Summary: I replaced my entire haircare routine with PATTERN Beauty products for almost three weeks, and the results left me impressed. The products revived my curls and allowed me to experiment with styles I don’t normally wear, like slick backs and even a silk press with their new flat iron. Whether you’re looking to embrace your natural curls, grow out your natural hair, or recover from chemical or color treatments, PATTERN offers every product you could need, and they really work!

What I Love:

• PATTERN features unique formulas for curly and coily hair ranging from 3B-4C, including porosity levels
• Their products truly work — my scalp stays cleaner for longer, and my curls are more hydrated, defined, and bouncy 
• Their products have a slippery texture which makes detangling unruly hair a breeze
• My curls stayed frizz-free for four days before a refresh was needed — the longest I’ve ever gone without a refresh!
• PATTERN provides thorough education on curly hair, including their helpful Curl Quiz  
• The formulas are free from SLS & SLES and cyclic silicones, and color safe and cruelty-free

Things To Consider:

• PATTERN’s products use a combination of natural and synthetic fragrances in their products which do leave a noticeable scent on your strands. 
• For thick long hair, a good blowout will yield better results when using their new Vibrating Flat Iron

For those of us with wavy, curly, and coily hair, we all have our version of how we healed our relationship with our hair. For some of us, it may be giving up the chemical relaxers that damage our strands and are linked to health complications, while for others it could be regrowing curls that were subject to years of heat damage, tension styling, or hair dye. In my case, it was learning how to care for my curls while overcoming psoriasis and alopecia areata on my scalp. 

“For those of us with wavy, curly, and coily hair, we all have our version of how we healed our relationship with our hair.”

It was in my mid-twenties during a particularly stressful period of my life that I developed these scalp conditions, which meant I had to start really paying attention to the products I used on my hair. Fortunately, over the years I’ve been able to perfect a natural curly hair routine that worked for my hair type (mixed 3A/2B curls, low porosity, and thick hair with fine strands that have been bleached and colored once) and supported my crown and strands as my hair recovered. 

In the last four years, my hair has successfully grown back and has come a long way since those days I feared seeing clumps of my hair falling out in the shower. 

Currently, I wash my hair once a week and always wear my hair naturally, letting my strands be free as much as possible. I use a loose scrunchie or claw clip when it gets frizzier towards the end of the week or when I’m heading into a workout sesh. I don’t often do creative styles, blowouts, and updos, but I’ve been experimenting more, with my recent goal to grow my hair down to my butt (currently 2.5 years since my last big chop!).

My Weekly Curly Hair Routine:

• Using a lice tooth comb to gently loosen any flakes that have built up on my scalp
• Applying a hair growth oil to my scalp the night before my wash
• Shampooing my hair twice
• Applying a conditioner and detangling my hair in the shower with a Tangle Teezer 
• Once a month, I apply a deep conditioner and let my hair sit in a heated cap for 30 minutes before rinsing
• Applying an anti-dandruff serum to my scalp
• Applying a leave-in conditioner and gel or mousse to individual sections of my hair, using either my fingers or a specialized brush to distribute the product and define my strands
• Diffusing my hair, focusing on the scalp till about 50% dry
• Using a couple drops of sealing oil to gently scrunch and soften any crunchy curls
• Sleeping in a satin bonnet each night to preserve my curls and prevent frizz
• Spraying my hair with water and re-applying styling products throughout the week to keep curls alive and frizz at bay
• Voila! Curl routine complete!

TL;DR? My hair grew back, psoriasis gone, my curls became more hydrated and bouncier, and I learned new styling skills I could carry with me for life! That’s why I was so excited when PATTERN reached out to have me try their haircare line. I deeply relate to the backbone and values of the brand, and couldn’t wait to see how their specialized collections of curly and coily hair products can protect, nourish, and keep my strands at their healthiest state. 

About PATTERN Beauty

PATTERN Beauty was founded by the iconic Tracee Ellis Ross back in 2019, with a mission to create products centered around the celebration of Black beauty. 

“PATTERN Beauty was founded by the iconic Tracee Ellis Ross back in 2019, with a mission to create products centered around the celebration of Black beauty.”

Tracee began her natural curly journey at the age of 15, self-educating and experimenting on herself with what worked for her natural hair texture and what didn’t. Later, while filming “Girlfriends,” Tracee was one of the few women in Hollywood who styled her own hair and flaunted her curls proudly on screen. I love this story because I myself went through years of self-education and learning how to care for my curls, from the curly hair chart to curly haircuts. This all resulted in PATTERN, which took ten years to get right.

I’ve tried lots of PATTERN products throughout the years and have had their conditioners, Edge Control, and Jojoba Oil Blend on repeat. Their products come in thoughtful size options in recyclable packaging, with larger conditioner sizes than shampoo (us curlies know!). Plus, each product encompasses what they call the “PATTERN slip”, which helps detangle hair, and promote moisture and definition. All of PATTERN’s products are made in the USA, are free of SLS & SLES and cyclic silicones, color-safe, and cruelty-free. Plus, they give back through their charitable partner, the African American Policy Forum (AAPF). If you’re curious about ingredients, have a look at the brand’s FAQ for more details.

I love to swap out my haircare routine regularly since I think it helps make products more effective and resets my curls, so I was super excited to overhaul my entire routine with PATTERN products exclusively to see how my curls reacted!

What I tested from PATTERN

What initially attracted me to PATTERN was their curated lineup of hair products geared to different types of hair textures and porosity types. When browsing on the site, you can filter products by uniquely identifying features from 3B-4C hair, high porosity, low porosity, thin hair, locs, and even protective styles, which is something I’ve never seen before!

“What initially attracted me to PATTERN was their curated lineup of hair products geared to different types of hair textures and porosity types.”

PATTERN also offers education on curl patterns with their Curl Care Guide that provides tips and products recs. Selecting the right products is often trial and error, as many of us, including Tracee herself, experienced growing up, but with PATTERN’s wide selection and clear education, you’ll know exactly what products work for your hair type, which is the peace of mind we all need when purchasing new hair products!

To make this process even more seamless, PATTERN has a Curl Quiz on their website that curates a personalized curly hair routine using their products. I used this method, which only took a couple of minutes and recommended an entire routine catered to my curls. Based on my quiz results, alongside some other hair products and tools I was interested in, here are the products I’m testing:

What I tried from PATTERN Beauty:

My Curly Hair Routine With PATTERN

Wash Day 

To test these products, I kept my OG styling routine, simply replacing everything I use with PATTERN products.

I started off my wash day gently rubbing the Detox Shampoo into my scalp. This shampoo is meant to dissolve built-up product while still maintaining hair moisture levels, with ingredients like pink clay and apple extract. It foamed up nicely in my hands and had a medicinal smell that didn’t linger. After letting it sit on my scalp for 3 minutes, my scalp felt tingly and fresh, but not stripped after rinsing. 

I followed it up with the Hydration Shampoo, which had a rich, creamy lather and smelled divine, like neroli and patchouli! I love fragrance in my hair, and PATTERN’s signature fragrance lasted on my hair throughout the week, but it’s not strong enough that you’ll notice it unless you directly sniff your strands. This shampoo really felt like I was injecting a boost of moisture back into my scalp after the Detox Shampoo.

The Lightweight Conditioner was where I was really impressed — despite its name, this conditioner is rich and coated my thick hair with less product than I typically use. It’s slippy thanks to the addition of Irish moss and makes detangling even the toughest knots a breeze. It rinsed out, leaving my strands feeling smooth and moisturized — the perfect base for styling products!

“The Lightweight Conditioner was where I was really impressed — despite its name, this conditioner is rich and coated my thick hair with less product than I typically use.”

My favorite styling product out of the ones in my routine had to be the Detangling Nectar. I’ve never tried a detangling product as a leave-in before and usually apply heavier lotions and leave-in conditioners to my hair after washing, but this product is a game-changer, especially if you have fine strands that get weighed down and tangled easily. It’s a liquidy gel-like texture that easily glided through my strands and kept knots at bay. I sectioned my hair and combed this product in with the Wide Tooth Comb, which helped define and clump my hair, creating the perfect separated curls without excess shedding. 

Gel vs. Mousse

I tested PATTERN’s Curl Gel and Curl Mousse on separate wash days after applying the Detangling Nectar to compare how my hair looked and lasted throughout the week. With both products, I smoothed them into my hair using the prayer hands method, scrunched the excess product out with a microfiber towel, diffused my hair, and let the remaining air dry. 

I loved both products, with each yielding slightly different results: The Curl Mousse made my curls light and voluminous, while the Curl Gel offered a bit more shine and definition. Regardless of your preference, my curls looked bouncy, juicy, and defined with both products while still feeling lightweight, and crunch and flake-free. I also love that these don’t have silicones, meaning they won’t build up in your hair. Both products had my curls lasting four days with minimal frizz, which is the longest my curls have ever lasted before needing a refresh (insane!). 

Curl Maintenance

After four days of sleeping, sweaty runs, and two hot Pilates sessions, my curls definitely needed some freshening up to bring them back to life.

The Hydrating Mist promises to revive thirsty curls and protect them from environmental stressors with a blend of aloe vera, coconut oil, and avocado oil without leaving residue, and did it deliver! This product is a huge step up from me spritzing my hair with water, as it tamed the frizz and brought moisture and shine back to my curls.

I found it easiest to spray the product into my hands, rub them, and smooth over my locks for better, more targeted distribution. Note that I used a light spritz to gently smooth out my flyaways — if you’re looking to bring your day one curls back, you would need to use a lot more water and product to get that result!

Experimenting With My Curls

On day six, I wanted to experiment with some smooth, slick-back styles and PATTERN’s Indigo Rain Styling Custard was the perfect product for this. I decided to go with a simple half-up, half-down style, misting my hair with water, detangling the top half using the Detangling Nectar and Wide Tooth Comb, before applying about a quarter-sized dollop of the custard over my scalp and smoothing it down and back with a small bristle brush I already owned.

This one left my hair the shiniest out of all the styling products; however if you have a lot of halo frizz, this product didn’t keep those tiny strands down throughout the day. I’d pair this with PATTERN’s Edge Control, just to keep stubborn frizzies in place. 

FYI the only difference between the classic Styling Custard and the Indigo Rain Styling Custard is the scent (which is a lovely rainfall-inspired scent of blue chamomile, ylang-ylang, and amber)

Testing PATTERN’s new Vibrating Flat Iron

After a week and a half of loving my curls this much, I got curious: How would my hair handle heat with PATTERN’s new Vibrating Flat Iron? This flat iron is a huge step up from my middle school pink zebra print straightener — a unique vibration technology of up to 12,000 vibrations per minute lets the tool glide through your hair with fewer passes — meaning smoother, sleeker hair and less heat damage! It also has fourteen customizable heat settings so you’re not subject to a single temperature which may or may not fry your strands (no thank you). 

“Up to 12,000 vibrations per minute lets the tool glide through your hair with fewer passes — meaning smoother, sleeker hair and less heat damage!”

To prep my hair, I washed my hair and used PATTERN’s Treatment Mask, in lieu of the conditioner, under a shower cap for 10 minutes for some extra hydration. The texture of this mask was not what I expected — it’s a clear goopy product rather than the thick buttery masks I’m used to using, but it quenched my hair so well, my thirsty strands literally drank it up! As PATTERN recommends, this product works best on wet, detangled hair. Learn from my mistake and don’t detangle with this product in your hair (apologies to my strands for yanking my brush through them). 

After rinsing off the treatment, I applied the Repair 360° Leave-In Foam, which helps reduce visible signs of damage with PATTERN’s vegan protein & amino acid blend while providing heat protection up to 450°F. Perfect for a blowout or straightening sesh! I liked that this foam was easy to distribute throughout my hair, versus a spray, which sometimes you need a lot of to ensure coverage.  

Disclaimer: As mentioned before, I am one who always wears my hair curled and hasn’t given myself a blowout or silk press in years. It took about 1.5 hours for me to blow-dry and stretch my thick strands as straight as I could manage (take a look at my fabulous lion’s mane!). Afterward, I took small sections of my hair about an inch long and glided the flat iron through at the lowest temperature for my hair type, which I figured was about 350°F. The vibrations surprised me with how strong they felt, and I was also surprised by how fast this flat iron heats up — technology has come a long way! After about three hours of styling in total, these were my results. 

“The vibrations surprised me with how strong they felt, and I was also surprised by how fast this flat iron heats up.”

I think a higher temperature would yield even smoother results, but as a girl with a lot of hair who wants to limit heat exposure, this flat iron did well! The key to a good silk press is blow-drying the hair as smooth as possible before following it with a flat iron, and I’m expecting even more sleeker results as I nail my blow-drying technique down. The style lasted well throughout the week, with the exception of the bottom third of my hair catching a wave, which I didn’t mind as it gave my hair more a 90s blowout vibe, and my hair getting a bit staticky looking after sleeping with it. These are simple fixes that can be prevented with products like the Blow Out Primer and the net cap technique for sleeping on silk presses.

For those who frequent smoother styles, you can skip the hair rebonding treatments, relaxers, and even keratin treatments and enjoy silk press styles with minimal heat exposure thanks to this flat iron. 

Did PATTERN deliver?

PATTERN’s haircare line is, unsurprisingly, one I see myself continuing to use and invest in. My curls loved the formulas, and haven’t looked this lush and defined in a long time. The fact that I can go days without a refresh speaks for itself! My hair is less knotty and tangled, while my strands and scalp feel happy, hydrated, and balanced. 

“My curls loved the formulas, and haven’t looked this lush and defined in a long time.”

PATTERN Beauty continues to create solutions for the unique needs of curly hair. Whether you’re looking for more hydration tailored to your curl and strand type, hoping to support your hair goals, or just starting your natural curly journey, PATTERN offers a wide range of products and resources that make building a routine feel much easier. 

I’m so happy with how far we’ve come in our understanding of curly hair, and PATTERN’s mission is a true testament to that progress. Curly hair routines for all curl types have become more accessible, with new styling techniques, routines, and cutting methods gaining popularity. As a pioneer in natural curly haircare, PATTERN has helped make it easier for people with curly and coily hair to understand, care for, and embrace their natural texture, and that’s something I can truly get behind.

THIS STORY IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FRIENDS AT PATTERN

Silsila Bahrami is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She has a BA in Communications and Marketing from York University and has been writing and fact-checking the latest happenings in sustainable fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and home goods since 2023. When not writing or editing, you can find her at the yoga studio, catching the latest flicks, or testing a new matcha recipe. Say hi on Instagram!