopped in the car and headed over to buy it.

If you live in or are visiting Chicago, stop by Huetiful and Curl Kitchen. It is beautiful in there! Take the time to read this review  by Naturally Happy of her experience at Huetiful Salon.

I purchased my steamer a little over a year ago and it’s still a staple item in my hair regimen. Depending on your hair type, some may want to use it more than others, but I have found it to work wonders on my very tightly coiled, low porosity, type 4 hair.

As I perused the web looking for reviews, I saw many women worried that a steamer is too much trouble or that it will take too much time out of their day to incorporate into their regimen. Not for me!

First, it has a very small footprint. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and can be boxed up and put in a closet or on a shelf. Some steamers have wheels and have to stand up somewhere in your home. I have a small apartment, so that doesn’t work for me. Here is everything that comes in the box:

Second, it is very easy to assemble. There are only 4 pieces! When I am done, I put it right back in the box for easy storage.

Attach Bracket to base

Bracket ready for hood

Hood attached to bracket

Add water to the base. Facial extention attached

I love how Huetiful featured different beauty bloggers on their packaging. So cool. Mine featured @meechymonroe and @msvaughtv. Both from the Chi ♥. Beautiful.

All this Chicago Love…

I incorporate the steamer into my regimen a few different ways:

Deep Conditioning

This is the obvious one. I went on my search for this purpose. After washing your hair, apply your conditioners, oils or masques and sit! That’s it. You don’t need a plastic cap. If you do, I would put holes in it to capture the steam. Also, the Hood is a tad shallow for me when I have a full-on fro. So I put a towel on my neck to make sure the steam gets to the back of my head.

The water runs out after about 20 mins. And really, that is all you need. Over-Conditioning can be a bad thing on some hair types. Trust me, your hair will feel very hydrated after those 20 mins. Make sure you rinse your hair with cool water to close those cuticles and lock in the moisture. Here is what the hood looks like as it is on. I am sure you would like the see how much steam actually comes from it.

Bear with my video skills! I will work on that. 📹

Scalp Stimulation

I have very coarse, thick hair that I have to moisturize pretty often. For me, that means… product build up. Not to mention, sometimes in between washes, the middle of my scalp DOES NOT SEE LIGHT. 😲 Yes. It has been in either:

A.) An Afro

B.) A puff

C.) Just wrapped up altogether!

So I power wash my scalp to stimulate it and remove any buildup and clogged pores. For this, I use the facial attachment! Now, I don’t think it was to be used in that way, but it is perfect for me. It gives a direct stream of steam that is meant to use on your face. You just hold your face over the steam and enjoy… But if you watch below, you will see how I use that attachment:

Hydration Between Styles

I am learning to leave my hair alone sometimes. Less manipulation and less fuss. That means wearing twists or some type of protective style for days. Instead of adding a moisturizing spray or completely dampening my hair with a spray bottle of water, I can jump under the steam for  5-10 minutes and my hair comes to life. My twist are plump and my scalp feels alive. You can add an oil to your scalp or hair while steaming, when needed. Here I am steaming with the facial attachment again, this time with my twists:

I use a butter, oil and flaxseed gel for my two strand twist in the video above. I had my protective style in for about 5 days. During that time my hair was steamed twice. No other product was applied after that. Just steaming. Here is the twist out result:

No product after 5 days │ 2 steams in between

Twist out result │No product or oils used to separate twist

Personally, my hair has seen the benefits. I can say it actually improved my deep conditioning and styling regimen.

1. Less time spent conditioning, with the same results. – My strands felt a lot silkier after conditioning with the steamer. Not to mention the difference an hour can make if you are strapped for time. Which there seems to never be enough of…
2. Less products used in between days of protective styling – I didn’t have to add a layer of moisturizing spray or oil on my hair for 5 days. Which is incredibly awesome. Less build up and more shine for your twist out results.
3. My hair stayed moisturized longer. – Even on the days when I did not use the steamer, I didn’t have the need to. One of the mistakes I made when learning my hair, was that I was not keeping my hair as hydrated as I should have. So I have to add some sort of moisture to my hair very often. The steamer not only lifts the cuticle, it adds moisture to it. My hair really enjoys that.

Facials 

The long attachment provided is for facials! It pumps out a steady stream of steam that you can just sit in front of. Your skin feels refreshed and clean. It does the same thing for your face as it does for your hair. It opens pores and allows your skin to breathe. This is good for those who wear makeup everyday or are just out in the elements. Your skin NEEDS it. Here is a short video of the facial attachment with steam:

One unique thing about the Huetiful steamer is that its has an Ozone button that activates an ultra-violet light.  This light provides Ozone steam which neutralizes bacteria that forms on the skin or scalp. This is amazing for your face. I never even knew there was even such a thing. But there are many profession steamers that have this feature. Kinda cool that I get to have it on demand. Actually as I am writing this, I am realizing how much more often I need to be giving myself a facial steam.

Here is a short clip of the Founder and Ceo of Huetiful, Ken Burkeen. He is showing the features of the steamer:

Other Uses

Ok, so don’t judge, me but this facial attachment is so awesome for other reasons. It can pull the wrinkles out of a Tshirt very quickly 😉 Or if you have a bad cold /dryness/stuffiness and need to decongest, this is perfect with the right oils or rubs.

I love the results I get from my steamer. It is a great investment for your hair and skin. It really is a high-demand product for a reason. As of now, Huetiful is sold out of steamers online. But they allow you to purchase a gift certificate for preorder. They will be back in stock December 26th, 2015.

I would love to know your experience with steaming. A lot of naturalista go to a salon to experience the steaming treatment regularly!

Have you had your hair steamed? Did you notice the benefits?

OR

Do you have a steamer? Would you like to purchase one?

Leave a comment of your experience with steaming. If I didn’t answer a question you had, ASK!

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