Devachan Salon Review

Out of five possible stars, I give the Devachan Salon (425 Broome St., NYC) ten stars. Yes, they were that good. Everything about Devachan is professional and on point. After seeing and reading a million other blog/vlog reviews, I decided to schedule an appointment. I booked my appointment online where you specify three different dates and six time slots (two for each day) that work for you. They email you back confirming your appointment date and time. Your confirmation email requires that you fill out a credit card authorization form to guarantee your appointment. Fancy stuff. I sent it back and they called one or two days prior to remind me of my appointment.

My appointment was w/ Keith, a senior stylist for a cut and style appointment. I arrived early to my appointment where I checked my coat in exchange for a satin robe. I was offered my choice of beverages but before I could take a seat, Keith was out to get me and take me back. He consulted w/ me for about five minutes, during which I explained my “hair history” in a nutshell. He’d heard it before and knew exactly what I wanted, to be completely natural w/o shaving my head. He sympathized w/ my painful nine month transitioning period and reminded me that chemicals had straightened my hair over and over again for *gasps* thirteen years! Going natural w/o shaving my head wasn’t something that would happen overnight. Although I knew this, it helped to hear it again.

The cutting began. Keith cut each curly chunk one by one which looked odd while he was doing it bc he was moving place to place in no particular order. When we both thought he’d cut enough, I was walked to the (dare I say it) shampoo area where Ashley Devapoo’d my hair w/ the No Poo. It was the consistency of lotion and didn’t sud up. If it weren’t for the yummy minty scent and tingling on my scalp, I wouldn’t have thought my hair or scalp was clean at all. While at the sink, Ashley gave me a mirror so I could watch her wash my hair. I wasn’t actually interested in watching (or talking) but she was a talker and insisted that I watch her work. It was there that she explained how important CLEANSING the scalp really is. She said that healthy hair grows from a healthy scalp and compared a healthy scalp to a healthy face. I totally understood that your scalp is an extension of your face and should be treated just as gently, even in terms of the products you use. She used the Deva One Condition conditioner and she left A LOT in my hair before returning me to Keith’s chair. Both Ashley and Keith commented on how good my scalp felt and moisturized my hair was (I walked in w/ a three day old twist out) and bc my hair is healthy and moisture-rich, they did not try to sell me a single product, which a lot of other girls claim was one of the negative aspects of visiting the salon.

I don’t have a clue as to what products Keith applied before putting the hooded drier over my hair. He had me flip my head upside down and he scrunched it and put product in it. He then used a regular paper towel to scrunch off the excess moisture. I sat under the dryer for 30-40 minutes and my hair was about all the way dry. It looked cute and had a great shape. We both kind of looked at my hair in the mirror knowing that something was still off. I gave Keith permission to get “scissor happy” and he started chopping and hair was flying. I was in love. I do wish that we would have taken more off before the wash and styling portion bc all the tugging he did while cutting the second time around straightened a couple sections out more that I liked but hey, I have a fantastic hair cut to show for it.

Keith recommended that I trim my hair monthly. He stressed the importance of trimming curly hair more often than straight hair bc it opens up the shaft and allows for all these wonderful products we use to travel up the shaft and to the root. The longer you wait between trims, the harder it is for nutrients to reach the scalp and top portions of your hair. He equated it to trimming the stems of freshly cut flowers, the water and nutrients travel up the stem to make the bloom pop – the same goes for curly hair.

As the day wore on and the little bit of remaining damp sections dried, I fell more and more in love w/ my hair. Whatever product they used was bit sticky but that isn’t a complaint as much as it is a simple observation. My appointment ended w/ Keith recommending I return for a cut and style again in 5-6 months. This is a treat I definitely look forward to affording myself two to three times a year from now on. I highly, highly recommend the Devachan Salon.