Huetiful Steamer Review, pt 2: My Products, My Regimen

Happy Thursday lovelies! After the general review of the steamer, I wanted to see how the steamer performed with the regimen that I use for my hair. I’m going to give this review to you 3 ways. I will try the steamer using: 1) conditioner alone, 2) conditioner+ add in (e.g.-honey), and 3) conditioner+EVOO. I also use different DCs and steamed for 20-30 minutes. I hope that by doing the review in this manner, I can give you guys a complete idea as to how this steamer performs. Then you can make your decision based on that. Ok?
Cool….let’s get to it!

Let’s start with Huetiful’s claims:
-Hydrates hair 5x more effectively than conditioners alone
-Helps reduce breakage and split ends caused by dry hair
-Reduces risk of dandruff by improving scalp health
-Improves relaxed, transitioning, and natural hair health

Here’s what I found:
Conditioner+ Honey add-in
Although I was 17 weeks post relaxer (I really need to stop being lazy and relax my hair!), my wash day was a typical wash day. I washed my hair using Elasta QP Crème Conditioning Shampoo and followed up using the ORS Hair Repair Nourishing Conditioner (mixed with a tablespoon of honey). I covered my hair up with a plastic cap and sat under the steamer for about 30 minutes (which is about half the time I usually spend DCing under a heat cap).
As I stated before, I really cool feature of the steamer is that it automatically shuts off once the water level gets too low. At one point, I had to stop and refill the water tank b/c my genius self turned the steamer on (way) before I was ready to sit under it. About 15minutes into the steam, I had to go and refill the tank. That really was due to my error and not necessarily a mechanical error.
The first noticeable difference I noticed in my hair once the steaming session was over was that my hair seemed to be holding on to more moisture than I’m used to. Usually, when I use a heat cap my hair is moisturized but it doesn’t feel like it is full with moisture. In fact, when a heat cap is used, some parts of my hair feel dry and crunchy. However, using the Huetiful Steamer, I didn’t experience that at all. When I rinsed my DC out, my hair felt really soft and infused with moisture. My hair was also easier to detangle (at this point I hadn’t put any additional product into my hair). Using a heat cap, I typically have to load my hair with a leave in prior to detangling (otherwise it will be a struggle to detangle). The fact that I didn’t have to do this was a welcome change. Since I am air drying my hair for the most part, I found that my hair retained a lot more moisture. My ponytail didn’t dry hard and my hair took a lot easier to the scarf method (my hair usually does take to the scarf method but I have to work with it….I didn’t have to really do all of that this time). I also found that it left my new growth feeling incredibly moisturized (Quick way I can tell: my new growth coil into its curl pattern instead of poofing)!! Being that I was 17 weeks into a relaxer stretch, this was a huge plus for me! I was able to detangle with ease (no repeats of that detangling session I had during my last stretch!) Furthermore, I found 5 days after the steaming session, my hair still felt moisturized! Typically, I have to go through a moisturizing session about 3 days after my wash day because my hair feels so dry. From Saturday to Thursday, I did not have to do a repeat moisturizing session!

Conditioner+ 2 tablespoons EVOO
I did my normal wash routine (wash with the Elasta QP Crème Conditioner, etc.) and put ORS Replenishing Conditioner mixed with 2 tablespoons of EVOO throughout my hair. I then placed a plastic cap on top of my hair and got to steaming for 20 minutes.
Again, my hair has been able to hold onto moisture so much better using the steamer. My detangling session (now at 18 weeks post) was a complete breeze. I did not feel the need to immediately load my hair with leave in so that I could detangle. I also noted that it took longer for my hair to air dry fully as I still had damp patches in my hair 2-3 days later.

The Huetiful Company claims that use of the steamer can eliminate breakage. In my experience, I really don’t see a difference in what breakage I do have. I went to comb my hair on 3 days after using the steamer (to remove some shed hair) and I still had a little breakage here and there. However, I think that because I keep my hair in good condition (for the most part) I wouldn’t see much of a difference in breakage. If I had used this at the beginning of my HHJ, I think I would have seen a bigger difference (back then, my hair would break off if you looked at it). Also, I did not see a difference in dandruff because I do not have it. My hair and scalp started off in good condition so I cannot comment on how well the steamer works for that.

Conditioner alone
At 1 week post relaxer, I followed my normal post relaxer routine (1st Lather with neutralizing shampoo and 2nd lather with Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo) but I DCed with ORS Replenishing Conditioner alone. I covered my hair with a plastic cap and sat under the steamer for 20 minutes.
Like before, my hair was easier to detangle (which I LOVED!) but it didn’t seem to hold onto moisture as long as it did for the first 2 tries. I washed my hair on Sunday and by Wednesday, my hair needed to go hug a jar of moisturizer. This is the same result that I get with DCing under a heat cap for an hour. Also, my hair didn’t seem to take that long to air dry (it was dry within a day or so or washing). I was really disappointed that conditioner alone couldn’t yield the same results that I had gotten previously.


Bottom Line: Using my products and my regimen, I obtained excellent results for my 17-18 weeks post relaxed hair. I was able to detangle with ease and my hair held on to the moisture I did give it. I was pleasantly surprised. These results were seen with the conditioner+honey add in as well as the conditioner and EVOO add in. Unfortunately, these results were not seen in my conditioner alone wash. Therefore, in order to get optimal results using this steamer, you have to use a humectant (such as honey) or oil (so you can seal in all that extra moisture you’re getting). Otherwise, the steamer will seem kinda…meh. I think this product is something that is nice to have in your arsenal if you can swing it. It something that gives your hair an extra push in terms of moisture but not something that is absolutely necessary.

In part 3 of this review, I will be testing the steamer using Huetiful products (yes, they have a shampoo and DC lol). Stay tuned!