When you love curly hair as much as we do, you learn that moisture retention is the name of the game and using steam (or heat) is a great option to do just that. So if you’re considering buying a portable hair steamer for home use and wondering what are the best hair steamers for natural hair right now, you’re in the right place! This guide will help you choose the best hair steamer for natural hair.
In this guide, we’ll review the benefits of a hair steamer at home, followed by everything you need to know when purchasing an at home hair steamer machine. Then we’ll take a closer look at the pros and cons of the various natural hair steamer types including a professional hair steamer, handheld hair steamer, tabletop hair steamer, and a hair cap steamer.
Finally, we’ll check out the top hair steamers for sale so you can choose the best hair steamer for home use for you. Sounds good? Let’s get started! This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. Check out our disclosure page if you have any questions!
What is a Hair Steamer?
So, what is a hair steamer? A hair steamer is an appliance that uses heat and water to produce steam, a moist heat that temporarily lifts the hair cuticle, allowing moisture to penetrate by way of your chosen deep conditioner. The heat of the steam makes curly hair malleable, increases the elasticity of the curl and allows hair follicles to better absorb conditioner treatments.
Hair steamers do not dry your hair or use “dry heat”. Hair steamers are designed to add moisture to your hair cuticles for treatments and styling by adding water/steam to your hair. However, I’ve seen people use a hair dryer as a steamer by putting on a plastic cap on wet hair before going under the hair dryer. If you don’t have the budget, this is kind of like a DIY hair steamer.
The Benefits of a Hair Steamer
There are multiple benefits of using a home hair steamer, with the main benefit being that it adds moisture to the hair. As we all know, adding moisture to our curls comes with a range of benefits including making our hair easier to style and less breakage.
Here are some other hair steamer benefits:
- The best steamer for natural hair increases the moisture in your hair which in turn helps to reduce breakage, dryness and brittleness
- Opens hair cuticles allowing nutrients to penetrate the hair
- A natural hair steamer makes your hair softer
- Improves the elasticity of your hair – this is great for curly hair as the hair can easily bend and stretch
- The best natural hair steamer will enhance curl definition; the extra moisture in your hair is great for curl definition
- Removes dandruff and itchy scalp due to the heat of the steam killing bacteria
- Porosity: allows the water vapor to penetrate hair strands for long-lasting moisture
- Promotes hair growth – the extra moisture in your hair encourages healthy hair growth
- The best hair steamer for home use helps with detangling hair
I’m amazed at how our hair steam for black hair has improved my daughter’s 3c/4b natural curls. Black women have been using hair steamers for years, but I’m learning that the benefit of hair steaming is great for biracial hair too.
My Pick for the Best Hair Steamer for Natural Hair
I know this post is SUPER long, so if you don’t have time to read all hair steamer reviews on the best hair steamer to buy, let me give you my pick right off the bat. For our curly family, we chose the Kingdom Beauty 2 in 1 Hair and Facial Steamer.
I love this hair steamer machine because of three reasons. First, the timer was super important because my kids will also be steaming their curls and I use the timer as a safety feature. It beeps super loud and alerts me when to turn the machine off. I’m always right next to them as they steam, but the timer is still helpful. Also, I liked the facial steamer. Spa date, anyone? Last, the ability to add essential oils was a huge plus!
Note: Be careful using hair steamers for kids! Steam is HEAT and proper safety measures should be in place. Never leave kids unattended while using a hair steamer or any appliance.
How to Use a Hair Steamer on Natural Hair
Ok, let’s talk about how to use a hair steamer on natural hair. Professionals recommend that the best way to steam hair at home is by using your personal hair steamer every two weeks to build up moisture retention. It’s important not to steam your hair more than this as over steaming can in fact over moisture your hair making it limp and weak. The hair steaming process takes about 30 minutes, so finding the time in our busy schedule is sometimes a challenge. We always schedule to steam our hair on wash day, after a cleansing shampoo, with our best deep conditioners for curly hair…
The following steps should be followed to ensure you get the most out of your electric hair steamer:
- Steam with a hair treatment, oil or deep conditioner applied to your hair
- Wrap a towel around your neck and shoulders to ensure the steam doesn’t burn your skin
- Pin your hair up in sections to ensure the moisture penetrates deep into the ends. We do twists.
- Allow at least 6 inches between your hair and the portable home hair steamer to prevent burning to your scalp
Steam your hair for no more than between 20 to 30 minutes.
What to Consider when Looking for the Best Hair Steamer to Buy
Before purchasing any old hair steamer, consider the following to ensure you purchase a hair steamer perfect for your needs.
1. Types of Hair Steamers for Sale
When you are looking to buy a hair steamer, you will notice that there are four main different types: a portable table top hair steamer, hand held hair steamer, professional hair steamer with stand and a hair steamer cap.
Professional Hair Steamer with Stand
Most people are familiar with the hair salon steamer, which is basically a free standing hooded hair steamer on a rolling base. A professional hair salon hair steamer is great because it can move around as required, the hood is usually fully adjustable and sits over the entire head being able to steam all the hair at once.
You can absolutely buy professional hair steamer models for use in your own home! While a free standing hair steamer does tend to be the most expensive type available they certainly do the best job. However, the best professional hair steamer is of course bulkier than the other types and can be difficult to store away. Just a few things to consider.
Portable Table Top Hair Steamer
A common option for home use is the portable table top steamer. These steamers are made up of a base, which is placed on the table, and the hood hair steamer. Just like a professional salon hair steamer, you sit under the steamer. This is what we have.
A great benefit of a tabletop steamer is that they are often a 2 in 1 being a face and hair steamer. Table top steamer for face and hair is usually a great inexpensive alternative to a professional hair steamer stand and is much easier to store. The downside though is that the hooded steamer doesn’t usually cover your head as well, especially around the bottom of the neck.
Hand Held Hair Steamer
As the name suggests a handheld hair steamer for natural hair is a small appliance that you use by hand. Unlike the other steamer types, a hand hair steamer can only steam a small proportion of your hair at any one time. These steamers are small, compact and easy to store. These are also a great option if you just want a cheap hair steamer.
Hair Cap Steamer
A portable hair steamer cap is worn over your head and can be electric or non-electric. A hair thermal steamer cap doesn’t tend to produce as much moisture as other steamer types, however, they are popular due to being highly portable and low cost.
2. Adjustable Heat Settings
Some hair steamers come with adjustable settings, so you can control the temperature of the steam.
3. Timer / Automatic Shut Off
While not essential to a hair steamer, a timer is great so you can sit back and relax and have your hair steamer let you know when the steaming is complete rather than you having to keep checking the time.
Other hair steamers will automatically turn off if the water level drops too low preventing the steamer from overheating.
4. Adjustable Hood
Some hair steamers have an adjustable hood which will tilt and swivel, allowing you to place the hood in the best position depending on your height. This is great when you’re trying to steam the curls at the nape of your neck, which is often the most difficult area to treat.
The Best Hair Steamers
See the table below for an overview of the various hair steamers in this guide. Keep reading below for the full reviews. We believe there is something for everyone and every budget!
KINGDOMCARES 2-in-1 Hair and Facial Steamer
The KingdomCares hair steamer is a great product that also doubles as a face steamer, giving you an at home day spa experience. This hair steamer comes with an intelligent safety warning system that beeps when the water is low reminding you to top it up or turn the steamer off to stop the risk of it overheating and being damaging.
You also have the option to drop a few drops of essential oils onto the cotton pad to use the aromatherapy diffusing function and dried flowers can be used as an alternative to oils. This, along with the face steaming process will give you the ultimate home spa experience and leave you feeling super relaxed and rejuvenated.
Another great feature of this hair steamer is the hair-care cap that is included. However, you must be sure to drain the condensation accumulated around the rim after each use to avoid the possibility of water overflowing.
Various reviews state that this hair steamer is worth every cent and people only wish they had bought it sooner.
Q-Redew Hand-held Hair Steamer
The Q-Redew handheld steamer is the only hand held steamer in these reviews and is well recommended for people looking for a convenient easy to steam their hair.
The Q Redew steamer provides a warm mist to aid in reshaping, detangling, restyling and hydrating your hair in minutes. The Qdew steamer is simple to use, just fill the reservoir with water, plug the appliance in and it heats in seconds. Then you just pull the trigger to apply steam exactly where you want it.
The Q steamer warms and softens the hair making it easy for you to style your hair and leaves your hair dry to the touch. Reading various Q Redew hair steamer reviews, it is clear that women are loving this product, particularly women with curly hair with many reporting that the curl definition they get from this hair steamer is amazing. So it’s a great choice if you are after a curly hair steamer.
Unfortunately, because this is a handheld steamer, it is not ideal to use for a true conditioning treatment. This handheld hair steamer is ideal for a quick and easy way to return moisture to your curly hairstyle.
Professional Salon Hair Steamer
The D Salon Portable is a great hair steamer for home use or the salon with great maneuverability, perfect for anyone who has limited space to store the steamer in one stationary location.
You will love the adjustable hood and adjustable height on this free standing hair steamer making it comfortable for anyone to use. The steamer hood tilts up and down and has an opening of 12-inches in diameter and 11-inches deep leaving plenty of room to fit your head comfortably. It also has an Auto Switch-off function so when the water jug runs out you won’t continue to accidentally run the hair steamer, potentially causing damage to it or your hair.
Another great feature of this portable stand up hair steamer is the 5 Swivel Casters so you can easily move it wherever you need it to be.
This hair steamer is well recommended with various reviews mentioning how strong and sturdy it is as well as how fast it heats up.
All In One Set by Nova Microdermabrasion
The Nova Microdermabrasion is a portable hair steamer that also doubles as a facial steamer too.
This table hair steamer has a built-in UV Ozone System that generates ultra-fine mist that is quickly absorbed into your hair. It is super easy to use with the one-press button to start it up making it a simple to steam your hair at home.
This is a 2 in 1 product, so it also includes a facial steamer. The ultra-fine mist opens and unclogs facial pores removing dirt and grime from the skin, enhancing the skin tone and complexion as well as adding moisture to your hair.
If you are in the market for a hair face steamer, this is a great product but keep in mind that the hood is not adjustable to your specific head and neck height.
Cordless Deep Conditioning Heat Cap
The Tifara Beauty Steam cap is a non-electric cap that offers deep conditioning and super easy use. This is the most portable steam cap in our reviews as there is no need for batteries or electrical outlets meaning you can virtually use it anywhere, any time! All you have to do is warm in up in the microwave to your desired temperature and away you go.
Not only is this steam cap super budget friendly, it is also a one-size-fits-all steam cap. It has an elastic rim so it can fit on any different head size or shape and the elastic also has an excellent memory so it maintains efficiency and form use after use after use.
Another great feature of this non-electric hair steamer cap is that it will not damage your hair or cause any unwanted split ends or breakage.
Reading through various hair steamer cap reviews, this would be the ideal choice if you are after something that will be easy to take with you if you travel a lot.
Hair Steamer Cap with 3 Mode Temperature Control
The Vbiger Hair steamer cap is a great home steamer with high performance and a considerate design. The extra-safe design of this electric hair steamer cap is a huge bonus as it is equipped with a plastic film that is extra waterproof and anti-electric giving you peace of mind while using this product in bathrooms or around other products that require water use. The power chord is super easy to install and detach.
The temperature control on this hair steamer gives you the option of setting it to one of the three different modes, catering it to suit your specific hair type and not causing any unnecessary damage to your hair.
Various reviews state that it is a perfect hair steamer for deep conditioning and super convenient to use although it is worthwhile buying disposable hair caps to wear under it as a barrier between your forehead and the thick elastic band.
Best Hair Steamer Reviews
Overall, reviews for this hair steamer state that it works well and stays at a good temperature but it could come with better instructions on how to put it together and use it.
