The Devacurl Haircut: Before, After and Tears

Published on Sunday, March 15, 2015 by Katherine

Curly haired girls stop other curly haired girls on the street and ask, “What do you use in your hair?” It’s just what we do. All of us have at least $200 worth of hair products shoved under the sink, containing most of their original contents.

Hair stylists aren’t trained to cut curly hair, period. Layers, pinking shears, thinning…. It all may work for a week or two but once the hair grows out the shorter hairs become a shelf. This causes the George Washington Effect on hair like mine.

NO one knows how to cut curly hair. Except for a very select few.

Last week I was stunned to find there is a local salon that specializes in the “Devacurl Haircut.” Their stylists are trained by curly haired specialists on how to cut curly hair. I HAVE TO GO!!!! I HAVE TO GET A DEVACURL HAIRCUT!!!! Yea…. I just HAD to go.

The devacurl cut involves a fascinating hour and a half process. You go in with no hair product whatsoever. I called my walk from the car to the front door my Curly Hair Walk of Shame. It had been years since I had seen my hair with no product.

I was immediately escorted to the back, so as to protect the other patrons I am sure. From there I met my stylist and we discussed my hair. What problems was I having? How did I want it styled? I told her SEVERAL times, “You can do whatever you want to my hair, as long as you leave it long.”

Remember those words. AS LONG AS YOU LEAVE IT LONG. We are going to come back to that.

Curly hair is cut dry with the Devacurl haircut. The curl is cut just above the “C.” It is THAT scientific. After all the ends were trimmed and trouble spots were managed, she had me lean back in the chair so my hair fell behind the chair. She then got on her knees below my hair and evened things out.

She said, “This sounds terrible, but cutting curly hair is really like trimming a hedge. You don’t just lop off a big branch, you trim delicately in just the right spots.” After having my head backwards she instructed me to lean forward and flip my hair over my knees. Again, more hedge trimming.

This is me after the devacut, before the shampoo, and with no hair product. I sent the picture to my friend who responded, “HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!”

Finally, I was ready for my “No Poo” Shampoo. Well THAT was a relief. Nobody wants poo at the hair dresser. (Actually the No Poo is a “non-shampoo” you scrub in to your scalp. Nothing bad in the stuff so it won’t damage your hair.)

After being pampered with scrubbing, massaging and conditioning she placed a towel on the floor , had me sit up and flip my hair over my head. From there she liberally applied leave-in conditioner and gel. Towels are not allowed with curly hair as they break up the curl. You can only use microfiber or a man’s soft undershirt. He doesn’t have to be in it at the time.

Next were clips strategically placed in my hair on top to give lift. THAT performed magic. I bought the clips.

Here I am under the specialized heating dryer thing. “Oh, is that orange water up there? May I have a glass?” “A magazine? Why I would love a magazine!”

Once I was dry she crunched the curls to get rid of the hard casing from the gel. This removes the “wet” look and makes the curls softer.

The final results? I had a head of beautiful curls that were healthy, bouncy and perfectly placed. The Devacurl cut is AMAZING and to this day I would recommend it to anyone with any form of curls.

This is how the back looked when I left. She cut it too short, but I could live with it.

This is the official BEFORE LEAVING THE SALON “before and after Devacurl cut.” Looks good on paper, don’t you think?

This is the front after she cut it. Too short. Oh my goodness too short. I started to panic, sending selfies to my friends. Notice the worry in my face.

AND THEN, WHEN I GOT HOME…..

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She cut my hair so short that when it dried it was ABOVE MY NECK!!!!! I started to cry. I was so excited about my cut and I loved how the curls looked BEFORE I LEFT THE SALON…. But the length. My beautiful long hair, GONE in an hour. AND IT TURNED FRIZZY AND HORRIBLE… BEYOND BELIEF!

My daughter and mother tried to talk me down the rest of the night.

Tomorrow I don’t want to go to work. I’m gonna be “that kid” who got their hair cut too short over the weekend. I want to wear a baseball cap to work like we all did in school the day after a haircut.

This is the cut today after I did everything I could to lengthen it with product. Apparently, with me not being a selfie kind of person, I am incapable of taking a serious selfie.

If she hadn’t taken off the length, I would be so happy I would not be able to wipe the smile off my face. YES… the curls are perfect. YES… she fixed so much damage. But it is short beyond short and I just can’t get past that to look at the good.

The story of a curly haired girl’s life.