As a teenager, I would fry my ends beyond belief by constantly pressing my curly hair and making it straight. I had not yet owned my curls, and as most of us do we want what we don’t have. Eventually, I came to my senses and realized they were beautiful and I just had to figure out how to manage them. It seems that has been my quest in life, hence the reason I have tried several products aiming to find the best fit for my lustrous locks.

When I first moved to NYC I was on the hunt to find a home for my curls. NYC has something for everyone so I knew there had to be a place that specialized in curly hair. A friend recommended the DevaCurl Devachan Hair Salon in SoHo. I was super excited to book my first hair appointment in NYC. I felt so fancy! My first experience got me hooked on the DevaCurl products and I’ve been buying them since.

Most recently, I went for an update to my color. FYI: Before I became a redhead I had dyed my hair black and also did the whole blonde highlights thing many moons ago. Going red was a huge leap for me and my little sister had to talk me into it. She reminded me, “It’s just hair.” I’m a little less adventurous when it comes to my physical appearance. Ha! But you only live once right? So, I decided to get a refresh to my red highlights.

From the moment you walk through the door there are people to greet you. There’s a coat room where they check in your bag and coat if you don’t want to lug it around from chair to chair during your salon experience. You are also given a black robe to wear and something to drink. It’s first class service.

The first stop is the DevaCut. Melanie, always cuts my curls and has my complete trust when it comes to trimming my hair the right length. The best way to prepare is to come to the salon with no product in your hair and have it detangled. She then cuts my hair in layers for a fuller look. You see, my hair naturally lays flat on my head, especially the longer and heavier it gets.

My second stop is to meet with the colorist. Smadar took care of me this time and she applied the Pintura Highlighting method. This process involves painting with the curl pattern instead of against it. She applies bursts of color in the mid length and ends of my hair since that is where curly hair does all of its movement – it doesn’t really move at the root.  A more customized color is created by looking at how the curls are sitting.  Light and depth are built in each curl. No bleach was used to achieve my color, only a high lift color.

Next, my third stop was to get my hair washed. My hair was detangled before washing. The Original No Poo was used since it worked best for my fine curls. She started by massaging my scalp – creating friction which cleansed my hair and took away any natural oils. The DevaCurl products don’t have any sulfates – which are known for stripping the hair and creating a lather and deceiving suds.

A toner is then added after washing and rinsing the color, to grant shine and add a reddish tone.  I sit for 5 minutes before my hair is rinsed again. The toner contains no ammonia and is gentle on the hair. The One Condition is then applied by using the fingers to comb through and keep the natural hair curl pattern.

Right after she combs in the Believe In product she scrunches my curls in order to give them moisture and volume. I put my head down and she takes her fingers through and pulls everything together like a pony tail to avoid really stringy curls. “No stringy curls, please!’ Pin curl clips are pulled away from the root and put under my hair on the top of my head. I then sit under a hood dryer and 30 minutes later I’m a new woman!