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Corona Curls Are Catching On!

One of the surprising consequences of the pandemic, is that curly and wavy girls are discovering their curls and embracing them. Now that they are no longer leaving their house to go to the office, many curly girls are finally embracing the hair they were born with. Imagine that! Corona curls are catching on! I am grateful for this because I love curly hair.

If you are still blowing your curly or wavy hair out straight, I encourage you to put down the blow fryer and back away. Why waste time making your hair look less attractive? It’s absurd! Maybe you are still brainwashed by hairstylists who don’t understand how to cut and style curly hair. These stylists mean well, of course, but their ignorance isn’t helping you. Since they don’t know more than what they were taught by their Cosmetology school teacher, they continue the same old routine of cutting curly hair wet and blowing it out with a round brush, or worse, flat ironing it. I believe that poorly trained hairstylists are the main reason that so many curly girls think they have to straighten their hair.

If you need help embracing your natural curls, we, at Devana Salon, would love to help you! We make it our goal to be the very best at cutting, coloring, styling and caring for curly and wavy hair. Also, we are constantly learning new ways to bring out the beauty in your hair’s natural texture. Even though we are already great at what we do, we take classes every other Monday to learn new techniques. We love to learn and will never stop improving our craft.

Our curly hair artists design a unique hairstyle for every one of our clients. We understand that no two curly haired people have the same curls, and we take into account face shape, hair texture, density and how light reflects off your hair to create a style that looks best for you.

I have had some new wavy clients tell me that they always thought that their hair was straight. When I give them a haircut that is designed to accentuate their natural waves they are often amazed. “I have never seen my hair look like this.” “I didn’t know my hair was so curly.” “I love it!” These are some of the statements that I hear from them after they see their new hairstyle.

Now that you have been rolling from your bed to your office, ask your partner if they prefer your hair straight or curly. I already know what the answer will be. They like it better curly. I have heard it a million times.

If you are considering embracing your natural hair texture, and you want some help, please give us a call. We’d love to show you what we can do with your unique head of hair.

So let’s get together, virtually, of course, and celebrate one of the good things to come from this pandemic: more curly hair!

Your Curl Pattern Is Unique

After having done the hair of over 5,000 curly haired women, I can assure you that no two heads of curly hair are alike. Your curl pattern is absolutely 100% unique to you. This is one of the amazing things about curly hair that I find so exciting.

I often listen to my curly clients tell me which of their curls they like and which of their curls they dislike and wish were different. I find this amusing because I think that all curls are great. Most people with 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A and 3B curls seem to prefer their tightest curls and dislike their loosest ones. Most people with 3C, 4A, 4B and 4C curls prefer their loosest curls and dislike their tightest ones. I believe that if you could form a circle of 100 curly girls and ask them whose hair they wanted, they would all point to someone and say “I want her hair!”

Our mission at Devana Salon is to inspire and EMBRACE natural hair, beauty and spirit. Wouldn’t it be great if we all accepted our own God-given hair? I, for one, am glad that I still have the few hairs that I have left on my head. When a client tells me that she wishes her curls were different, I try to reassure her that she is lucky to have the exact curl pattern that she has. Wishing that her curl pattern was different is like wishing that she had a different fingerprint.

“Be grateful that you have curly hair,” I usually tell them. “It could be straight, after all, and then you would really have something to complain about.”

To me, all curly hair is beautiful. The fact that over 65% of the human population has curly hair shows that curly hair is a dominant gene. The reason there are so many curly haired people is because those with curly hair are having more babies. Do you know why this is? It is because other people find them attractive and want to have sex with them.

If you have curly hair, any type of curly hair, whether it is wavy, curly, super curly or something else, please embrace your natural hair texture. Be grateful for your unique curls. And make more curly haired babies while you are at it.

Are Hairstylists Essential Workers?

After being forced to shutdown for seven weeks because of Covid-19, I began to wonder what an “essential worker” was. Apparently, the government had decided that I and my staff were not essential. It seems, however, that our clients felt differently.
I was grateful when we were allowed to return to work and see our curly clients again. I was surprised, however, by how desperate many of them were to see us. I heard story after story of how they had tried to cut and color their own hair during the lockdown. Some had taken their household scissors and began snipping curls here and there. Only a little bit of fixing was needed for these people. Others had attempted to give themselves a complete haircut, and this usually required more work to correct.
One of my clients who had tried cutting her own hair said she thought she looked like a “homeless poodle”. “Please help me reenter the human race,” she begged.
Another woman tried to give herself a Deva Cut, but her hair ended up looking like an inspiring design for a skateboard park.
One woman convinced her husband to cut her wavy hair into an A-Line bob. Needless to say, it did not turn out as she had hoped. Her hair looked like a bumpy ski slope.
Some of my clients asked me to send them hair color and then they enlisted their roommate or significant other to apply the color for them. These people were usually satisfied with the results. Others experimented with coloring their hair using seemingly innocent products such as henna or box color that they had purchased in a supermarket. Fixing these color disasters usually took more than one appointment.
Our pandemic era meaning of “essential work” refers to work that’s needed to meet basic human needs and safety during the shelter in place order. In my conversations with my clients, I was amazed by the suffering that many of them had experienced when they were unhappy with how their hair looked. It occurred to me that being happy with one’s appearance is a basic human need. The amount of gratitude and relief that my clients expressed after I had done their hair again was humbling. It made me realize that we hairstylists are providing a valuable service and are in fact satisfying basic human needs. Hairstylists, it seems to me, are essential workers.

Don’t Do These 9 Things To Your Curly Hair

Due to Covid-19, we have all been spending more time at home lately. For some curly girls and guys, this has meant too much time looking in the mirror and fixating on their hair. Ever since Devana Salon reopened for business after the pandemic shutdown, I have seen a steady stream of self-inflicted hair disasters. I have been amazed by the diversity of ways that my clients have managed to destroy their hair. Although usually I am able to fix the problem and my clients and I can laugh about it afterwards, there are times when the damage will take longer to repair.
Here is a list of 9 things to avoid doing to your curly hair during a pandemic, no matter how bored you are:
Do not color your hair using henna hair color.
Henna hair color may seem harmless since it is made from botanical ingredients, but it is very hard to change your hair to a lighter hair color if you have put henna in your hair. Highlights are nearly impossible to add to hair that has been colored with henna. My recommendation is to only use henna hair color if you intend to stay with that hair color for a long time. If you are the type of person who likes to change your hair color often, do not use henna.

2. Don’t cut straight across bangs
Cutting straight across bangs on curly hair may appear easy, but it actually requires skill to achieve a desirable look. I have had clients come to me with bangs that they cut that sprung up to their hairline and made them look like a two year old. Some have cut their bangs so wide that they look like they have receding hairlines. Some curlies have cut a shelf into the sides of their hair when trying to create face framing.

3. Do not give yourself highlights using bleach and a cap with holes in it
This method of highlighting should be left to Cosmetology school students and their mannequin heads. It is virtually impossible to place highlights in the most flattering places around your face and throughout your hair when you are pulling your curls through a cap. Unless you want to look like a cross between a zebra and leopard don’t highlight your hair this way.

4. Do not ask your spouse to cut your hair into A-line bob
It is a brave and foolish spouse who will attempt to give you a drastically different haircut than the one you already have. Although, the blame really falls on you for asking him or her to cut your hair in the first place. Unless you want to look like a Christmas tree that is falling to one side, do not ask anyone but a talented hairstylist to give you an A-line bob. It takes practice to make this haircut look good!

5. Don’t try to give yourself sun-kissed highlights by putting lemon juice in your hair.
Although the combination of lemon juice and sunshine will speed up the lightening process, it will also dry your hair out, and it could damage your hair and leave it feeling like straw. It might also turn it orange and make your hair looking splotchy. Not a good look!

6. Do not color your hair red or black using box dye that you buy at the grocery store.
This is a guaranteed way to mess up your hair because red and black are very difficult to remove from your hair. My experience with box dyes are that they can make your hair feel dry and brittle, especially after repeated applications. Unless you want to remain red or black for a long time, and you don’t mind having straw like hair, then do not put these colors on your hair.

7. Do not shave your head.
Unless you are shaving your hair for charity, doing it to support a sick friend, or are facing the prospect of loosing your hair due to chemotherapy, I highly recommend keeping your hair on your head. I feel compassion for those who have lost their hair because we look best with hair on our heads. That is one of the reasons we have it there.

8. Don’t bleach your entire head and expect it to look good.
Bleaching all of your hair can go wrong in so many ways. If you are lucky enough to still have hair on your head after you have saturated it in bleach, there is a good chance it will be damaged, broken, blotchy and possibly orange. None of these are good looks. Do yourself a favor and put down the bleach and walk away.

9. Do not try to add volume to your hair by cutting 1” layers at the crown.
Unless you want to look like a tropical bird doing a mating dance, do not cut your hair 1” long at the top of your head. This is only a good idea if your hair is already very short and it is best to let a professional hairstylist do this for you.

What Your Curly Hair Style Says About You

Now that hair salons have been allowed to reopen in Colorado, I am impressed more than ever by the importance of having a good hairstylist, one that understands you and the look that you want to present to the rest of society. Many of my curly haired clients have told me that one of their most pressing goals, after the Covid-19 stay-at-home order was lifted, was to get a haircut. This made me wonder why our hair is so important.
It is obvious that our relationship with our hair is extremely intimate and complex. As anyone who’s gotten a really good, or bad, haircut knows, hair is so much more than just a look. It can be a reflection and reinforcement of who you are. Your hairstyle is intensely personal and, at the same time, totally public. Sometimes your hair speaks for you, even before you say a thing. It becomes a statement of who you are, and a sign of your identity.
This is why we spend so much time perfecting how our hair should look. We constantly search for the most suitable haircut, color, and texture. We are using our hair to speak, and trying, through our hairstyle, to express key aspects of our soul and to communicate some of the deepest truths about who we are.
Hair has played an important role in people’s confidence and self-image for as long as their have been hair growing people on Earth. As long ago as the Greek and Roman empires, detailed wigs were symbols of wealth and stature in society. Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, was famous for her thick, black hair. The Bible’s Samson had long hair that symbolized divine power. I imagine that even Cavemen and Cavewomen helped each other wash and style their hair.
Hair symbolizes physical strength and virility. It is a symbol of instinct, of female seduction and physical attraction. It is no wonder, that the appearance of our hair is so important to us.
If you want to change your identity, a trip to the salon could go a long way to doing just that. A new hairstyle signals that you have changed. So what messages are you sending with your current hairstyle? Here are some thoughts about what your hair is quietly, or loudly, saying to the rest of the world.

Bouncy Curls: You celebrate uniqueness

Curly hair is often associated with a fun-loving, warm hearted and outgoing personality. If you have curly hair you are perceived as being courageous, outspoken, and spontaneous. You are probably someone who likes to challenge perceptions and norms. You celebrate your uniqueness and value your roots. Unkempt bouncy curls give you a playful vibe. Your curliness helps the rest of society loosen up and connect to our essential nature.

Red hair: You blaze with passion

You blaze with passion and excitement. Your personality traits include leadership, love, passion, insight, dynamism, intuition, and expressiveness. You are a catalyst for change and you heat up the world around you.

High Ponytail: You are full of energy

The high ponytail suggests that you’re energetic and sporty. You bring life into a room. This look makes you look younger and emits a goal-oriented aura. You like to cut to the chase by saying what you need and how you want it accomplished. You are straightforward and a dynamic person to work with. You make it fun to get things done and you keep the rest of us from getting too complacent.

Loose Beach Waves: You embody confidence

If you wear your hair in beachy waves that’s summer-ready all year round, you are probably perceived as confident and a freedom lover with high energy. You inspire people to let loose and dance both physically and mentally.

Natural gray: You are wise and free

Many women who choose to allow their hair to be naturally gray project a level of security with their appearances. They are showing off their wisdom and their freedom from societal pressure to conform. Women who grow out their gray hair are embracing their inner Wild Woman and are not afraid in revealing this significant side of themselves. They are a blessing to our society.

Unconventional hairstyle: You are full of surprises

If your hairstyle is a unique cut and color, you are probably an artist who loves stepping out of the box. Getting a unique haircut says that you’re fun to be with and that you are rebellious. Your hairstyle shows off your creative personality and carefree spirit. Your expressiveness makes the world a far more interesting and exciting place.

The virtues and properties of a person are said to be concentrated in his or her hair. So to all you curly haired people, I welcome you back to Devana Salon, where our mission is “to inspire and embrace natural hair, beauty and spirit”. We look forward to helping you present your unique soul to yourself and to the world.

Be well, be free, and be beautifully curly.

Your Curly Hair Looks Great When You Stand Up Straight

Who doesn’t enjoy seeing beautiful people strut on a runway like they are the most important person in the universe? When they have bouncy curly hair, I get an extra kick out of it! Even if they have straight hair, I enjoy it. There is one thing that you can do to make your curly hair look better, and you don’t need to change your hair care routine one bit. All you have to do is stand up straight.

I will be searching for Bengal Tigers in India in a few months. I love the brilliant swagger of the animals. So fearsome and beautiful, moving with complete ownership of the ground. That is what perfect posture does for an animal. It increases performance, thereby making the body stronger and more efficient.

I enjoy seeing magnificent creatures display their beauty. Even though it may be just an act, a good fashion model commands respect just by the way she holds herself and moves her body. People with perfect posture are sexy because they display a command of their personal power. They embody health. Health is beautiful.

I asked my yoga teacher to show me how to stand with good posture. I was amazed to discover how out of alignment I was. Now I practice sitting and standing the way she showed me, and it really makes a difference. I haven’t gotten any more dates yet, but I expect that to happen soon. In the meantime, I am enjoying walking upright and I am feeling good about it.

Here are some other things that excellent posture will do for you:

1. Facilitates breathing

Having good posture puts your body in alignment to function at its best. Good posture naturally enables you to breathe properly. I started appreciating this after I began paying attention to my posture while meditating. I find that I am able to inhale a lot more air when I am sitting up straight. When I have good posture, my breathing during meditation is longer, slower and deeper. This is why yoga, pilates and meditation exercises pay so much attention to getting your posture and sitting positions right.

2. Increases concentration and thinking ability

When you are breathing properly, you improve the function of your brain. Our brains require a lot of oxygen to operate well. More air, more oxygen. More oxygen, more brain food. Our brain regulates all the voluntary and involuntary actions of our body. An oxygenated brain will keep healthy, and it will also keep you from acting like a buffoon, and that is good for everyone.

3. Improve your image

People with good postures look smarter and more attractive. That is because when you align yourself correctly you look healthy, and health looks good.

4. Feel even better about yourself

When you have good posture, it helps to make you feel more self-confident. Try sitting in a bad posture for 30 seconds. Then switch to a good posture for 30 seconds. Did you notice any difference in how you felt? If you didn’t experience a difference, then fluff up your curly hair and try again. Maybe you will notice a difference next time.

5. Avoid health complications

Bad posture can lead to many health complications over time, such as increased risks of back pain, poor blood circulation, and shortness of breath.

It’s better for you and you look better when you stand up straight.

Have you tried changing your posture? What other self-care routines do you have?