Beauty & Fashion
I’ve been a fan of Tracee Ellis Ross and her curl pattern since Girlfriends. To natural hair girls, Tracee has always been our north star. She is to curly-haired girls what Queen Latifah is to Black women who desire colored hair and silk presses. Despite Tracee's hair changes throughout the years, her curls seem to bounce back effortlessly, and she’s managed to rock her natural curls and heated curls alike.
Earlier this year, the actor turned founder’s haircare company Pattern Beauty launched its first interchangeable curling iron and bonus points: it's curl-conscious. This innovative device is all about enhancing your curls, helping you unleash your natural hair's full potential. It features three distinct clip barrels and eight curl-friendly temperature settings, giving you a personalized curling experience while keeping your curls safe from damage.
As a natural girl, I haven’t used curling irons in quite a while on a regular basis, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve been curious about the middle point of natural hair styling. Not the wash and go, not the silk press, but taking your hair in its blown-out state and curling and styling to achieve a different look so Pattern sending me their curling iron gave me the push I needed to experiment.
My Initial Thoughts About Pattern Beauty's Curling Iron
While the curling iron is expensive (retail at $249), it comes with three interchangeable ceramic clip barrels that help achieve certain looks. The ⅜” barrel is the perfect complement for enhancing your wash-and-go's by creating bouncy ringlets, the ¾” barrel helps achieve more defined curls, and the 1" barrel allows you to create loose, deep waves. Curling irons overall are pricey, so to know that you can seamlessly achieve three different styles and sizes of curls makes the purchase worth it, in my opinion.
The packaging is sleek and a complement to Pattern’s blow dryer, which I have as well. The mocha color of the curling iron and dryer creates an experience that traditional black curling irons don’t provide.
Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross
Curling Iron by Pattern
The natural hair journey isn’t always easy (who am I kidding, it’s never easy), so when we find products that are not only quality but also packaged well, it’s exciting because it’s a reminder that we’re consumers that companies care about too. The iron also includes an automatic shut off, which for someone like me who will leave the house and have countless anxious thoughts wondering if I unplugged everything is a plus with purchasing a new hair tool.
My Favorite Barrel
Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross
My favorite clip barrel is the 1", which is the classic size specified at the barrel to create loose waves, cascading curls, and voluminous styles. Lately, I’ve found myself wanting to try out these curls not just on my hair, but even on natural extensions as the curls remind me of a curl that you’d see on Solange or SZA, so I had to try this barrel out first, and I fell in love. The natural waves give you just enough curl to appreciate the iron, but allow you to keep more length as you style.
My honest recommendation is that if you’re someone who likes to experiment with various sizes of curls, the iron is for you. If you know your go-to look works for you and you aren’t interested in trying anything different, the multiple barrels might not appeal to you. But if you’re a woman who loves to experiment, the curling iron is worth the investment, and I’d also recommend Pattern’s heat protectant before you begin.
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Featured image by Pattern Beauty
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