I have been struggling with choosing a line- deva or ouidad and wonder what you think! I have very fine waves/swaves and it seems like after a month on strictly deva, my curls look limp and less curly- seem to have better luck with ouidad's cleansers. Is that ok? The curly girl book says not to use shampoos, but I think ouidad's are def gentle! Do you use her cleansers on your clients too? The curls on your page looks so so good! Thanks in advance! :) xoxo (a confused curly!)
Yes! MIX the lines! I almost never prescribe solely from one line unless someone requests I do so. I so need to blog about this bc people ask me this question all of the time. Think of it this way- if only one of them - Deva or Ouidad - was right, one of them would be out of business.
Lorraine Massey of DevaCurl says No to Shampoo
Ouidad Begs to Differ
Ouidad believes that sodium LAURETH sulfate is a gentle enough alternative to it's harsher relative sodium LAURYL sulfate. (researching both of the sulfate compounds leads me to raise an eyebrow to the statement that laureth is "good" at all, but I personally use a sulfate shampoo for the reasons Ouidad gives - my hair is barely swavy and will dry straight if I soften the cast created by the foam or gel - it looks oily and goes limp if I don't use a "regular shampoo") The layer of sebum on your scalp travels down the hair shaft and helps keeps you hair shiny and moisturized, too much of that sebum can create a buildup on the scalp, clogging hair follicles and attracting dust and free radicals to it's sebacious layer. Ouidad compares it to leaving a dab of oil on the counter for a week, seeing all of the dust that will collect on it. On the other hand Lorraine warns that curly hair stripped of its natural oils with a synthetic surfactant will cause your curls to resemble pubic hair. Overloaded with information yet?
My advice to any curly who raises concerns similar to yours is to try Deva's Low-Poo, it has a lather derived from coconut oil, which is insrtumental in the creating of synthetic sls - this is how wikipedia puts it, but it might shed a little light on it...
SLS is synthesized by treating lauryl alcohol with sulfur trioxide gas, or oleum, or chlorosulfonic acid to produce hydrogen lauryl sulfate. The industrially practiced method typically uses sulfur trioxide gas. The resulting product is then neutralized through the addition of sodium hydroxide orsodium carbonate.[14] Lauryl alcohol is in turn usually derived from either coconut or palm kernel oil by hydrolysis, which liberates their fatty acids, followed by reduction of the acid group to an alcohol.
Due to this synthesis method, commercially available SLS is actually not pure dodecyl sulfate but a mixture of alkyl sulfates with dodecyl sulfate as the main component.[15]
If the Low-Poo leaves your hair still feeling dull or heavy, then your hair will probably do better with Ouidad's shampoo. Hair density and curl type as well as being able to see your head on a typical day 3 can help me make a suggestion for a regimen.
Some people make the decision not to use sulfates based on their findings and then look for alternatives from there, while others base their decisions on how their hair and scalp reacts to the different products, both ways to choose are fine, it is YOUR hair, and you live with it every day. I just want people to fully understand what the two options really are and what the actual differences are so you can make an educated decision.
If your choice to be anti-sulfate is based on research and being uncomfortable with these compounds in general, I will not try to sway you. I will, however, suggest a scalp refreshing exfoliator be used periodically if necessary, and make sure you are using the no-poo of your choice correctly - unlike my Mr. Dreamy, who uses it by the handful and "washes" the ends of his hair and doesn't concentrate on his scalp. I asked him randomly how he used his No-Poo the other night, having a feeling that I knew how he was going to answer. SIGH. Erring on the side without sulfates gives him way more leeway than if he was overloading his hair with things that could dry it out, look at those dreamy curls!
If you feel that No Poo is too heavy, and that Low Poo is also not cutting it - and your hair feels heavy or your scalp feels oily, I suggest using a small amount of Ouidad's shampoo placed as close to directly on your scalp as you can get, avoiding the rest of your hair. Then, make sure you leave in a little conditioner to counter the effect of the drying sulfates.
It is usually swavy and wavy curls that will raise the question as to No, Low, or sulfates, complaining of a heavy feeling or dull curls - and it has to be swavy, wavy or the type 2 classification will rarely choose a sulfate option, but it does happen, and Curl Type 4, fractile or zig zag curls, are the one group of curlies flat out advise to avoid sulfates of any kind.
I use both Ouidad and Deva cleansers on my clients, but I mostly use Deva Low or No, and One Condition. I also use Ouidad Gel more than I use Deva, so it evens out. I love both of these women, they are both TOTAL BADASSES and have gained my utmost professional respect for everything they have done - they have revolutionized an industry, and I like that they have different approaches, it gives curlies options and 2 great methods to subscribe to, be it embracing one method totally or cherry picking each to find a care routine that best suits your hair and lifestyle.
I am constantly monitoring what is out there for curls and gaining as much knowledge as I can - I don't think I would be able to commit to one specific line unless I made one myself. Hmmm..... ;)
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