I Had My First DevaCut & Here’s What I Think

Over the past year, I’ve been working on getting my curls as healthy and full as possible, particularly after dealing with a super itchy scalp. I switched to sulfate free shampoo which made a huge difference and after moving to Richmond, I was trying to find a stylist who would be able to cut my curls. That’s when I found Casey through social media, a trained Deva stylist and owner of Pivot RVA studio. A DevaCut, or curly girl cut, is a method of cutting curly/wavy/coily hair created by the Devachan Salon and Casey specializes in these curly cuts. Here’s a detailed walk through of my experience and thoughts.

The Cut

So before we started, Casey explained about the Devacut and how it’s different to cutting straight hair. The biggest difference is that they cut your hair when it’s dry during a Devacut, as opposed to after washing in a normal cut. This is so the stylist can see your natural curl pattern and make sure it all lies correctly. Often, and I can vouch for this, curly hair ends up looking uneven if you cut it wet because the curls don’t curl up evenly once it’s dry. Casey checked what I wanted to do (just a trim) and then took a very small amount off and shaped the hair around my face. The entire time she was educating me about which products and ingredients are best for curly hair, and how the correct method for curls is so different to the generic ideas we all grow up thinking are right. I was learning so much from the very beginning.

Washing/Co-Washing

We discussed how often I wash my hair (I’ve spaced it to once every 2-3 days). Casey explained how drying shampoo can be for curly hair in particular, and agreed that my 2019 move to sulfate free shampoo was the right choice. She then went on to explaining co-washing, or washing with conditioner if hair needs a refresh. I’ve heard of this but always been too apprehensive to try it myself. She did it for me, rinsing my hair with just conditioner and taking it through my hair before using a very gentle stream of water to rinse. Conditioner should also be silicone free to ensure hair can efficiently absorb moisture (silicones can form a film and mess this up).

Styling

This is the part of the appointment where I learned the most. Casey explained that styling needs to start in the shower when hair is dripping wet. She parted my hair and then took a curl cream through my hair, from about an inch from the scalp through to the ends. She chose the curl cream because that’s what I use at home, and she wanted to create a routine I could do myself.

We then flipped my hair over, dried it slightly with a microfiber towel (Casey suggested just using an old cotton t-shirt instead of buying one of these) and moved on to… GEL. Eeeek! The word gel scared the s**t out of me tbh. I just thought crispy coils. But she explained that using a (alcohol-free) gel “casts” the curls into their curl pattern so they can dry in their natural shape. You can then shake out the crispiness once hair is dry and be left with beautiful, bouncy curls.
Again, she was teaching me the whole time. She did each step first and then let me try. I really appreciated the walk through because I wanted to be able to recreate it!

End Result

Wow. Just wow. I sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes and then we shook out the curls. I could not believe how defined they looked! I really have never seen my curls so defined. They just looked so shiny and healthy. Check out the before and after below. The difference was also in how my hair felt, not just how it looked. It felt so soft and moisturized.

Final Thoughts

So, the big questions is, is a Devacut worth the spend? Mine was $75 (plus the tip I wanted to give), and it was 100000% worth it in my opinion. I don’t usually spend more than $40 on a hair cut, but this was a completely different experience. It was like a 1:1 curly hair lesson for almost 90 minutes, and I learned so much. I felt in such good hands with Casey- she’s been a certified stylist since 2005 and it was apparent in her knowledge.

I genuinely feel like my hair journey has completely changed from this experience, and there’s no going back! I’ve styled it myself twice since the cut, using the exact methods she used, and it’s turned out better than ever before in terms of curl definition and how long it’s lasting without washing. I’ve now managed to go 4 days without washing which is unheard of for me. I’m blown away and can’t wait to continue to care properly for my curls! Here are some more photos to leave you with, and please don’t hesitate to comment or email me if you have any questions.