Search Results: Devri Velazquez
Summer is coming, and curlies are craving waves—beach waves, beach hair, and that loose, flowing look.
While for most curlies it’s not about straightening, it is about redefining: reshaping their natural curl from tight to loose, from a zig zag to an s-curve.
Different methods for loosening curls abound.
Bekkapoo
The least invasive, and possibly easiest, is simple braiding. CurlTalker Bekkapoo is a pro at this method.
She recommends that curlies “start with damp or wet hair and braid it into a single braid. Let it dry completely and then undo the braid. Smooth over flyaways with an oil, butter, or moisturizing creme.”
Though uncomplicated, the braid-out method does require a slight amount of advance planning.
“It will definitely take longer to dry in the braid, so it’s good to do this the night or day before you want to wear it,” says Bekkapoo. “With really short hair (under 6 inches”>, pin curls or bantu knots might work better than braids. If it’s ‘in between length’ (i.e., not quite to the shoulders”>, several chunky braids in large sections could work well, too. You could also try adding large rollers (1.5 in. and up”> to the ends, which often gives a more voluminous wave.”
For those determined to work a looser curl, keratin treatments present a more lasting option.
Shannon Scipione, a stylist with type 4 curls, works at Mario’s Hair Studio in Willoughby, Ohio. She not only offers keratin treatments for her clients, but also served as the salon’s demonstration model for the process.
Learn more about keratin treatments
“It’s not a straightening system,” Scipione says. “It’s a smoothing process. Hair is straighter at first because the extra keratin makes the cuticle lie absolutely flat.
“Because keratin is what hair itself is made of, no damage occurs when it’s applied. Though users initially experience straight hair after a treatment, it’s very easy to achieve a loose curl right away; just add gel or your usual styling product, then scrunch or diffuse. That way, you’ll retain something of your usual look, but without any accompanying frizz.”
Depending on frequency of cleansing, and whether the keratin aftercare system products are used, treatments generally last about three months.
“After six weeks or so, your natural curl will definitely begin to reassert itself,” Scipione says. “But you’ll still have a looser, wavier look than you would without the treatment.”
The keratin process is neither brief nor cheap. Prices start at $250, and three and a half hours is the average time spent “in the chair.”
Pravana also offers its new Beach Waves process, an innovative salon service designed to provide long-lasting, soft, natural, undulating waves. This unique application and gentle formula contains no Thio, and utilizes natural Cysteamine, a natural amino acid, to realign the hair’s internal bonds to create a soft sensuous wave. This gentle formula is safe for color-treated hair and infuses hair with silk and human hair keratin amino acids, which strengthen, protect and add shine.
So, while going from curly to loosely wavy or “beachy,” does take some planning, it’s a look easily achieved by most curl types. Whether by braiding, pincurls, knots, or keratin, don’t be afraid to take a chance to play with your beautiful curls. Beach waves may be your choice for a day, a week, or a month—whatever your method, you and your hair are sure to have a great new look for summer.
|
Ana Paula Cota
|
|
| Ana Paula Carneiro Cota, a senior member of the Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge Team, has found the perfect way to meld her passion for people, communication and beauty by becoming a hairstylist. | |
Q: I’m a sophomore in high school and I have (I think”> 3a to 3b hair. I used to fight with my curls constantly, and they would always win. Eventually, before freshmen year in high school, I got layers. My hair is long, and I found a good enough method for my hair. My problem is that I want my curls a bit looser without having to chemically treat them. Is this at all possible? I am so desperate! I want to have no-frizzz, defined curls.
Ana Paula: The best way to keep your curls elongated naturally is to leave more water and more moisture in them. Apply your styling product in the shower, and use a very lightweight towel afterward. To keep your frizz factor low, keep hair hydrated hydrated and don’t touch it until it’s dry.
Q: I am a 2b-2c (wavy to a loose ringlet”>, naturally dark brunette. Just recently (2 weeks ago”>, I highlighted my hair to a sandy brown/blonde color. Now it is so dry it won’t even wave, let alone curl. I love the color, but I hardly recognize my hair. Any advice? My hair looks like hay.
Ana Paula: Let’s hope that the level of damage isn’t permanent. It could be that your hair is temporarily stressed out from the coloring process. If so, you can do an intense treatment at a salon or at home. Try our new Heaven in Hair Intense Moisture Treatment. If you’re doing it yourself, keep a hot towel around your hair with lots of a great conditioner for 30 minutes to an hour. Make sure to also leave conditioner in your hair after you rinse the treatment. You may also need a hair cut to clean it up.
Q: Any tips so that I don’t walk out of the house looking like a wet dog? I diffuse with cold air for about ten minutes each day. Any longer leaves my curls frizzy with little hairs sticking out, which is unbecoming. I can’t use a towel or even the t-shirt that I plop with to blot out moisture or else the curls will be upset and frizzy as well. Help me!
Ana Paula: Have you tried doing your hair at night? A lot of my clients find that they get better curl that way as long as they allow some time before they go to bed for it to dry. Make sure you have enough product in it. If you can’t do it at night, make sure not to touch the hair even if using a dryer. Not having enough product in it also creates frizz.
Q: Is it possible to have a Deva cut, yet retain your length? When I had mine cut last fall, I lost several inches I didn’t really want to. But figured I had to in order to get a proper Deva cut. Now I’m wondering if I could have kept the length, and I’d like to know what I should tell my stylist the next time I get it trimmed. Before the cut, it was a few inches away from mid-back/bra strap, which was my goal.
Ana Paula: A Deva cut doesn’t mean your hair will get shorter. Make sure that you communicate to the stylist what you want, and that you trust the person enough that they will listen to you. I’ve given haircuts where the length hasn’t changed at all visually, and I worked more on the layers.
Q: My hair seems like it’s losing its curl. I was a 2b with occasional 2c moments, and my hair started relaxing during the last two months. The only days I got good curl were during days of moderate to high humidity in warmish weather during this time. I now feel like a barely-2a. I don’t mind occasional 1c/2a, but I just hope this isn’t permanent. How can I get my hair back to normal?
Ana Paula: It may be that your hair is getting too hydrated. Use a lighter moisturizer. Maybe even dilute your conditioner. Also, remove more water from your hair.
Q: I’m curious about the best way to conditioner wash. How do you really know how much of your conditioner to rinse out? I think I might be rinsing out too much, but I feel like if I leave too much in, my hair will feel gummy or sticky instead of smooth and soft.
Ana Paula: It depends on your hair. If you have fine but porous hair, dilute the conditioner but keep all of it in. If your hair is porous and coarse, don’t even dilute it. Keep it full strength. For low to medium porosity, it’s okay to rinse more of the conditioner out. If you have the right product with no silicone or synthetics, you won’t see any build up.
Q:I’ve got the Devacurl productsl But how do I apply the gel? Obviously, I do it soaking wet. But I’ve tried raking upside down, raking it right side up. But my hair hates being raked. Whenever I rake, the clump factor goes from 87 percent down to like 3 percent or so. And that 3 percent is frizz city. Yet if I don’t rake and go straight to scrunching, the curls that didn’t get broken up are thick and frizzy and look more like dreadlocks than pretty ringlets. So raking and scrunching are a no-go. Is there any other way to apply a gel?!
Ana Paula: Make sure you’re using the right products in the right order. Smooth the hair first with conditioner, placing it as you wish with your hands. By the time you apply the gel, you just need to scrunch.
