A steamer is provided for use with hair curlers having a steam passage formed therein. The steamer comprises (i) a vessel forming a cavity for containing water, (ii) an electrode for heating the water contained in the cavity thereby transforming at least a portion of the water to steam, (iii) a housing supporting the electrode disposed atop the vessel and having a first steam discharge port formed therein in flow communication with the cavity, (iv) a cover disposed atop the housing and having a second steam port formed therein in flow communication with the first steam port, and (v) a handle for lifting the steamer attached to the cover. The handle has (i) a support portion adapted to support one of the hair curlers while the steam is introduced therein, (ii) a third steam discharge port formed in the support portion and in flow communication with the second steam discharge port, and (iii) a post for stabilizing one of the hair curlers while the steam is introduced therein. The post extends upward from the support portion, whereby the post is adapted to extend into the steam passage in the hair curler, and forms a longitudinally extending central portion having three longitudinally extending spokes equidistantly circumferentially spaced around the central portion and extending radially outward therefrom.

A steamer for steaming hair curlers comprises an oblong tank having an open top which is closed by a lid. A pair of latches are captured for slight movement on opposite sides of the lid and engaged under steps defined on opposite sides of the tank. The lid carries a pair of depending electrodes which are protected within a perforated enclosure fixed to the lid. A power cord is connected between the electrodes for applying electrical energy to the electrodes which generates steam when the electrodes are emersed in an electrolyte in the tank.

A portable electric appliance steaming hair rollers prior to use includes a closed box-shaped housing removably holding a plurality of foam covered steam absorbent hair rollers. A manually actuated pump is provided in the housing for transferring a measured charge of water from a water reservoir removable from the housing for filling to an electrically heated steam boiler located in the housing and communicating with a cup-shaped roller support designed to support a single roller for steaming. The support is provided with an orifice receiving steam from the boiler through a predetermined path to soak or saturate a supported roller with steam to prepare the roller for use. A flexible membrane type valve is located below the orifice between the support and the boiler for permitting steam only to flow to the roller from the boiler and preventing flooding of the boiler should water be mistakenly dumped into the cup-shaped roller support. The reservoir has a one-way valve in its base which is actuated when the water filled reservoir placed into the housing to connect water flow through the pump to the boiler.

A steamer for a steamable hair curler includes thermally isolated cold and hot water reservoirs. Water in the hot water reservoir is heated by a PTC heater. The volumetric capacity of the hot water reservoir is very small. The PTC heater has an intrinsic cutoff temperature high enough to boil water in the hot water reservoir and low enough to prevent deterioration of any component parts of the steamer, even in the absence of water in the hot water reservoir. Due to the thermal isolation of the reservoirs, water in the cold water reservoir is not substantially heated during normal operation of the steamer.