The Curly Cut Controversy: How #TeamNatural Changed Haircutting and Why We’re Returning to the Fundamentals
The Curly Cut Controversy: How #TeamNatural Changed Haircutting and Why We’re Returning to the Fundamentals
Some of y’all are about to be MAD at what I’m about to say. But somebody in this industry needs to say it.
As a cosmetologist who was already behind the chair in 2009, I watched the natural hair movement take off. I watched curly cuts become the next big thing. And I watched techniques we spent years learning in cosmetology school slowly get pushed aside because somebody convinced an entire generation that curly hair needed a completely different set of rules.
And now? Some of the same women who paid hundreds of dollars for these trendy curly cuts are dealing with uneven layers, excessive tangling, single-strand knots, and hair that looks completely different the moment it’s stretched.
But here’s the part that’s really going to upset some people.
DevaCurl was doing dry curly cuts back in the 1990s, long before #TeamNatural blew up around 2009.
So how did a technique that was already being marketed become the gold standard for an entire generation of Black women?
And more importantly, when did we decide that making curls look good was more important than understanding the actual structure of a haircut?
Because baby, a haircut can look AMAZING curly and still be structurally uneven.
And before somebody runs to the comments, I’m not saying every curly cut is bad. I’m saying we need to talk about the difference between a haircut that looks good on Instagram and one that’s technically sound.
Today, we’re getting into the history, the cosmetology fundamentals, and the actual science behind knots, tangles, and breakage.
And trust me, by the end of this video, you might look at your next curly cut appointment a whole lot differently.
An experienced cosmetologist’s perspective on DevaCurl, the natural hair movement, and the science behind uneven haircuts, knots, and tangles.
Before #TeamNatural, There Was DevaCurl
I was already working as a cosmetologist in 2009 when the natural hair movement began gaining serious momentum. I witnessed the changes happening in our industry, and I believe there’s an important part of this history that isn’t discussed enough.
The curly cutting techniques that became popular during the #TeamNatural era did not suddenly appear in 2009.
DevaCurl’s history goes back to 1994, when Lorraine Massey and Denis Da Silva established Devachan Salon in New York City.
Their signature approach involved cutting curly hair dry, curl by curl, rather than relying exclusively on traditional wet-cutting techniques.
By 2007, DevaCurl had established a professional academy teaching its methods.
That means DevaCurl was already developing and teaching its signature curly cutting system before #TeamNatural became a widely recognized movement.
2009: When I Watched the Industry Change
Around 2009, I began watching more Black women embrace their natural hair, share their journeys online, and seek out stylists who specialized in curls and coils.
The movement was empowering, and it created new opportunities within the beauty industry.
But from my perspective, something else happened.
As the movement grew, dry curly cutting techniques became increasingly popular among stylists serving natural-haired clients. I saw techniques similar to those already associated with DevaCurl being adopted, adapted, and marketed to a new audience.
My observation is that #TeamNatural helped popularize an existing approach to curly cutting rather than inventing it.
That doesn’t mean every Black stylist learned from DevaCurl or directly copied its method. Black hairstylists had been cutting and caring for natural textures long before either movement.
But the overlap in timing and technique deserves recognition.
What concerns me more than who introduced a technique is what happened when cutting trends began overshadowing the fundamentals of haircutting.
What Cosmetology Taught Us About Cutting Hair
When I learned haircutting, we studied structure.
We learned about elevation, overdirection, tension, cutting guides, distribution, and the importance of understanding how hair behaves.
We weren’t simply taught to cut hair until it looked good.
We were taught to create a deliberate shape that could be evaluated and reproduced.
Hair changes depending on whether it’s wet, dry, stretched, or in its natural curl formation.
Wet hair is generally more elongated and flexible. Curly hair, when dry, returns toward its natural shape and experiences shrinkage.
This is why I believe stretching the hair and examining its underlying structure remain essential parts of a thorough haircut.
A curly haircut can look beautiful when the curls are defined, but what happens when the client straightens it, wears a twist-out, or changes her styling routine?
Will the haircut still have a balanced structure?
Are the layers intentional?
Can the stylist explain the cutting guides used?
These questions matter.
A haircut should have structural integrity, not just look attractive in one styled condition.
I believe the industry is beginning to revisit these fundamentals.
The Problem With Cutting Curl by Curl Without Considering the Entire Haircut
Every curl has its own pattern, shrinkage, and direction.
When a stylist cuts each curl independently, the immediate result may look rounded, defined, and visually balanced.
But the actual lengths of the individual strands can vary significantly.
This isn’t automatically a problem. Layers and varying lengths are normal parts of haircut design.
The concern arises when the stylist doesn’t understand how those lengths relate to one another.
Without a consistent cutting plan, the result may include disconnected sections, unintended short pieces, and areas that are difficult to blend when the hair is stretched.
In my professional opinion, the most effective haircut considers both the natural curl formation and the underlying structure.
The Science: How Hair Becomes Tangled
To understand why haircut quality matters, we first need to understand the science of tangling.
Human hair is made primarily of keratin, and the outside of each strand is protected by overlapping cuticle cells.
These cuticles create a surface that allows hair fibers to move against one another.
When the cuticle is healthy and properly lubricated, strands generally slide more easily.
When the cuticle becomes worn or damaged, friction increases.
This is where tangling becomes a problem.
1. Friction and the Cuticle
Hair strands constantly interact with each other.
They rub together when we sleep, wash, detangle, style, or simply move our heads.
As the protective outer surface wears down, strands can experience greater resistance when sliding past one another.
Scientific research on hair friction has shown that weathering, chemical processing, and mechanical damage can increase friction between hair fibers.
The greater the resistance, the more difficult detangling may become.
2. Different Lengths and Mechanical Interactions
When hair contains many different lengths, the ends of those strands are distributed throughout the hairstyle rather than meeting at one perimeter.
Depending on the curl pattern and how the hair is styled, these ends may interact with neighboring strands at different positions.
In a poorly blended haircut, this can potentially complicate sectioning and detangling.
However, it’s important to distinguish this mechanical possibility from a scientifically established cause.
Research does not currently establish that uneven haircuts alone cause more knots than evenly cut hair.
Curl geometry, surface friction, hair damage, and grooming practices are better-established contributors.
This is why I focus on the overall condition and structure of the hair instead of blaming every knot on the haircut itself.
3. Single-Strand Knots and Curly Hair
Single-strand knots, sometimes called fairy knots or trichonodosis, occur when an individual hair fiber loops and forms a knot along itself.
Tightly curled and coiled hair can be particularly susceptible because the fiber naturally bends, twists, and curves.
As strands move, their natural curvature can allow loops to form.
Friction may make those loops harder to release.
Once a knot tightens, it can become a point of mechanical stress during detangling.
An uneven haircut does not automatically create single-strand knots, but leaving damaged, rough, or split ends in the hair may make everyday grooming more difficult.
4. Repeated Detangling Can Lead to Breakage
Here’s where the science becomes especially important.
When hair tangles, clients often apply more force to separate the strands.
That force places mechanical stress on the hair fiber.
Research examining curly hair has documented how repeated mechanical stresses can contribute to cuticle damage, internal cracking, and eventual breakage.
Over time, breakage can produce more irregular lengths and damaged ends, potentially creating a cycle of difficult detangling and further damage.
This is why a haircut should never be evaluated only by how it looks immediately after styling.
We should also consider how manageable the hair remains between appointments.
Why I Believe Stretching the Hair Still Matters
One of my biggest concerns with the popularity of curly cuts is the assumption that curly hair must always be cut in its natural, dry state.
I disagree with treating any single method as the universal answer.
When hair is stretched, a stylist can more easily evaluate the underlying lengths, compare sections, identify uneven areas, and establish precise cutting guides.
When curly hair is dry and in its natural formation, a stylist can evaluate shrinkage, volume, and the finished shape.
Both perspectives provide useful information.
For clients who regularly straighten their hair, a structured cut on stretched hair may be particularly important.
For clients who exclusively wear wash-and-go styles, dry curl-by-curl shaping may be appropriate.
And for some clients, a combination of techniques produces the most practical result.
The real issue isn’t whether a stylist cuts wet or dry. It’s whether that stylist understands the structure of the haircut and the behavior of the hair.
Are Black Women Returning to Traditional Haircutting?
From what I’ve observed, more clients and stylists are questioning whether a beautiful curly shape automatically equals a technically sound haircut.
Clients are paying closer attention to what their hair looks like when stretched, how their layers grow out, and how easily their hair detangles.
I see this as a valuable return to foundational cosmetology principles.
That doesn’t mean dry cutting has no place in professional hairstyling.
It means trends should never replace technical education.
And it means that a stylist should be able to explain why a particular method is appropriate for the client’s texture, density, styling habits, and desired result.
My Final Thoughts as a Cosmetologist
I was in this industry when #TeamNatural started gaining momentum around 2009.
I watched the movement grow, watched curly cutting become increasingly popular, and watched the conversation around natural hair change.
I believe DevaCurl deserves recognition for establishing and teaching its signature dry curly cutting method years before the modern #TeamNatural movement gained widespread visibility.
I also believe Black women played a major role in expanding the demand for natural hair services.
But I don’t believe every trend that becomes popular is automatically the best technique for every client.
Haircutting is a technical discipline.
It requires an understanding of geometry, tension, distribution, elevation, texture, and the physical behavior of hair fibers.
And when clients experience excessive knots, tangles, or breakage, we need to examine the entire picture: the haircut, the condition of the cuticle, styling habits, friction, and detangling practices.
A haircut should not only look good when it’s styled. It should make sense structurally, support the client’s styling choices, and remain manageable as it grows.
That’s the difference between following a haircutting trend and truly understanding the science and art of cutting hair.
A cosmetologist’s & Hollistic Research Scientist’s perspective, informed by professional experience dating back to 2009.
Scientific and historical references
These are useful sources to publish alongside the article:
DevaCurl: Our Story — Confirms the brand’s 1994 salon origins.
DevaCurl: History of the DevaCut — Explains the dry, curl-by-curl technique.
Understanding and Controlling the Friction of Human Hair (2025) — Explains how cuticle damage affects friction and manageability.
Understanding Breakage in Curly Hair (2015) — Examines mechanical damage and fracture mechanisms.
Redken Professional: Curl Cutting Techniques — Describes when wet and dry cutting can each be appropriate.
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