The Only Curling Iron You Need for “ ’70s Porn Star Hair”
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Last January, actor and producer Tracee Ellis Ross dipped her hair care brand Pattern’s proverbial toe into heat styling with the launch of its first-ever blow dryer and protective thermal essentials (which Bazaar editors tested and reviewed). Now, just over a year later, Pattern is back with its next heat-styling staple—a clip barrel curling iron. “Little did I know—which I discovered during the process of trying to develop the iron and the blow dryer—that these things that plug into walls take a really long time [to create],” Ross tells Bazaar.
This new curling iron isn’t just any ordinary hot tool. Like Pattern’s customizable dryer, the tourmaline ceramic iron’s design is also interchangeable and features the same monochromatic caramel shade that helps elevate the salon-quality devices. And while the tool itself is new, Ellis Ross says the concept was years in the making, going back to heat-damage issues she experienced while starring in the cult-favorite sitcom Girlfriends.
“By the time season three finished, I realized that I had been wearing [my character] Joan’s hair the exact same way that I, Tracee, wore my hair,” she says. “And when the hiatus came at the end of season three, I looked in the mirror and was like: I need to do something different.” That “something different” led the star to have her hair professionally straightened with a stove iron, which would cause irreversible damage to her signature curls.
While attempting to restore her pattern, Ellis Ross was introduced to the transformative power of a tourmaline iron by Girlfriends hairstylist Scott Williams. “He introduced me to tourmaline irons and using them on a low setting. And so while I was nursing my hair back to health, I was able to create this whole new plethora of styles that I had never done before, that were more based cajoling my texture into different shapes without creating more damage.”
The launch of Pattern’s Interchangeable Curling Iron is another way Ross is sharing her own hair care experience with beauty lovers everywhere. Much as Williams did years ago, the star wants her brand’s curling iron to enable new styling opportunities for anyone transitioning from permed to natural hair or just looking to expand their repertoire of looks.
“These are additions that join the foundational products that anchor the brand and our relationship to our hair, while allowing us access to the possibility of many different styles. And how you treat your hair is what gives you [the ability] to use heat in safe and new ways,” Ross says. “I’m just really excited for people to have access to something that allows them to play and continue to explore the many beautiful possibilities of our hair.”
Along with ⅜-inch, ¾-inch, and one-inch barrel options (the key to creating Ross’s go-to “ ’70s porn star hair"), the versatile curling iron works on natural hair, wigs, and weaves, and contains a universal voltage with eight heat settings that ladder up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. It also has a built-in swivel cord that makes at-home styling a breeze, and an auto shut-off feature that activates after 60 minutes of inactivity. Plus, to make it simple to take the iron on the go, each purchase includes a heat-resistant storage pouch that doubles as a mat and a fingerless glove, so you can swap barrels in and out seamlessly.
For Ross, choosing a favorite barrel size is like choosing a favorite child, but as ⅜-inch tourmaline barrels are especially hard to come by—and pivotal in creating curl harmony for herself and others—this size, in particular, is very close to her heart.
“That size to me is not only the unique value proposition here, but this is the one that is so specifically for our community,” she says. “You can use it on your ’90s pixie to create waves, and you can use it to create curl harmony within your wash-and-go. If you have a little bit of damage, you can manipulate those ends without thinking you always have to cut them off, and not create more damage. I literally couldn’t wait for that iron to be made. And it’s my secret weapon—it’s like the key to everything for me.”
The Interchangeable Curling Iron from Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross is available now for $249 at patternbeauty.com.
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