It is often said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but is that also the case with hair products? I recently tried and compared DevaCurl to a dupe brand, Lovely Curls, which I found while shopping at Harmon’s Face Values in New York.
Every curly girl knows about DevaCurl–it is one of the first curly hair brands of its kind to be released. I recently noticed when shopping Harmon’s Face Values, sitting next to DevaCurl was the store’s own brand of similar products, Lovely Curls. Below, I share my thoughts on whether or not you’re better off splurging on the original.
I reached out to Dana Epstein, Director of Communications for DevaCurl, as I was genuinely curious about their thoughts on the copycat brand. Here is what she said:“We’ve been developing our proprietary DevaCurl product formulations for over a decade based on superior ingredients that deliver exactly what the curly girl needs. We’re flattered that other companies are trying to create similar formulations but there’s absolutely no substitute for the original. Harmon’s Face Values Deva “dupes” are not DevaCurl formulas nor packaging and we categorically do not support this type of infringement nor the performance of any of these formulations.”
Quick side-by-side first impression
The packaging of the products is similar and so are the scents.Lovely Curls Non-Lathering Shampoo vs. DevaCurl No Poo Original
Scent wise, Lovely Curls is a lot more minty than DevaCurl No-Poo, which has more of a floral-mint tone to the scent. Consistency wise, the original No-Poo is a bit thicker. Both products cleansed my hair well, while leaving it feeling soft and moisturized. Out of all four products I am comparing, this one was the one I had most difficult telling the difference between performance wise.
Lovely Curls Super-Creamy Conditioner VS. DevaCurl One Condition
- Fragrance: Even my sensitive nose cannot detect a difference in the lemongrass scent of both product lines.
- Consistency: As far as consistency is concerned, the DevaCurl One Condition is a bit thicker than Lovely Curls.
- Performance: Even though both products moisturized my hair, One Condition was more moisturizing and had better slip for detangling. DevaCurl also played nicer with my styling product when used as a leave-in.
Lovely Curls Firm-Hold Defining Gel vs. DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel
- Fragrance: Both products have a unique, clean, fruit scent but DevaCurl’s is slightly stronger, but I don’t personally mind since I love that fragrance.
- Consistency: The Lovely Curls gel is a bit goopier, even sticky. What I like about DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel–actually, all of their gels–is that they are not sticky at all.
- Performance: There is no comparison. I noticed immediately that when layering the Lovely Curls gel over their conditioner as a leave-in, it formed little white clumps that original DevaCurl products never do for me. Both gels gave me defined curls with hold but when drying, the Lovely Curls gel left my hair feeling stiff and a bit hard which is something else DevaCurl gels never did to my waves.
Lovely Curls Styling Cream vs. DevaCurl Styling Cream
- Fragrance: These products had the most different scents of all of the four others. DevaCurl Styling Cream has that delightfully fruity Skittles candy-like fragrance. The Lovely Curls styler has more herbal notes, which isn’t a bad thing–but it’s definitely not the same.
- Application: I enjoy using DevaCurl Styling Cream as a way to replenish moisture and fight frizz on days-old hair, so that is how I used both products to compare. On second day hair, DevaCurl Styling Cream leaves my hair soft, shiny, and bouncy while fighting frizz throughout the day. The Lovely Curls Styling Cream did not leave my hair as soft, there was a bit of stiffness to it; it also did not fight frizz or add shine.
Final thoughts
DevaCurl may as well print on their bottles that they are “Often imitated, never duplicated!” as the saying goes. While my results with Lovely Curls were okay, they truly just did not compare to the award-winning originals for my hair.
Sure, DevaCurl has a higher price point, but I believe the quality and performance are worth our hard-earned pennies. Rather than buying subpar dupe products to save a few bucks, I suggest becoming more sale savvy by doing things like signing up for e-mails from DevaCurl.com, shop.naturallycurly.com, and other retailers you like where you can find DevaCurl. That way, you are alerted of their sales and can get the real deal and still save a bit of money.
Note: This post was not sponsored by DevaCurl.
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