Cleanse, Hydrate, and Style your way to perfect curls!
Please click on the names below to read bios of the Deva principals
Lorraine Massey
Denis DaSilva
Shari Harbinger
Co-Owner
Co-Owner
Partner
Lorraine Massey, The Original Curly Girl
The Curl-Volution is Here!
Curl advocate and best-selling author of the hilarious how-to manifesto Curly Girl (Workman), Lorraine Massey has started a movement, a love affair for curly hair! As Lorraine puts it, “Our curls; ‘til death do us part!”
Lorraine’s CURL-volution has converted the “blow-fried” masses to Curly Girls who love their hair! Through two New York salons with thousands of curly-haired clients, a collection of products formulated specifi cally for curly-hair, and the CURL-laboration training program for stylists, Lorraine and the DevaCurl team are helping women who have curly hair to put down the weapons of curl destruction (straighteners, blow-fryers, and harsh detergents) and “embrace their curls”.
Once Upon A Curl…
Once upon a curl, a curly-haired teen in England began working in a hair salon. Lorraine Massey quickly became addicted to care of the hair and proceeded to take her scissors around the world - from Hong Kong to Japan to the Philippines (where she actually lived in a hut and cut hair on the beach!) During her travels, Lorraine realized that curls existed everywhere – and so did curl care confusion!
Armed with this rich experience and a unique perspective on curl types, curl challenges and curl solutions, Lorraine opened the Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge in the trendy Soho neighborhood of New York. The salon became a sanctuary where clients could develop a pro-curl attitude, realize their curl potential, and celebrate their curls. “It’s liberating when you learn to love your natural curls and not work against them,” says Lorraine. With tens of thousands of enthusiastic clients as curly-girl devotees, Lorraine and a talented CURL-fessional team developed a complete collection of products for the curly lifestyle: DevaCurl.
Because curly hair is naturally dry, fine, and fragile, Deva created the “No Poo” cleanser. Taking the “poo” out of shampoo, Deva replaced the harsh and dehydrating detergents, aka sulfates and surfactants, with high concentrations of botanicals to cleanse and hydrate the hair. “Lather is not a cleansing agent,” explains Lorraine. “There is no power in bubbles. Laundering curly hair, which is what most people are doing with ordinary detergent shampoos, just about guarantees a mass of dry, frizzy, shapeless locks.” The DevaCurl collection also features the innovative hand-shaped DevaFuser that gently dries the hair from underneath without dislodging the curls or frying them from the outside. Most importantly, the DevaCurl products and the DevaFuser dryer were developed by real curl stylists on real curly-haired clients!
Lorraine encourages us, “Straighten your curly girl, and she’ll be happy for a day. Teach her to love and care for her hair, and she’ll be happy for life.” Join us! Be a true curl-friend, invite another curly girl to join this powerful movement and start a curl-volution in your community!
At 13 he was cutting hair in his mother’s salon in Brazil.
At 24, with a focus on becoming the best, he studied with the master stylists and colorists of Spain, France and England. Driven by a passion for excellence, he has a reputation for being equally adept at cutting and coloring, a rarity in the industry.
He is Denis DaSilva, co-owner of Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge and of DevaConcepts.
In 1995, DaSilva joined Lorraine Massey and Devachan. DaSilva and Massey created a philosophy, a standard and an environment that was unprecedented. A level of excellence, partnered with a commitment to service, in an unpretentious atmosphere became the backbone of the Devachan team. Stylists from around the world now participate in trainings held by the Deva team both in-salon and on the road. Additionally, twenty more Devachan Salons are poised to roll out across the country.
The foundation built at Devachan created an ideal testing ground for a product line, DevaConcepts. The principle behind the Deva products was the removal of sodium lauryl sulfate and other harsh detergents, infusing them instead with a high concentration of botanicals that drench the hair with moisture.
The Deva product line quickly evoked total loyalty and the industry buzz became “Once you go Deva, you never go back”. DevaConcepts is currently planning a training institute in California.
DaSilva’s driving motivation to give the best to his clients and the industry translates into ongoing research, with new products and procedures being released to meet particular client needs.
His original hair painting technique, Pintura, is an advanced highlighting procedure that replaced conventional foiling. It is now being used in salons around the world. Pintura (Portugtuese for “work of art”) makes it possible to achieve a unique look for each individual client.
The DevaSun Dryer and DevaFuser, yet another brainchild of inventor, DaSilva, was launched in 2006 - the first new diffuser technology in 60 years. The DevaFuser revolutionized drying wavy and curly hair, promoting the shape of the curl, virtually eliminating frizz, and keeping hair protected during the drying process. Its 360 degree airflow allows curls to dry quickly, thoroughly and most importantly, gently. The hand-shaped diffuser continues to win rave reviews from professionals and clients alike.
As the individual companies grow, DaSilva takes little credit for the changes he has pioneered, “It is now, and always will be, simply about serving our clients and contributing to the industry. I don’t spend time thinking about what I have done, I spend time thinking about what I want to do next. In my free time, it’s all about my family and golf.”
Shari Harbinger: Partner
Chemical expert, Curl advocate, Color Director and the Director of Curl Education for DevaConcepts and Devachan salons, Shari Harbinger has gained industry recognition as a premier color expert. Quite a career, since she didn’t even have a hairdresser’s license when she landed her first job as a sales consultant for Clairol in 1987. A native New Yorker, she began her career at the age of 23, which lead to a successful teaching career. Harbinger is heralded as a “scientist of color” with a background rich in diversity.
It was at Clairol that Harbinger got her first taste of teaching, quickly realizing she preferred instructing color rather than selling it. Soon she went from behind the scenes in sales to behind an actual chair, leaving Clairol to work at various Manhattan salons for the next few years. Throughout this period, Harbinger continued to educate, this time as a spokesperson for Schwarzkopf. It was during one of these sessions that she met her business partners Denis daSilva and Lorraine Massey, who invited her to come on board as color director at the new salon they were opening. The salon became quite successful , specifically, addressing the needs of the curly client. At Devachan, they were teaching clients make peace with their curls and literally set them free. A few years later.with a following of tens of thousands of enthusiastic clients as curly-girl devotees, the trio developed a complete collection of products for the curly lifestyle. This botanically drenched, 100% sulfate free alternative with it’s interchangeable product line allows for individuality, simplicity, and the freedom to address the hair’s specific needs. In addition, the pairing eventually led to the revolutionary, award winning highlighting technique that partner daSilva had been developing called PINTURA, which means masterpiece in Portugese. Harbinger then took the tool and the technique and developed a training format that won her Best Educational Award at the 1998 Midwest beauty show in Chicago, an honor that was very special to Harbinger.
Harbinger’s desire to educate and inspire others has been a running thread throughout her career. She trains and inspires both new and seasoned hairdressers. Her combined talent, passion and commitment to the industry have enabled her to successfully facilitate educational programs such as Curlaboration for hairdressers, distributors and trade shows nationwide. This educational program, which began in New York, is in such demand that Shari and the Curlaboration team have taken the training program on the road sharing their cutting and coloring philosophies with salons nationwide.
Shari’s work has appeared in national, international, professional publications and television. She is listed as ‘one of the most prominent colorists of our time”- Hair Color & Design 2001.