The Pretty Straight: L'Oreal & Rowenta Steampod

*The Steampod has become my official Neat-hair tool* 

Yes girls [and the men that likes it [hair] straight],
I've tested this one and I finally could say:

 "it's pretty straight!" (or straight 'n pretty, like you have it)

It's not that I've haven't tried the others:

IKEA Micke Drawer for hairtools is loaded: beachcurler anyone?

 But the key has been the stream and that little (or rather big) tube of cream that got it straight-'n-sleek.

Funny, I have the GHB at home and could never get it all sorted straight with this one. It took me too long and I felt my hair was frying, even when people suggest it's not that damaging for hair.

Steampod, as its name suggest, is based on straightening the hair with steam. It is not only steam that does the work: it collaborates with a dual heated blade as well. However, the steam makes it much easier to attain a sleeker appearance, goes faster, and you can work with a lower temperature for longer results. 

It basically sounds I'm repeating everything on the box with my own words. But the best thing is that I finally can! 

However, it's not the most travel-easy:

Steampod comes with a lot of bulk, and their specified hairstyling cream/serum

So, let's take a look up close:

The key element of this tool-of-sleekness is steam: for that they have a special department that you can put your water in. To know if your water is suitable, they will provide a testing-paper to see if your water is soft enough for it. 

Mine is ok, so then goes the next step:

• shuff the top half of the steaming reservoir

There you go!

And fill it with your filter-approved water.

Don't worry about the water-holder moving around, the knobs (?) adher to almost any normal surface:

adher to any surface like a clingy girlfriend to her boyfriend

When you start up the Steampod, you have to press the <ON> button for a while. I slightly panicked at first for mine not working: it did, but after 10 seconds of pressing.

• set your desired temperature. Note: You can go lower now than your previous straighteners as the steam will take care of a lot of frizz/curls/etc. 

Try and experiment with temperature

• For the steam to come out, wait approximately 2 minutes. And afterwards, clutch the plates together to activate the steam (takes 15 seconds)

The arrows show the way the steamer has to go down!

That is necessary for the combination of steam/Steampod cream & heated plates to work!

If you use straighteners oftenly, you know to carefully comb your hair beforehand.

• the steampod has little combs embedded so if you forgot a tangle, it will show [feel] up

Ok, I haven't figured out all of it myself: there's a booklet included:

 

There are always some instructions that are quite clear to the normal minded, but they've included it for Dummies, such as "Do not hang straightener on the steamcord"

"Gee, I always hang my straighteners on the cord...that's just what I do, right?"

Did I forget anything...oh, the Steampod cream that you have to use to get even better results 

(it collaborates with the stream)

• apply the right amount for your hairlenght or volume when hair is towel-dry

I often apply it the night before after washing my hair.
The next morning this cream alone left my hair quite straight and frizzfree.
Nevertheless,
with the steampod I can get even sleeker results
Bonus!

Recap:

PROS:

• FINALLY, I can optically have straight and frizzfree hair
• not as damaging as heated plates alone
• fast: or faster than the regular straighteners
• effective Steampod cream that works even without Steampodding
• so, RESULTS are SUCCESFUL

CONS:

• expensive
• bulky, not travel friendly
• have to buy accompaning styling cream (& serum, I don't have yet )
• not for steam-phobics

Availability:
I bought mine at a Dutch webshop haar-producten.nl 
for the international crowd it's available at lookfantastic.com and other webshops