Are Devacuts For Kinky Hair? (type 4)

[kxlot79]

Hey All!

My DevaCut After/Before:

What I asked for:


Just wanted to get some input/encouragement/support from LHCF.

Do y’all think DevaCuts are for kinky hair? What say you? Do you have any experience with DevaCuts? Tips/Tricks to share? Let’s discuss!


So here’s my story:
I was just touching the top of BSL last week, and wanted to try a “real” curly hair cut at least once in my life. I didn’t believe I would have the courage to do a “professional” cut at longer hair than BSL. I guess it seemed like less to lose if my hair was already “short.”
Anyway, long story short, 8-10” went snip snip at my DevaCut appointment when all I wanted was a WnG “shape.” I showed pictures, and said “I want to preserve as much length as possible.” But I didn’t give an exact measurement (ie“3 inches at most”) and I didn’t bring a ruler or stretch out my hair for comparison or stress to the stylist to be conservative with her cutting.
I made SO MANY mistakes. So many no-nos. And I KNEW better. I think I would’ve done all those things and worn my hair in a super stretched twistout if I could do it all over again.
I also let her do more “stylistic snips” after my hair was washed and set. I’m facepalming as I type this. I was almost too embarrassed to post.
BUT. The actual shape is what I was looking for. I just wish it had been 3-4” off instead of 10+

Background:
I’ve hovered around at least BSL for most of the last 9 years, had a 2 year stint at WL but the most fullness & length at MBL for about 3 years.
I’d just gotten comfortable with voluminous, healthy, defined WnGs as my goto— and how my preferences were gonna make MBL the easiest thing to maintain.
And having gotten my cosmetology license, I know pretty well how the industry can be and how hard it can be to find someone willing and able to give you the cut you want. So I’ve put off a “professional” haircut for the better part of a decade. Every time I got one with straight hair was a disappointment. I’m very disappointed with my curly cut but wonder what I could’ve done differently and what I might do different if I found the courage (or foolishness?) to try another curly cut.

(As an aside, my hair was most recently the shortest it’s been in ten years last week. I gave myself a BIG haircut in January, but considering I was at struggle WL, even cutting 7” left me with BSB hair. I started doing rice water and was able to grow about 3-3.5” back this year. I feel pretty confident I’ll have long hair again, but this short, awkward, ugly cut makes me want to just PS through to 2021. And I LOVE my hair, so not feeling comfortable wearing it out is probably the thing I hate the most about this whole situation... ugh. Just venting.)

 

[kxlot79]

I’ll add my before/after twistout for comparison.
My curly hair tends to “grow” more horizontal before I see that vertical growth. I’m trying my best to find the silver lining in this cut. But I’m thinking about having to wait a whole year for 6” to come back and feel pretty about that prospect. It would probably be 2 years in ideal circumstances before my hair is back to 2018 glory. Oh well.

 

[prettyinpurple]

Looks good to me and your hair is tapered. The pic you showed is tapered too. However I think the person in the pic has a looser texture than you so your hair wouldn't match that style exactly. But the taper will get more obvious as your hair grows out.

On initial impressions, it looks like she got rid of some thin ends.

Deva cuts do include any needed snips after your hair is washed and dried. That's normal. It's just finishing the cut, anything that they may have missed or looks different after your hair is dry.

Sorry that you lost more length than you wanted though . Definitely talk to her since you're disappointed.

I feel you. I had a similar curly cut yesterday and left with a fro. But it expanded as the day went on and my hair is still soft. The snips after the wash had me cringing for one section of my hair but her explanation calmed me down lol. I gotta twist my hair and see how it looks. It might be shorter than I wanted but my ends do look great at least.

ETA: Yeah I do go to these appointments with a twist out since that's my daily style.

 

[GettingKinky]

I think your haircut looks good and close to what you asked for, but I understand how you feel.

I just got a Deva cut last Saturday. She cut a lot of hair off to give me a better shape. I didn’t expect to lose so much hair, but now I can let it air dry loose and it looks good. So I’m very torn. On the one hand I wanted to keep more length, but now I can be super lazy with my wash n go.

If I had gone in with stretched hair I’m not sure if my wash n go would look right.

I think the only change I would make would be to go in with my hair styled with gel and not just conditioner.

I don’t think my Deva cut lady was good at styling my hair, she left in too much product and my hair wasn’t soaking wet when she applied it, but she did a good job on the cut. And she’s Latina with straight hair.

Before - loose air dried hair- no gel


After- loose air dried hair with gel

 

[oneastrocurlie]

I haven't been to a Deva salon but get dry curly cuts. I do think too much was cut off. But your before and the before of what you wanted wasn't the same. Typically you're not supposed to go into a curly cut with stretched hair because that's not your hair's natural state. They probably would have charged you to wash it and dry it before they could really cut it. My salon would probably tell you to come back another day (90 years later cause that's how booked they are lol)

I do think dry curly cuts are for type 4 hair but all stylists aren't equal. I'll even go a bit further and say Devacuts, like that shape, is primarily for people who wash and go most of the time. I didn't get a Deva cut but asked to have my shape evened out.

 

[BrownSkin2]

I go a Deva Cut last month. I took a pic with me. I was apl, now I have a short tapered fro. Its really cute, but I lost a lot of hair. I'm torn about it.

 

[metro_qt]

I got a deva cut last year, and I felt that she snatched me bald. She cut of alllll my hair, and i didn't have that much to begin with.
I had just big chopped 8 months before the cut.

1 week later I was getting pure compliments on my twa,
And this year- 1 exact year later after my deva cut, I get complimented every day about the shape of my hair, and questions about who did it.

I am definitely doing it again, and YES! Deva cuts are definitely for type 4 hair.

I'm glad i did it.

 

[Cheleigh]

Deva stylists WILL cut your hair unless you're clear that you only want a trim. And even a trim will be more than you'd like because of they way they cut on dry curly hair. I'm growing out my hair, and while my hair looks the exact same length now as when I first cut my hair from BSL to CBL, my hair is nearing BSL (all stretched lengths) again with a more consistent curl pattern than before Deva. The more defined the curl pattern, the shorter the hair will look (but with the appearance of more thickness because the length is shrunken).

ETA: The back of my hair is the loosest texture (front is a tighter curl pattern) and you can see the length shrunken in the curls.

 

[GettingKinky]

@Cheleigh your curl pattern became more consistent after you got the Deva cut? That’s interesting, did you change something about the way you care for your hair?

 

[Cheleigh]

@Cheleigh your curl pattern became more consistent after you got the Deva cut? That’s interesting, did you change something about the way you care for your hair?

Yes. Gettingt it shaped properly with all the damaged ends off consistently with more consistent styling and product use helped. Deva shampoo/conditioner and cream stylers maximize my curl pattern in a way that curl activator gel type products (which I had been using before) don't. I get more length with CAG, but with more producty looking weighted hair. A lot more people compliment my hair since Deva than before, even though it's shorter now.

 

[GettingKinky]

Yes. Gettingt it shaped properly with all the damaged ends off consistently with more consistent styling and product use helped. Deva shampoo/conditioner and cream stylers maximize my curl pattern in a way that curl activator gel type products (which I had been using before) don't. I get more length with CAG, but with more producty looking weighted hair. A lot more people compliment my hair since Deva than before, even though it's shorter now.

I bought the Deva conditioner but I wasn’t planning on using it until I used up the the rest of the conditioners I already have. I didn't buy the arc angel or the cream styler. Maybe I should reconsider.

 

[Cheleigh]

@GettingKinky I think the cream stylers are the best products in the Deva arsenal. I know it doesn't work for everyone's hair, but I like that it is low crunch (very touchable) and gives really good curl definition.

 

[prettyinpurple]

@Cheleigh What's CAG?

I twisted my hair last night and wore a twist out today. My length was fine, didn't look too short or anything yay. Also it was still easy to twist my hair. No super short sections or anything.

I bought the DevaCurl decadence leave-in and the super stretch cream, at my stylist's suggestion. I look forward to trying them.

 

[kxlot79]

Thanks everyone for all the amazing feedback!
I appreciate the real talk. Y’all give it to me straight!

 

[kxlot79]

First off, thanks for the compliment! And empathy!

Secondly, here are a few more pics and let me know if you honestly think my ends were thin.
I’ll say that as my hair gets past APL, the curls at the bottom become a lot more defined and visibly seem just a lil bit looser while they’re on my head, but are still tight coils when I trim my ends. I really want to know because maybe you’re seeing something I can’t.


Before



After



About 2 weeks before cut (slightly stretched 1st day WnG— about 25% more shrinkage than my normal 1st day twistout)

Looks good to me and your hair is tapered. The pic you showed is tapered too. However I think the person in the pic has a looser texture than you so your hair wouldn't match that style exactly. But the taper will get more obvious as your hair grows out.

On initial impressions, it looks like she got rid of some thin ends.

Sorry that you lost more length than you wanted though

 

[kxlot79]

Thanks so much for your reply!
Did you feel like you lost more length or more volume? Or equal parts both?
My volume is the same. My length is gone. I feel like if I was getting straggles cut, my volume would be higher. Or my hair would feel/look noticeably thicker but it doesn’t, to me.

Can you post a pic of your hair with just conditioner post cut &/or with gel before the cut? With the gel, it looks more defined, and it’s kinda like comparing apples to oranges.
Plus, how much shrinkage would you say you have?
How much length did you lose of your stretched hair?

I think my haircut could’ve been better with gel too. Idk. Maybe a stretched WnG would’ve given me and the stylist a better idea of how much hair was actually being cut. I knew my shrinkage would be more with shorter hair but I forgot how much more.

I didn’t expect to lose so much hair, but now I can let it air dry loose and it looks good.

If I had gone in with stretched hair I’m not sure if my wash n go would look right.

I think the only change I would make would be to go in with my hair styled with gel and not just conditioner.

 

[prettyinpurple]

Maybe it's not thin ends, but looser curls that hang lower than other parts of your hair. Looks like she snipped them to make them even with the rest of your hair.

You know our curls don't like to cooperate and we have all types of curls on our ends lol. The looser ones can look odd just hanging out.

ETA: Looking that pic from the back after the cut, it is tapered toward your ears. Is this a steeper angle/taper than you wanted? I know that's the shrunken wash and go which makes it look even shorter. The shrinkage can be shocking. I know that feeling :/ I always wear stretched out styles.

But if you're not happy, I still say talk with the stylist again.

 

[prettyinpurple]

OP: Do you have a front view of the cut that you wanted?

 

[kxlot79]

Thanks so much for your insight!

What do you mean by saying my Before hair and the Before hair of the picture I showed the stylist weren’t the same? Are you saying out textures were too different?

I had such a positive experience at the salon, and the stylist didn’t totally jack me up, she just took a lot a LOT more than I wanted/expected. But I let her, and looking back, I’m inclined to think I’m at least 60% responsible for not being more precise and articulate about what I wanted and how she proposed to give that to me.

I showed her the picture, said things like “Give the hair I have more of a shape, make the back a little rounder.” And then showed her pictures of other women and myself with a more rounded shape I was looking for (that I manipulate my hair into getting— stretching some out and packing some in to achieve the rounder shape— which still left me with the amount of length I wanted).

What do you say exactly when you go to a Deva stylist to achieve your “evened out” shape?

But your before and the before of what you wanted wasn't the same.

I do think dry curly cuts are for type 4 hair but all stylists aren't equal.

I didn't get a Deva cut but asked to have my shape evened out.

 

[kxlot79]

Thank you so much for sharing!!
Honestly, your post really helped me believe my first thought when I got the cut, “This will be really cute in a year.”
I’m trying to cozy up to the idea that it can be cute now. Trying really hard. Lol.

And this year- 1 exact year later after my deva cut, I get complimented every day about the shape of my hair, and questions about who did it.

I am definitely doing it again, and YES! Deva cuts are definitely for type 4 hair.

I'm glad i did it.

 

[kxlot79]

Thanks for this advice!

The experience itself was very pleasant and I’d like to trust the back of my head to SOMEBODY. I can only do so much myself.
I think next time I will stress TRIM and even a specific amount of inches and bring a ruler.

It’s been 9 years since I had zero hangtime curly. Legit, ZERO. It is quite an adjustment.
I could wear my hair in a WnG and still get hangtime without stretching. Now... even stretched, I don’t have any hangtime. I probably couldn’t get it without heat.
Oh well.

Deva stylists WILL cut your hair unless you're clear that you only want a trim.

 

[kxlot79]

I actually really like the Deva products for the summertime. I ended up purchasing the B’Leave-in (sp?) because I really enjoyed the way it defined my curls.
I usually don’t get that kind of definition without a hard gel. Or while it’s soaking wet. It also left my hair super touchable. And smelled fantastic for like 3 days.

I bought the Deva conditioner but I wasn’t planning on using it until I used up the the rest of the conditioners I already have. I didn't buy the arc angel or the cream styler. Maybe I should reconsider.

 

[kxlot79]

The hair at my roots is always naturally less defined than on the ends unless I do MHM or use styling products (puffy roots).
The hair on the ends is always just defined, even without product.

In my Before and After, my hair is in a 1st Day no styler, dry WnG. It’s the same state of hair. It hasn’t been stretched in the before. That’s my completely shrunken hair. The After is actually a bit picked out.

The twistouts aren’t stretched with heat, just from being twisted. Went from grazing past my shoulders to not even reaching my neck.
Idk. That was A LOT of length. Tapered in this round shape (short on bottom, longer on top) but my longest layers went from 21” to 10”

I think this thread was my final vent.

There’s nothing the stylist can do now, since the shape is fine, just way too short— and I feel like at least part of the reason is #1 me being too passive in the chair and #2 me being somehow unclear on what I was looking for— and if it wasn’t possible, what her plan for getting me closer to what I wanted. The service was also very nice, which makes me want to go back, but I’d like to get it right next time and this thread has given me some ideas on how I could do that.

Thanks so much for the input!

The looser ones can look odd just hanging out.

ETA: Looking that pic from the back after the cut, it is tapered toward your ears. Is this a steeper angle/taper than you wanted? I know that's the shrunken wash and go which makes it look even shorter. The shrinkage can be shocking. I know that feeling :/ I always wear stretched out styles.

 

[prettyinpurple]

The hair at my roots is always naturally less defined than on the ends unless I do MHM or use styling products (puffy roots).
The hair on the ends is always just defined, even without product.

In my Before and After, my hair is in a 1st Day no styler, dry WnG. It’s the same state of hair. It hasn’t been stretched in the before. That’s my completely shrunken hair. The After is actually a bit picked out.

The twistouts aren’t stretched with heat, just from being twisted. Went from grazing past my shoulders to not even reaching my neck.
Idk. That was A LOT of length. Tapered in this round shape (short on bottom, longer on top) but my longest layers went from 21” to 10”

I think this thread was my final vent.

There’s nothing the stylist can do now, since the shape is fine, just way too short— and I feel like at least part of the reason is #1 me being too passive in the chair and #2 me being somehow unclear on what I was looking for— and if it wasn’t possible, what her plan for getting me closer to what I wanted. The service was also very nice, which makes me want to go back, but I’d like to get it right next time and this thread has given me some ideas on how I could do that.

Thanks so much for the input!

I'm glad you're feeling better!

The fact that you liked the service and would return is a good sign. It sounds like the stylist would listen to your needs too.

I'm jealous that you had hang time with a wash n' go. I'm sorry that you lost it!

 

[kxlot79]

Not of that model (I did a Google Image search for it) but it was from a Facebook page called “Black Girl Curls” and since they’re local stylists and Black, maybe I would’ve had more luck with them. Lol womp womp.

OP: Do you have a front view of the cut that you wanted?

 

[oneastrocurlie]

Thanks so much for your insight!

What do you mean by saying my Before hair and the Before hair of the picture I showed the stylist weren’t the same? Are you saying out textures were too different?

I had such a positive experience at the salon, and the stylist didn’t totally jack me up, she just took a lot a LOT more than I wanted/expected. But I let her, and looking back, I’m inclined to think I’m at least 60% responsible for not being more precise and articulate about what I wanted and how she proposed to give that to me.

I showed her the picture, said things like “Give the hair I have more of a shape, make the back a little rounder.” And then showed her pictures of other women and myself with a more rounded shape I was looking for (that I manipulate my hair into getting— stretching some out and packing some in to achieve the rounder shape— which still left me with the amount of length I wanted).

What do you say exactly when you go to a Deva stylist to achieve your “evened out” shape?

Not so much texture different but shaped very differently comparing each before photo.

My stylist isn't a Deva stylist meaning they don't specialize in the Deva cut shape. They just cut hair dry in its natural state and how you want it/what looks best. I had a tapered cut with shaved sides so when I asked for it be evened out I wanted more of a natural transition between my shaved sides and my longer top. So she went in on the cutting but didn't leave me bald lol. And she explained what she was doing the whole time and I could see what she was doing.

 

[GettingKinky]

Thanks so much for your reply!
Did you feel like you lost more length or more volume? Or equal parts both?
My volume is the same. My length is gone. I feel like if I was getting straggles cut, my volume would be higher. Or my hair would feel/look noticeably thicker but it doesn’t, to me.

Can you post a pic of your hair with just conditioner post cut &/or with gel before the cut? With the gel, it looks more defined, and it’s kinda like comparing apples to oranges.
Plus, how much shrinkage would you say you have?
How much length did you lose of your stretched hair?

I think my haircut could’ve been better with gel too. Idk. Maybe a stretched WnG would’ve given me and the stylist a better idea of how much hair was actually being cut. I knew my shrinkage would be more with shorter hair but I forgot how much more.

I think I was confused by your original picture. I thought the before was on the left. But now that I see the pictures of the back, she cut a lot of hair. And I don’t think it looks that much like the picture of what you wanted. I understand why you are upset.

For my cut I think I mostly lost volume. My hair is probably shorter now in the crown than it used to be, but the back is about the same as it was before. Maybe 2 inches shorter.


Before with gel (8 always wore the front pinned back because the shape was bad. )


After with gel


I also used to let my hair dry in a ponytail so that it would be more stretched and now I let it dry loose.

 

[GettingKinky]

@kxlot79

The more I play with my hair the more I realize how much my Deva lady cut off. She cut off quite a bit. I just hope that I grow to love it like @metro_qt did with her cut.

For now I’m just going to focus on how to keep my hair from looking dry.

 

[Theresamonet]

She did cut a lot op. But it looks nice.

I think Deva cuts are for every curl type. But I think they’re for people who are more concerned with style over length. They basically cut the hair like it’s a topiary. Is it even possible for them to only cut 3-4 inches all around? I don’t think so. They have to keep cutting until the proper shape forms.

 

[oneastrocurlie]

She did cut a lot op. But it looks nice.

I think Deva cuts are for every curl type. But I think they’re for people who are more concerned with style over length. They basically cut the hair like it’s a topiary. Is it even possible for them to only cut 3-4 inches all around? I don’t think so. They have to keep cutting until the proper shape forms.

Good point.

I'm for certain they probably got more than a few inches cut off but some stylist have a way of making it look like not as much was actually cut off.

Disclaimer: This is who cuts my hair lol.