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July 2014

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Two Different Styling Techniques For Naturally Curly Hair: The Deva 3-Step and Ouidad Rake and Shake

In this post, I will explain the difference between the Deva 3-Step and the Ouidad Rake and Shake. These are two different methods for styling naturally curly hair as they are taught by DevaCurl and Ouidad. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been trained and certified in both the DevaCurl and Ouidad curly hair styling techniques. So let’s break both methods down and you can decide which one is best for your at-home curly hair routine.

Deva 3-Step

  1. Clean your naturally curly hair with DevaCurl No Poo. (Use DevaCare No Poo if your hair is color treated.)
  2. Condition and hydrate hair with DevaCurl One Condition. (DevaCare One Condition is best for color treated hair.) Any tangles are worked out with your fingers while there is plenty of conditioner in your hair. Leave the conditioner in your hair for a few minutes and then rinse out with cool water. The cool water helps seal the cuticle of the hair and thereby locks in moisture, increases the hair’s shininess and minimizes frizz.
  3. Wring the moisture out of your hair with your hands. Do not touch your hair with a towel yet.
  4. With your hair wet, flip your hair forward and apply the appropriate DevaCurl styling product. Pour a generous amount of the gel, foam, or styling cream into your hands. Spread the product over your palms and fingers, and with your hair flipped forward, graze the styling product lightly over both sides of your hair. Then cup your hands and, lifting the hair toward your scalp, scrunch the product into your hair. Flip your head to the side and continue scrunching. Flip to the other side and do the same.
  5. When you are finished applying the styling product, flip your head upright and position your curls as desired.
  6. Use a microfiber towel (or a t-shirt or paper towel) to squeeze the excess moisture out of your hair.
  7. Apply pin curl clips to your roots at the crown to create root lift. Either allow your hair to air dry or dry with a blow dryer and a diffuser. Here’s a step-by-step post for drying your naturally curly hair.
  8. When hair is dry, break up the gel cast with your fingers to soften your hair. Your hair should be soft and ringlets should be well defined. If your hair feels crunchy, then continue softening your hair by squeezing it between your fingers. Once you are happy with how your hair looks, avoid touching it more because doing so can create frizz.

Ouidad Rake and Shake

  1. Shampoo your naturally curly hair with the appropriate Ouidad shampoo.
  2. Condition your hair with Ouidad conditioner. Comb the conditioner through your hair with the Ouidad double comb. Leave on for a few minutes and then rinse out with cool water.
  3. Mist water onto a clean microfiber towel and blot the hair dry.
  4. Section your hair into six sections: one on each side of the head in front of the ears, one on the top of your head, one on each side of the crown split down the middle and one below the occipital bone at the nape.
  5. Apply a quarter size amount of Ouidad gel to hands. Beginning with small sections at the nape, smooth hair between your forefinger and middle finger while distributing the gel into the hair. Then use your fingers like a comb to separate the hair into ringlets, all the while pulling firmly on the hair to smooth out any flyaways. This is the “raking” part of the procedure.
  6. When your curls are smooth and there are no fly-aways, rake through the hair one final time. While holding the ends of the hair, relax the tension, and “shake” the hair. This will allow the curls to form. Let the hair down and repeat on the next section above.
  7. When the gel is applied to all the hair, use duckbill clips to lift the hair at the roots. This is typically done to the hair above the rounds of the head to create root lift.
  8. Dry your hair with a blow dryer and a diffuser, always being sure to direct the air downward from the roots toward the ends.
  9. When the hair is dry, avoid touching it more so that you don’t cause the curls to frizz.

Which hair styling method do you use for your naturally curly hair?

The Difference Between The Deva Cut and Ouidad Haircut

Many of my curly haired clients ask me what the difference is between the Deva Cut and the Ouidad Haircut. Having been trained and certified in both techniques, I am qualified to answer this question. In this article, I don’t intend to give my opinion of which method that I prefer, I will simply explain the differences.

Before the Cut

Both techniques claim to be the best method of cutting naturally curly hair, yet they are extremely different. Before cutting the hair, both the Deva and the Ouidad technique requires the hairstylist to perform a thorough examination of the hair. The Stylist looks for differing curl patterns throughout the head, noting density, shape and hairline patterns. Face shape and body shape are always taken into consideration when determining the most attractive hair cut. Once the unique attributes of the client are assessed, then a hair design plan is created that will accentuate attractive features and detract from unappealing ones.

Deva Cut Method

The Deva Philosophy

A hairstylist who employs the Deva cutting method will always cut the hair dry, cutting each curl ringlet by ringlet. The hairstylist cuts the ends of the hair, never texturizing or thinning the hair. The philosophy behind this is that slicing into the interior of a curly haircut has the potential to create frizz.

The Deva Technique

In the Deva technique, a perimeter is established first, usually starting around the face and then going the sides and toward the back. Curl pattern and density are analyzed to determine where on the head to begin elevating and creating layers. Thinner hair will require a greater percentage of the hair to fall to the perimeter to create a fuller look. If the hair is thin, then a smaller percentage of the hair will be available to create elevation and interior movement. Thick hair necessitates the opposite and elevation can begin farther down the nape. When done well, the final result will be hair that lays in an attractive shape and accentuates the unique curl pattern of the individual.

Ouidad Cut Method

Carve and Slice Technique

The Ouidad haircutting technique involves cutting the hair wet. After the basic shape is created, then the stylist decides where to incorporate the Ouidad Carve and Slice technique. This is performed by taking vertical sections of hair below the parietal ridge, pulling the hair out, and gently shaking it to reveal thicker sections within the curls. These thicker areas are then delicately “carved” or “sliced” depending on what the desired result is. Carving removes more hair and is generally used on tighter and thicker curls. Slicing removes less hair and is intended to create volume and shape on thinner looser curls.

The Ouidad Philosophy

The philosophy behind this haircut is that by carving and slicing curly hair in a skillful way, the hairstylist can create a hair shape that causes the curls to fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The intention of this method is to create an attractive haircut and eliminate the “triangle” look, which nobody since the ancient Egyptians seems to find attractive.

Both the Ouidad and the Deva cutting techniques have benefits, and both require practice to execute well. Ouidad and Deva each have their own styling techniques as well.

Which cutting style – Deva or Ouidad – have you tried out? Which do you prefer?

Curly Curvaceous Colombians

I just returned from a vacation in Colombia, where I saw so much naturally curly hair, that I am tempted to move there. I love naturally curly hair, and the Colombian women have gorgeous curly hair. They like to wear it long so that it accentuates the rest of their curves.

Curves are what they are all about in S. America. In Colombia, voluptuous bodies are the physique of choice for many women. I couldn’t help but notice how amazing their butts look. They take their curvaceous shapes so seriously, in fact, that they invest a lot of money in making themselves as curvaceous as possible. It took me a few days of gawking in Medellin before someone told me that many of the women’s asses are enormous because they have paid to make them that way. Fake butts are all the rage. Apparently, a large round derriere is in such high demand, that many Colombians are willing to finance them over many years. I guess they think that an investment in their behind, is an investment in their future.

Some of their rear ends look nice and then some, in my opinion, are absurdly large. When does a booty become too big? It appears that the Colombians are attempting to find out the answer to this age old question. In the meantime, there is no shortage of Colombian women willing to push the envelope, or should I say, the seat of their pants, farther and farther behind them.

Since I am a hairstylist who specializes in naturally curly hair, all I was really interested in, of course, was their beautiful Colombian curls. I would at least tell myself this until suddenly a woman with a bottom shaped like a beach ball would walk by, and I would find my attention diverted from her hair to her humongous heinie. Curls and curves, I guess they both capture my attention.

The best curly hair cut for your face shape

Many people with naturally curly hair ask me what kind of hair cut will look best for their face shape and hair texture. You can find a lot of articles about this subject for straight hair, but many times stylist miss the mark when it comes to people with curly or wavy hair. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on what curly hair can do for your face and how to make you look your best!

For a person with naturally curly hair, it is essential to have a good haircut if they want to look their best. A good haircut, that is carefully planned and executed, can obviously improve a person’s appearance. If a the haircut is well done, it will be easy to style and the curls will naturally fall in a way that will accentuate a person’s face and body. On the other hand, if the hair is cut poorly, it will be very difficult to style attractively.

The key to having attractive curly hair is to find a hair stylist who understands curly hair, knows how to analyze your unique features, can design a haircut to accentuate your unique beauty, and then can execute a haircut according to this plan. This is easier said than done, and requires training and practice. I think that a lot of curly girls wear their hair straight because their hair stylist doesn’t know how to design a hairstyle that looks good curly, and they don’t know how to style it curly. So the stylist cuts the curly hair as if it were straight hair, blows it out straight, and then instructs the client to do the same. What a shame it is to hide beautiful naturally curly hair.

All of my clients have naturally curly hair, and I always teach them how to style their hair curly. I make it easy for them to have beautiful hair. I will now tell you how I do this.

When designing a haircut for curly hair, I always analyze my client’s face shape, facial symmetry, head shape from all angles, and body structure. We naturally perceive on oval face shape as being the most attractive. So when I design a haircut, I always consider what will make their face look more oval. The ideal head shape is in the dimensions of 5×7 (width x height) from both the front and the side. This is particularly important when looking at a person’s profile. I consider this when deciding where on the head to create more volume and where to remove volume.

In addition to complimenting a person’s face, a good haircut will also compliment their body. Sometimes big hair can be sexy and dynamic, but other times it is inappropriate. A shorter woman can be swallowed up by too much hair, especially if she has long thick curly hair. The point is to make my client’s face look beautiful, not to hide her in the midst of an enormity of hair. A long neck can be made to look more proportionate by a hairline that falls at the center of the neck. A short neck can be made to look longer by a haircut that falls below the shoulders.

There are ideal dimensions within a person’s face that are useful to examine. For example, it is most attractive when the face is divided into three equal zones. These zones are the hairline to the bridge of the nose, the bridge of the nose to the bottom of the nose, and the bottom of the nose to the chin. These areas can be made to look more proportionate by the haircut. Also, it is always best to accentuate symmetrical features and detract from any asymmetrical features. This is done by creating lines in the haircut that accentuate symmetry, and detract from any asymmetry.

Here are some suggestions to consider when deciding what type of haircut will look best for your curly hair and your unique face shape.

Haircut guidelines for a round face:

When a client has a round face, my goal is to elongate their face and make it look thinner. This can be accomplished through:

  • A center part or a side part that exposes more of the forehead.
  • Layers that fall along the cheeks and thereby slim the face.
  • Or longer layers that begin tapering away from the face below the chin
  • Shorter layers at the crown that create volume at the crown and thereby elongate the head.
  • A perimeter that falls below the chin.
  • If a person with a round face has thick tight curls, I avoid cutting straight across bangs and I also avoid cutting a perimeter between their jaw and chin, because doing so will exaggerate the roundness of their face.

Square face:

When my client has a square face, my goal is to elongate that face, soften the jaw, and slim the forehead. This can be accomplished through:

  • A center part that exposes the center of the forehead.
  • A perimeter that falls below the chin.
  • Volume at the crown and apex of the head.
  • Layers that fall along the sides of the cheek and jaw. Curly hair is great for this because the curvature of the curls softens a square jaw. This is true for all curl types, whether loosely wavy, tightly curly, or anything in between.

Heart shaped face:

The goal is to reduce the width of the forehead and widen the lower part of the face. This can be accomplished by:

  • A center part of side part that exposes part of the forehead.
  • Bangs that fall at the eyebrows and taper downward at the sides of the head.
  • Layers that angle steeply away from the face.
  • A perimeter that falls between the jaw and the base of the neck.
  • With curly hair, layers that begin at the level of the ear, jaw or chin will be great for creating the illusion of width at the bottom of the face. Expect tighter corkscrew curls to create more width than looser waves which will fall closer to the head.

Oblong face:

The goal is to minimize the length of the face and increase the width. Curly hair is perfect for this because curls naturally create width. This can be accomplished by:

  • Heavy bangs that fall at the level of the eyebrows and are cut straight across, or slightly angled. With curly hair, I usually find slightly angled bangs to be more attractive.
  • Layers that begin around the ears to accentuate width.
  • A perimeter that falls at the level of the chin.
  • Face framing layers the angle steeply away from the face.

Oval face:

This is the ideal face shape, so all options are available.

  • I like to expose an oval faces by designing a haircut that lets the face be shown.
  • Lines within the haircut should accentuate symmetrical features and detract from asymmetrical features.
  • When deciding perimeter length, I will look at their body size to determine what length is most flattering.
  • All head shapes are different, so I always look at the head from the side to evaluate ways to create an attractive profile. The hair should make the head look round at the crown and occipital bone and then taper at the nape.

The suggestions that I have presented here are not hard and fast rules, just ideas to work with. When designing a haircut, a stylist must always consider hair growth patterns, hair density, general curl type and differing curl types on various parts of the head, and also how to accentuate the hair color.

Every one of us has a unique look, and we all want to look our best. A good haircut is a critical part of our appearance. If you have curly hair or wavy hair, consider yourself lucky, because curly hair that is cut well can make all face shapes look beautiful.