Following is my honest review of each of these companies.
Devacurl⭐⭐½ : 7 stylist in the class: This was a 4 hour class:
The instructor was new and we were her first class and she did fine. We had 2 girls in the class who could not get the process of the cut and because of that we never got to the full wash and style. I wasn't shown the clipping technique and we didn't get to even finish our styling. That said I got a clear enough picture to do the cut okay. But 4 hours was not enough to learn a cut well. However I will be forever grateful for a new door opening up in my career.
Curly Hair Artisty ⭐⭐⭐½: 30 stylist in the class: This was a 2 ½ day event:
I learned a cutting technique that I haven't used since. The styling info was very valuable though. Wafaya Abdallah and Ron Suriano were very genuine and I enjoyed learning from them.
Wafaya is super professional, kind, and has a wealth of info that she is willing to share.
Ron is quirky, vulnerable, and real, a true artist in our industry. They are both extremely talented.
The 3 day class was good, with a lot of business management and success info. A year and a half later I really feel like the cut itself wasn't a tool I'll ever use.
Raw Curls ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: 5 stylist: 2, 9 hour fully packed days:
Melanie Nickels was tireless and was amazing!!!
Let me say this, Melanie lost money on this class. $600 was way under priced for what they offer, they should raise their price to $1000.
Melanie keeps her classes small, 4-5 stylist at a time. For her it isn't about the money. It's about sending out qualified stylist. Melanie spends 1 on 1 time through out the process with each of us. I learned a full cut that involved numerous techniques, techniques that I will use every day of my career! We did the cut 3 times and then got to cut each others hair. Melanie has been, by far, the best teacher I have had. There was no pomp and circumstances, no ego. She was kind, patient, clear, and dedicated to our individual success. She walked us through the processes step by step. I came out of this class a better qualified stylist.
Ken Nickels, Melanies husband, is so proud of his wife. They make a great team. Ken is a wonderful and passionate man, he loves doing all he can to support his wife and us as stylist. These 2 sacrafice a lot to bring useful knowledge to our curly girl community. Together they have developed the best curly haircare line I've used. Their Anti-frizz spray and conditioner are game changers. It's funny cause I was told in one of my other classes, by an instructor, that their conditioner wasn't moisturizing enough...WoW was that person clueless.
I hope many of you will give them a try. Melanie's resume is impressive, it is only exceeded by her humility and calming nature.
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