Why I Chose To Get A Devachan Cut

A year and a half ago, I decided to do a second big chop.  My hair had grown to mid-back length, but along the way I had picked up some irreparable damage.  The use of henna to die my hair, over time caused a loosening in the curl pattern near the front of my head.  Since I only touched up the roots near the front of my head, where I had gray strands, that was the section affected.  You would have thought that I had my hair cut in a shape to grow longer in the front and shorter in the back.  It was basically the same length, except I lost a lot of coils near the front.

The second issue that caused damage to my hair was flat ironing.  Even though I only went to the beauty shop to get my hair flat ironed 2-3 times a year, the heat mixed with those henna treatments, straightened the front of my hair out to a point of no return.  I kept denying it and trying to do braid outs.  Deep down inside I liked the length, but missed the matching uniformity of my curl pattern throughout my hair, and the simplicity of doing a wash- and- go without trying to stretch the back of my hair to match the front.  So I started researching types of cuts.

One of the first videos that I found was that by Taren Guy, explaining how the devachan cut can cause the hair to fall in place when in it's natural state.  My first thought was, I mainly wear my hair in the natural state, and would love to try it.  Basically the hair is cut in it's dry state.  The hair is then washed, products applied, air dried, hood dried and/ or diffused and then cut again to get the exact look and shape that you want in it's curly state. OMG!  When I saw this I heard bells, singing, and said this is what I need.

My next question was who can do this cut in Chicago, because I'm not flying to Taren's recommended hairdresser because I'm miles away from New York.  I started googling and came upon Naturallycurly.com and their list of hairdressers in Chicago performing the devachan cut.  I ended up contacting "Cally's Curls", located on the north side of Chicago.  I thought hum, a curly shop that caters to curlies.  After reading the online reviews, I decided to call and consult with one of their stylists named Laneeta.  She was very pleasant, asked tons of questions, answered all of my questions, and then educated me even more about naturally curly hair.  Since her talk, I haven't even used a comb to detangle, I just use my fingers to detangle now.  She cut my hair dry in it's curly state.  She focused on each curl and making sure that it coiled just right before and after clipping.  She then washed my hair and finished the cut.  She applied devacurl products to my hair.  She did an amazing job in December 2013!  I went back for another cut in January 2015 and absolutely loved it.  I loved the way that my curls fall in place after washing.  My curls don't look triangular when dry, they just fall into place.  Wash and go's are the basis for all of my styles, and this is so simple and low maintenance for me.  I love my devachan cut, and as long as Cally's Curl's and Company are open, I will be a faithful customer.

Right after my first devachan cut, with all the damage cut and removed.

P.S. I noticed that some people refer to the cut as a devacut and others as a devachan cut.  The devachan method is basically the method of cutting curly hair while in its dry state.  Tomato/ Tumato right.  Feel free to update me on what you call this method and your experience with the devachan cut.  Do tell.

Check out the links below for more information:

How I do My Wash & Go

Mahogany Curls 1st devacut

Search For A Curly Salon Near You via Naturally Curly

Chime Edwards Encouraging Words After A Change In Texture Due To Product & Heat Damage