When we start our Natural Hair Journey, this is a catch phrase you will hear ALOT!
I’ve been natural for 2 years now and I wondered why a product would work well for so many curlies but not work for other curlies. Yes, hair texture (fine, medium, coarse), hair porosity, and hair density (fine, medium, thick) is the main reason but there is another reason we don’t think about or take into account.
Personal preference
Most times when we ask about how someone liked a product, we are looking for a “Loved it” or “Hated it” answer without asking for a more in depth review of the product.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself before purchasing a product:
- What does the product promise?
- What is your expectation of the product?
- How do you plan to use the product? (leave in, moisturizer, styler)
- Do you plan to use the product as it was intended? (leave in, rinse out)
- In what part of your regimen do you plan to use the product? (wet hair, dry hair, refresher)
- What style will you try to achieve with the product? (wash n go, twistout, braidout)
These are questions you could ask other curlies too who have used the product. Asking these questions may save you money, time and possible frustration on your journey.
One more point to the already long post…
What will be a deal breaker for you with products?
Example: Some products I use make my hair a little greasy on Day One but I don’t mind it. That may be a deal breaker for someone else.
List below your thoughts and what are you expectations of products….
Here are mine:
Leave ins
-must be creamy
-must have slip
-must be able to be used alone
-must be able to moisturize my hair for at least 2 days
Oils
-must be light
-must absorb into the hair wet or dry
Moisturizer/Styler
-my moisturizer must function as a styler
-my styler must function as a moisturizer
-must be able to moisturize my hair for 3 days or longer (I’m lazy, lol)
Gels
-must give a good hold but still achieve soft hair
-must work well with other products
Deep conditioners/Conditioners
-must have slip because this is when I detangle my hair
-must make my hair soft during my deep conditioning and after rinsing it out
I hope this helps someone.
Share that knowledge, girl!
Thank you for this. I must apply this to all aspects of my haircare regimen.
Excellent article! I generally use natural ingredients helping me research and isolate what their properties are, what I want from them and what they deliver.
They must all:
-have a 4-6pH (except oil of course)
-have a thick consistency
-absorb and moisturize well (2+ days)
-have incredible slip
-work great wet/dry
-work great together and alone
-keep my hair SOFT for at least 2 days
-MULTITASK!
Some of my Holy Grail's are:
3-in-1 Clarifier/Cleanser/Conditioner
-Amla, Aloe & Honey Paste
2-in-1 Leave-in Rinse/Moisturizer
-Blue Malva & Aloe Infusion
Pre-Cleanse Moisturizer/Oil Rinse
-Avocado Oil
Moisturizer/Styler
-Avocado Oil
-Vegetable Glycerin (layered over avocado oil)
-Honeyquat (layered over avocado oil)
Extra Hold/Shine (when I'm feeling sassy)
-Anita Grant's Organic Sapote & Coconut Pomade
Thanks Lynnieluve! I bought a painting from Toni she's so talented.
Thanks ladies! I got the earrings from ToniDaley80 on YouTube.
OMG!! them earrings is GUCCI where did you get them???
also, some natural products don't work well with silicone's so if one natural got great results with a product that didn't work for you, think about what you used it with. some products work best when used with other products from the same line. piling products from a bunch of different lines onto your hair at once can lead to disasterous results.
Ok, deets on the FLY earrings please!
Awesome article! I will try to remember this when someone asks me why I like a product or what I used to achieve a particular style. Thanks for sharing Lynnie!
SN: You look fierce in your picture above this article!
We have pretty much the same criteria. One thing that I've noticed about my hair, since the Alabama air is getting dryer, is that I have to pay attention to ingredients. Glycerin is not my friend anymore, so I've had to reevaluate my staples; I'm loving the Qhemet Biologics Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee as a leave in and styler.
BTW, you're looking super cute LynnieLuve!
I love this article. The bottom line is that if you're going to get into commercial products you may just lose some money. I'm thinking of trying more natural ingredients and making some things for myself first, so I can get a feel for how certain ingredients work on my hair. And then I can look for products with those ingredients and then pray.
Yes I totally agree, especially on moisturizers. It has to actually moisturize and be my styler because I'm not big on putting product after product in my hair just to get a desired style.
absolutely great advice!