Despite being a beauty editor who lives and breathes hair, makeup and skin products, I'm surprisingly laid-back (read: lazy) when it comes to my hair routine. I want it to be quick and easy, but most of all, do as little damage to my hair as possible. As we enter December's party season, I have been even more conscious of making sure my dry ends aren't worsened by the constant styling. Enter: L'Oréal Professionnel's SteamPod... aka the tool of my dreams and hands down one of the best hair straighteners I've ever used.
The L'Oréal SteamPod not only makes light work of giving a frizz-free finish, but it's also 70% less damaging than regular heat styling using hair straighteners or curlers.
There are currently two versions of the SteamPod on the market, so I tested both the SteamPod 3.0 and 4.0 to see what the differences were and if this tool is the solution to damage-free party hair.
How does the SteamPod work?
As the name suggests, the SteamPod uses a continuous flow of high-pressure steam (created from a built-in water tank) alongside the ceramic plates to dry and straighten (or curl in the case of the 4.0) the hair at the same time.
If you've ever straightened your hair and noticed steam, that's because the moisture in your hair is evaporating, leaving the hair feeling dry. As you go about your daily life, because your hair acts like a sponge, it retains the air's moisture, which in turn, can weaken bonds and lead to frizzy hair.
Since the SteamPod using steam to create a smooth style, it leaves the hair full of moisture so that it can't retain anymore and therefore stays in its freshly styled state (basically not frizzy) for longer.
The tool does feel fairly bulky compared to some of the ultra lightweight straighteners out there. I didn't find this to be an issue as I got used to it really quickly, plus I didn't need to use the tool for very long at all since styling is so quick.
Difference between the SteamPod 3.0 and SteamPod 4.0?
The main difference between the 3.0 and 4.0 is the latter guarantees 95% less damage compared to 3.0, which is 78%. You'll also find a new curl feature (so could easily replace your straightener and your go-to curling wand), slightly lighter build and faster styling. Having tested both, you wouldn't really notice the difference in the two tools so the guarantee of damage is the top selling point for the 4.0.
To give the tool a fair trial, I prepped my hair the same throughout, divided it into two equal sections and used the SteamPod 3.0 on one side and SteamPod 4.0 on the other. Both were equally as easy to use and gave me the same result; I'd say the 4.0 worked ever so slightly quicker but barely noticeably.
Since they give very similar (excellent) results. If this is a tool you'll use daily, I'd say go for 4.0 but if you're keeping it to occasionally then you're fine to go slightly cheaper with the 3.0.
How to use the L'Oréal Professionnel SteamPod
Before using the SteamPod
1. Freshly wash hair and let it dry 100% or roughly blow dry it. Use all of your pre-styling products here, I opt for the Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Treatment, Arkive The Prologue Hair Primer and Moroccanoil Frizz Shield Spray. My hair, surprisingly, behaved quite well but was still rather fluffy and not sleek in the slightest.
2. I filled up the water tank, which is super easy to do. It's important to note that you have to use demineralised water for this to avoid scaling the tool; it's not under warranty if you don't follow this advice.
3. It's got three heat settings—180°C., 200°C. or 210°C—depending on your hair type and thickness. The thicker your hair, the higher the temperature for best results. I opted for 200°C to give it a fair trial on the medium setting.
4. I roughly sectioned my hair and started running the tool through my hair, using just a single pass on each section. At first I was a little concerned by all of the steam coming off my hair before remembering that's literally the whole point of the tool, so don't be worried by that.
5. It took about 10 minutes to do my entire hair and I was taking my time. Typically to straighten, I find I need to do more than one pass on each section so it takes me double the time.
After using the SteamPod
I was seriously impressed by this tool; living up to all of its promises. Firstly because of how quick and easy it was to use, but secondly because of how shiny and healthy it made my hair look. It gave so much added shine without any need for an oil afterwards and made my less-than-great current hair colour look heaps better. I haven't had shiny hair like this in years.
Best of all, it was super quick to use and the style stayed pretty perfect until my next hair wash. My hair was sleek and frizz-free through many late nights, events, rain and wind without requiring so much as a brush from me. As someone who likes to spend as little time as possible on their hair, this is a huge win from me.
Final thoughts
For me, the SteamPod is a replacement for laborious blow drying and damaging straightening. I love the silky smooth look of a blow dry but find it a boring task that inevitably dries my ends out. This causes far less damage and gives results—smooth and frizz-free—similar to high temperature straighteners.
