The DevaCurl Accusations

Thousands of previous adorers of the brand are now facing horrific realities of what appears to be relaxed curls and other damaging effects after, what they’re suspecting, the use of their products.

I’m sure we all know the struggle of the trial and error process of finding reliable haircare products that work really well and are not going to cost you an arm and a leg. Not only does price and achieved look matter, but so does the texture of the hair after use, and the ingredients within the product. This is all exceptionally true when it comes to curly hair due to the fact that there are so many different types, textures, and issues with curly hair that one should take into consideration when trying to find a product. You don’t want something too drying because that’ll create frizz, so you also have to be careful about the amount of heat that you use…You don’t want something that’ll give you too much moisture because then you could potentially weigh your curls down with the amount or look oily… Finding that perfect product and brand, the one that feels as though there is nothing in your hair yet also makes it look so curl-wand-perfect, sincerely feels like hitting the jackpot. But what happens when that fantastic brand with reliable products slowly over time begins to become less fantastic and reliable? What happens when you slowly start to realize that your curl pattern is starting to change, it’s becoming much more tangled, dry and frizzy, and perhaps you start to develop an itchy scalp…? This has become the reality for thousands of users of DevaCurl and their once beloved products. 

    As a curly girl myself, I hated my hair as a kid because it wasn’t like everyone else’s and I had absolutely no idea on how to even begin to take care of it. Both of my parents have straight hair and therefore, we all had to do our own homework. When the teenage years came about, I started to let my hair down after wearing it up constantly and really started my curly hair journey. In 2012/2013, the curly hair industry did not look anything like the curly hair industry now and there weren’t too many curly hair “influencers” online to teach you about your hair yet. So, I felt like I was on my own; trial and error it was! One thing I can tell you for sure is that I have used and accumulated over hundreds of brands and products through that in effort to figure out what the heck my hair was doing. One brand I had tried a few times was DevaCurl, which had been putting out products since 2002, was known commonly for it’s curly hair expertise salons and reputable products. After trying them a few times, I was not a fan of the way that my hair had felt when using their products so I didn’t continue to use them.

    Flashforward to 2020, I was surfing around on YouTube one night in a frenzy trying to find how to fix my now somewhat crazed hair, and came across a curly hair influencer, India Batson and her video “Dear DevaCurl”. Out of curiosity, I began watching and was gradually becoming more and more interested in what was going on. From there, I jumped to Ayesha Malik’s channel from hearing Batson reference her and her experience. Once I had watched Malik’s video, “Why I Stopped Using DevaCurl”, I was invested and frankly worried. Malik, who once spoke very highly of the brand, brought up a Facebook group in her video where there were thousands of people who had used this brand and their products religiously that were now facing hair loss, scalp irritation, excess dandruff, and a change in curl pattern. As I explored the group, and continued my own research, all I kept thinking was, “what the hell is going on?” 

    These allegations towards the brand and their products have been going on for months now, and even in some cases, for over a year. Due to that and the severity of the changes in these men and women’s hair, a Class Action Lawsuit Investigation request has been made by many in the community. Within the group, and on other social media platforms, people from all over are sharing their stories and pictures of their “new” hair. Seriously, just go onto any social media platform with any of the hashtags #DevaCurl, #recallDEVACURL to see the damage that some have suffered. It appears that their curls are less tight/not tight at all, frizzier, and some are even straight; some point towards what may happen after doing a relaxing treatment on curls. People have even felt the need to, or are suggesting to, completely chop their hair off because they figure the damage is far too much to handle, their curls will not be able to come back at all, or don’t even know where to begin but start over completely. As a fellow curly, I’m sincerely at a loss for words. 

DevaCurl put out a statement on Wednesday, February 5th, which said that the company’s formulas have always been subjected to “rigorous and thorough testing such as stability, microbiological testing and repeat patch testing before DevaCurl allows any product to be manufactured.” They further went on to say that because of the concerns from the community, they will be conducting further testing to be done on their products “at the manufacturer and warehouse level”. An Ulta Beauty Advisor I had spoken to noticed the influx of DevaCurl products that were being brought back in from clients who were not giving any proper reason for the return. News outlets such as ABCNews, Yahoo News, and other media sources such as Teen Vogue, have now all begun to cover the story. Those who have been affected by this are turning to each other in solace and are seeking recommendations of where to go from here. 

 If you think you have similar results as stated above and have been using the brand, you can explore the Facebook group here : https://www.facebook.com/groups/486634018576633/?ref=share