The SteamPod tested

It's supposed to be twice as fast and leave my hair twice as smooth as conventional straighteners: the SteamPod 2.0 from L'Oréal Professionnell and Rowenta. The hairdresser I last visited was blown away by the appliance and immediately demonstrated it on my mane. I liked the result. But how does a Pro device like this perform in the hands of a layman like me? That's what I wanted to find out. Although the SteamPod is also designed for home use, it intimidated me at first glance. It tames hair with steam and therefore comes with a steam station. Just like a flat iron.

Hair straighteners

L'Oréal Professionnel Steampod 2.0

25

Hair straighteners

L'Oréal Professionnel Steampod 2.0

25

Preparation

I breathe a sigh of relief. The scope of delivery looks straightforward. It includes a user manual and a handpiece that is connected to the steam station by cable, including the power cable. The steam station itself consists of a base with non-slip suction cups on the underside and a removable water tank.

The manufacturer states that the appliance should only be used with demineralised water. The manual mentions a hardness test paper, which is supposed to be included in the scope of delivery. I can then use this to measure the limescale content of our tap water. If this exceeds the hardness of 9°F, I should use distilled water from the shop. Unfortunately, there is no trace of the paper. I look in the manual again and discover a footnote next to the section:

*Not available in all countries

Would have been too practical. As I know that our tap water far exceeds this value and I don't have any distilled water to hand at the moment, I improvise and run a little water through my Philips IronCare, which I use to descale my ironing water.

I freshly washed my hair before applying the product. L'Oréal advises to only use the device in combination with their specific SteamPod styling products. I find this unrealistic as I already have good products that I don't want to simply replace. That's why, quite rebelliously, I simply worked my own heat protectant and my tip oil into towel-dried hair and then blow-dried as recommended.

Application

I fill the water tank up to the max level and plug the appliance in. The switch-on button and the heat control are on the inside, which I don't find practical. I can choose between 140°, 170°, 180°, 200° and 210°. I decide to first style one half of my hair at 170° and then the other at 200°. According to the manual, the second-lowest setting is ideal for me as it is suitable for lightened hair. However, I also want to test a higher heat setting to see if there are any differences. The number flashes red for a short time, after about thirty seconds it lights up continuously. The steam station and the iron make a few hissing noises.

The appliance is ready for use.

The steam comes on automatically as soon as I clamp a strand of hair between the heating plates. The whole thing sounds like a steam iron. There are arrows on the appliance that show me which part needs to point downwards. The comb attached to the heating plates is particularly useful. It ensures that the strands of hair are separated before styling and do not slip away from the sides, as is often the case with a straightening iron. To do this, I have to brush my hair thoroughly before using it, otherwise the knots get caught in the comb and I can no longer glide down the lengths cleanly.

What bothers me is that the plastic around the heating plates gets very hot. This prevents me from being able to hold the appliance by the head to keep it clean, as I do with my normal hair straightener. I only find holding it by the handle takes some getting used to. On the other hand, I can work with wider strands here. I realise that a strand is too thick when the built-in comb slows me down as I glide down.

At 170°, I work each strand twice. At 200°, on the other hand, I only do it once, but I still prefer the lower setting. 200° is simply too hot. At first glance, the result looks like I haven't washed my hair for a fortnight. Greasy strands everywhere. After a minute or so, this subsides and the moisture seems to evaporate. The result is impressive. According to SteamPod, straightening is supposed to be up to 50% faster than usual. I was fast, but I wouldn't say I was twice as fast as with my straightener. What is actually different is that my hair feels more "alive", which is probably due to the steam. It's not fart-dry.

At the end, the tank is still a good third full. This means that even if you have more hair than me, you won't be interrupted by annoying refilling.

Everything went smoothly

The product is dubbelisafe because it is self-explanatory. I find it inconvenient that I have to buy distilled water first, as I'm unsure whether the Philips descaler will last long enough to meet the appliance's requirements. I certainly wasn't twice as fast with straightening, but my hair definitely feels smoother than if I had treated it with a conventional iron. The steam does its job. When I think that I paid more for my ghd straightener, which only runs through my hair haltingly, I feel a little annoyed. In a price-performance comparison, the SteamPod is the better option. Unfortunately, the appliance takes up a lot of space and has to be filled with water before it is ready for use. You can pull out a hair straightener faster.

This is why I have the feeling that I will only use the SteamPod for special occasions. For professionals with a salon, it's definitely worth considering. There is now also a SteamPod 3.0. The new model is slightly lighter and thinner, but also more expensive than the model I tested. I can imagine that these new features make sense for hairdressers who use it all day long. For me, however, the 2.0 model is enough.