Chill, DevaCurl Changed their Formula
Alright y’all it’s soapbox time.
Sadly, DevaCurl and hair loss are terms that you find together all over the internet. You read the heartbreaking stories. Curly girls entrusted their gorgeous tresses to DevaCurl. Their texture became dry and frizzy. Then it just broke off or fell out entirely.
I don’t doubt that the vast majority of these stories are true. And it is truly gut wrenching to hear these ladies tell their stories. I get anxious thinking about how I would deal with it if one of my clients sat in my chair and told me this.
Why?
Because I’m a fixer. I fix things. If you have significant hair loss, I’m looking for answers. And I get anxious just listening to these women because I know that there are several factors in play when it comes to hair loss and hair growth.
It’s diet.
It’s hormones.
It’s stress—external and internal.
It’s exposure to heat and pollutants.
It’s genetics.
And then there’s the products.
All of these things affect how your hair grows. If any of these things is out of whack, it could trigger hair loss.
Can product ingredients cause hair loss? Absolutely! We see that all the time with excessive use of sulfates. So it’s entirely possible that hair loss came from DevaCurl products.
But before we pass judgment on a single product, you got to look at all of the other factors. And quite frankly, for every story I’ve listened to or read, there have been other factors that may also have caused hair loss.
Please understand. I’m not blaming the victim here. No one did anything wrong. But we have to understand that the internal factors for hair loss are much more likely than the external factors.
Proving that DevaCurl and only DevaCurl products are what caused the hair loss in these ladies is extremely difficult. You have to make the case that literally nothing else in their body changed since the time they started DevaCurl and stopped DevaCurl.
What Happened with the DevaCurl Lawsuit?
So back in “the-year-that-must-not-be-named”, DevaCurl faced a class action lawsuit filed in California, New York, and Florida.
The plaintiffs claimed that DevaCurl products didn’t live up to the marketing claims. Namely that they were not gentle cleansers. They claim this because they say that after using DevaCurl cleansers, their hair started falling out and breaking off.
DevaCurl conducted tests on all their products at the manufacturer and warehouse levels to see if there was a problem. They even used a third party lab to test their products. And they found nothing out of step with FDA guidelines for cosmetics. But they could tell, the facts didn’t matter. Their brand was suffering.
So what happened? Did these ladies win the lawsuit? Is DevaCurl making curly girls go bald?
As happens with most class action lawsuits, the defense (DevaCurl) offered to settle out of court. And the plaintiffs took the settlement.
While DevaCurl holds that their products don’t and didn’t cause hair loss or damage, they did set up a settlement fund.
That means that I could file a claim because I bought DevaCurl during the specified frame. Even though I suffered no damage—and actually benefited from DevaCurl—I could collect from the settlement.
I need not provide any proof of injury and still get paid…there’s just something wrong with that.
Which DevaCurl Products Are Causing Hair Loss?
The DevaCurl products who were accused of causing hair loss were DevaCurl Low-Poo Original and No-Poo Original. Ironically, the gentle cleanser (cocamidopropyl betaine) is what’s cited as the bad guy that caused the hair loss and irritation.
I say ironic because the sodium lauryl sulfate that’s used in every other shampoo is twice as harsh as cocamidopropyl betaine, yet no one’s suing Herbal Essences or Aussi. Just sayin’...
Is DevaCurl Curly Girl Approved?
Yes and no. Most DevaCurl products are still curly girl approved. That means they have no…
Sulfates
Silicones
Parabens (waxes)
Drying alcohols
But there are a few notable exceptions:
Set it free—now Moisture Seal—uses Lanilool which is a non-water soluble wax. And Flexible Hold Hairspray uses alcohol denat, which is a drying alcohol. So these are not cg approved. But again, if you’re just using a little hairspray for a special date night, then that single use is not going to kill your curls.
As I’ve harped on before, growing healthy hair is about forming good hair habits. So that one date night where you used hair spray is, if you’ve been practicing good hair habits.
How to Use DevaCurl?
The truth is DevaCurl is different from other hair care products. Its ingredients are different. And yes, they are gentler than your drugstore brands. But because Deva uses mild surfactants, you have to use more elbow grease in your cleansing routine.
That’s right! You can’t just gently massage the cleanser over your scalp and then rinse – as with most other shampoos. You must use the pads of your fingers to firmly scrub your scalp. The friction is what releases the dirt and oils from your scalp. The product’s acidity and smooth texture facilitates carrying the dirt away from your hair and scalp.
And don’t just relax under your rain shower head while you’re rinsing either. You have to keep scrubbing even as you rinse to keep that dirt and oil moving down the shaft and then down your drain.
If there’s product left on your head, then that will clog your pores and inhibit hair growth.
Now for the conditioner. Yes, you want to condition the whole hair shaft. (Unless otherwise directed by your brilliant stylist.) But you don’t want to slather conditioner on your scalp. Your scalp has its own set of oils that keep it moisturized and healthy.
Finally, use the styling product of your choice on soaking wet hair. These stylers work to seal in moisture and protect the hair while it dries in its natural state. If you use them on dry hair, then your hair is likely to get hard, sticky, more frizzy and even stringy.
Why I Still Use DevaCurl as a Safe Cleanser
I’m pretty sure it’s clear by now that I have no qualms about using DevaCurl’s cleansers – even before they reformulated. I currently use No-Poo Original. I’ve also used Low-Poo Delight and Low-Poo Original.
Truth is I’ve used DevaCurl as a safe cleanser for five years. Even though I’ve tried other products here and there, I always come back to DevaCurl.
Why? Because when I use DevaCurl…
My hair is shinier.
My cuticle is smoother.
My scalp has less dandruff.
And my curls are more defined
I had similar results when I was co-washing with Cantu. But I had to use 2-3 times more product than I did with DevaCurl. And truthfully, I liked the way DevaCurl smelled better.
With DevaCurl, I have healthy, tangle-free hair. Again, I’m not denying the experiences of those other women, but my experience during the same time frame was the exact opposite.
I did go through a postpartum shed after the twins – while using DevaCurl. And all of my hair has grown back. I even went through the covid shed – while using DevaCurl. And that’s all grown back.
Before I used DevaCurl, I had horrible dandruff that I managed with Paul Mitchell’s Tea Tree Shampoo. Paul Mitchell finally gave me relief from itching, but I still had flaking. After using DevaCurl, my dandruff drastically decreased.
Now I only get dandruff when I’m off my wash schedule.
Do you see what I’m getting at? Hair loss is an incredibly complex situation. If DevaCurl really does cause hair loss or damage, then why did I have the opposite experience?
Is it possible that one person may have an allergic reaction to a product that leads to hair loss and another not?
Absolutely!
Allergic reactions to ingredients like “fragrance” do happen. The good news is hair loss due to an allergic reaction usually grows right back.
I still use DevaCurl as a safe cleanser on myself, my clients, and my daughters because I get the healthiest results with the least amount of product.
DevaCurl Has Changed Its Formula
If that’s not enough for you, then here’s something more. After the whole internet started spouting “DevaCurl causes hair loss,” Deva knew it had to do something to regain the trust that they had worked so hard to build in the curl community. So DevaCurl changed their formula to be even gentler.
They’ve made their products transparent. They put up every ingredient along with what its purpose is on their website Facts About DevaCurl.
They created a panel of curl experts to act as their Curl Council. These aren’t just Deva talking heads. They’re board certified dermatologists, trichologists, cosmetologists, and psychologists.
And they’ve worked hand in hand with dermatologists while reformulating all of their products. Make no mistake Deva is still committed to serving the curly community.
So much so, that they took it one step further. They learned that many people with sensitive skin have adverse reactions to “fragrance”. Enter the Fragrance Free Deva.
DevaCurl Has a Fragrance Free Line
Sensitive skinned curly girls have been begging for fragrance free products! And Deva delivered.
One of the main culprits of skin irritation that dermatologists really don’t like is “fragrance”. This is another baddie that DevaCurl—and just about every other hair care company—includes in its products.
But Deva listened. Shortly after launching their reformulated product line, Deva launched a line of DevaCurl fragrance free curly girl products.
So if you’ve loved the results you got from DevaCurl, but the fragrance gave you a headache, there’s hope! Try out DevaCurl’s fragrance free line.
Is DevaCurl Safe for You?
Maybe. DevaCurl is not right for everyone. But just because it’s not right for you, doesn’t mean it won’t work wonders for someone else.
If I recommend a product—anyone’s product—to you, it’s because I really think you’ll benefit from it. When you take it home, I want you to update me with how it’s going.
If you notice changes to your hair—for better or worse—I want to hear about it. Because that’s the only way I can tailor a haircare routine specifically for you.
I’ve had clients resist DevaCurl for years. When they finally took my advice and tried it, they were blown away with the results. I’ve had clients who’ve used Deva for years develop scalp issues that they didn’t have before. So we stopped using Deva.
There was no hair loss or damage. Their hair and scalp just didn’t handle Deva well. So we tried something else.
I’ve had cases where other products that I’ve used successfully on clients for years stimulate an allergic reaction. It’s not uncommon. You just switch up the product next time. Through trial and error, you find what works.
Each one of you has your own personal set of hair care guidelines. And you don’t exactly come with an instruction manual. So I make recommendations based on my own experiences and product knowledge. Then we tweak it as needed.
Do you need help finding your “holy grail” of products? Come see me. We’ll talk about your hair type and what it needs to fulfill your goal of healthy hair.
The Transformation is a 3 hour curl education appointment. You’ll leave with the product and the practical knowledge of how to care for your hair at home.
Everyone feels gorgeous when they leave the salon. I share all my secrets during your Transformation, so you can leave your house feeling just as gorgeous as when you left my studio.
God made you beautiful. My job is to get you to see it.
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