So I tried a new product today (more deets about that to follow) and I had an epiphany. There is a science to this “trying new products thing”. Science experiments demand that the test be controlled and consistent therefore we should follow those same rules when trying a new product in order to get the best results. Control and consistency. Here are the 5 general rules that I have developed.
1. Your hair MUST be FRESHLY WASHED
You can not try a new product on dirty hair or even moderately clean hair for that matter. It must be freshly washed otherwise the residual products will interfere and result in a botched conclusion.
2. You must style your hair in a style that is fool proof.
Do not try a new product as well as a new style at the same time. You will play yourself. Nine times out of ten you have not yet mastered the technique and you will blame the product for the bad results. Instead when trying a new product, style your hair in your “go to” style, a style that you have mastered and can see clearly the benefits or failures of the new product.
3. Follow the Directions
We don’t know everything! I know you have your rituals established. You think you know what your hair needs and the sequence in which things should be done BUT au contraire mon frere. For your first attempt with a new product, read the damn label and follow it! You will be surprised by the results. Some advise to apply after moisturizing hair, some advise to apply to damp hair will others advise wet. Just try it their way the first time. They created the product. You can always do it your way the second time.
4. One Product At a Time
Don’t go cray cray and try two or three new products in one styling session. How will you know which one worked? In order to have a control in the “experiment”, use your “tried and true, tight like glue” products that you know work in conjunction with the new one. In this way you can clearly see if it performed well. It won’t be a guessing game.
5. If At First You Don’t Succeed, Dust Yourself Off and Try Again
We have all experienced the disappointment of an impotent product. All that hype and excitement for that?????!!!
But I think you should give a product at least 2 tries before you look for a replacement. The second attempt must involve you doing something different as well. You can’t do the same thing twice and expect different results. Maybe the product sucked for wash and goes but works magic for your twist outs. You will never know unless you give it another chance!
I think i would give my left arm, no the right foot, nope definitely the left arm for volume like that.
Great advice!
I use most of the steps you listed especially trying one new product at a time so you will know which product is doing what & if it plays well with your staples.
This was really helpful. I try to take the scientific method approach when trying a new product. I keep everything else the same, (co-wash, leave-in, sealant, drying time, etc.) and try not to write it off until i've tried it a least 3 times.
Great tips! The "try one product at a time" rule is essential. Also, trying the product more than once.
This was great. The only thing I'd add is that if it still doesn't 'work' on the second try, keep the product. My hair continues to go through phases and a product that didn't work in November all of a sudden works like a champ in May. (Saving that you have enough space on the shelf..)
This is awesome! Very helpful because my products are constantly being discontinued. Which is weird because they work pretty good! But this is helpful in telling me how to try out a new product and the sequence. Thanks!
Love this article! I agree with trying any new product you HAVE to give it more than one shot in order to see if it works or not.
Oh, and as much as I've learned from some of the vloggers, I need some of them to understand I don't need to see them comb, coat, twist, dry, untwist, fluff and moisturize every last strand on their heads. Time is of the essence! There can't really be a reason for some of these things to be 8-9 minutes long!
I agree with all of these. I try not to write something off until I've tried it a couple of times according to directions. If I can, I try an entire line. I just tried the Ouidad curl quencher Nikki mentioned a while back. I found a sale or a coupon and got the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in too. Sometimes I have my salon try new things on my hair, since I'm there and their whole point is helping you find the best product for your hair. That can save me extra cash. I don't start substituting things or changing methods until I see how following directions works. I didn't like the curl enhancing smoothie as a leave in or styler, but I love it as a deep conditioner. If nothing else works, I've got my teenaged daughter, AKA House Product Junkie Junior who will find a use for things.
One product I almost wrote off was Shea Moisture Curling Souffle(sp). The consistency was horrible and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. The reviews on the product were also horrible. But I watched one person's video who had a beautiful and moisturized twist out. She combined the Curling Souffle with the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I tried it for my twist outs and BOOM!! My twist out was super defined and shiny and the definition lasted for about 4 days without me having to re-twist at night. I LOVE IT!
As a Salon owner I came across different new products almost each day, so this is really a great tips for me, thanks.
This is such an awesome post that everyone should take note off. I've been guilty of writing off a product on the first try, now I have a guideline… *BOOKMARK!!
-discoveringnatural.blogspot.com
@Eboni I agree with you. I wont write off a product until I have used quite a bit of it. Then I can say I have used it for so many weeks or months and give constructive reasons why I hare/love it. Also, I don't know any local naturals I could sell the stuff to so I might as well use what I paid for!
I wish I could I post this article like…everywhere on YouTube, lol. It gets a little frustrating when people complain about how something didn't work for their hair the FIRST time or after the FIRST application. Just like it takes our body time to adjust to something different (say eating healthier), it may take some time for our hair to react to a new product.
Great point Kurly….
I can agree with all, but the try on freshly washed hair. For personal reasons that is. I like to try products on hair that has my regular product in it, because I'm not a regular washer. I like to know whether or not it's compatible with what's already in my hair. Then, I'll try it on freshly washed hair as well. But, usually if I have to wash to use a product on fresh hair only I won't like it. LOL!!!
Anon @ 3:53, after washing I applied the Shea Moisture Leave in conditioner. I then twisted my hair with the Ouidad Hydrafusion and applied Nexxus Frizz Defy on top of that. After my hair was dry, I applied Aveda's anti-humectant. The best, most defined, moisturized twist out I've ever had.
That's why reviews are only helpful IF the person is not an IDIOT! A perfect excellent Bluetooth device that allows your iPhone or Android phone to play thru the car's speakers without the phone ever coming out of your pocket, purse, case, etc. and I wish you could see some of the really rotten reviews it got. Decided to ignore all of the bad and try for my self–EXCELLENTE!
anon @ 2:34, how did you use the ouidad hydrafusion intense curl cream?
@ Megan, you just gave me the kick to give the curl enhancing smoothie another try after it failed for me.
@ anon 12:58 OMG so funny I feel the same way and I'm new to transitioning!!! How the hell am I, a person that not good at doing hair in the first place, go and make this EVOO-germ wheat-random oil from the blood flower in south africa, and then put this on my head!!!! JESUS!!! thank you for feeling me
A.J. 15 weeks in
I usually do not follow directions because the results sometimes come out not what I expected or liked. The next one I am gulity of is trying new styles I tried a Bantu knot out which I am not really good at with Shea moisture's curl enhancing smoothie and I hated it because it came out dry and not cute, maybe because my hair was not really wet. Now I love it as a moisturizer on twistouts or braid outs. I was ready to give it away to a friend,my mother and even toss it but I felt gulity and did not want to waste it so I gave it another try with styles I already mastered.
Megan Montgomery
Guilty of number 5. I usually will not give products a second chance after the first attempt failed. I have a whole lot of products that didn't work for my wash-n-gos, but maybe they will work on a twist-out. Hmmmm. . .I'll give some of them a try (some just left my hair feeling too nasty).
I already follow MOST of the rules. I am guilty just this past weekend of using two new products at one time. Kudos to Nikki though for the recommendation of the Ouidad Hydrafusion Intense Curl Cream. Luv it!!! Too, has anyone tried the Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner? The bomb diggity….
anon @12:58, your comments are hilarious, but so true. 🙂 I must confess I have been guilty of not trying a product on freshly washed hair only because I was so excited about trying the product that I did not want to wait until I washed…..I know, I know silly. 🙂
So, Tuesday night I tried a gel on my 3-week-old dirty hair right before washing it. I just wet it down and applied the gel. Didn't look so hot. But see what had happened was… I didn't wanna try the new product AFTER washing my hair because, what if I didn't like it on my hair and felt like washing that section again? lol
I'm going to try all this advice with the product again next week.
I would like to also add that a product will work different if your hair is WET or DRY. I've tried products on WET or DAMP hair and my hair didn't like it but when applied on dry hair, it worked better. The same goes for trying products on DRY hair, it'll possibly work better on WET or DAMP hair.
"….read the damn label and follow it!" Hilarious!!! Good article with excellent advice. I'm guilty of a few of the points which resulted in premature likes or dislikes of products so lesson learned.
anon @ 12:58 — I am rolling on the floor over here! You are hilarious. I was just watching a video like that yesterday and I couldn't even finish it because I couldn't keep up with all the different items being applied before she even got to the styling product that the video was allegedly about. After watching it for several minutes, I just couldn't take it anymore.
I totally agree with all the rules in the article. There is definitely a science to trying out new products. Whenever I slip up and don't follow the rules, the results are usually disastrous or it turns into a guessing game to figure out if it was the introduction of the new product or the method I employed.
Too funny Shanti!! I agree with you 100%
It took me forever to find a KCCC/KCKT tutorial that worked for my 4c kinks becuase despite the company's recommendation, some vlogger would add "eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog" as a leave in, sealant, or whatever under the KCCC, and then declare the product an epic fail.
Yall know who you are: "I pre-poo'd with my shealoecocomoringa oil, co-washed with brahmiandyogurt, applied my ACVbakingsodaleavein, sealed with my avocodoEVOOapplebutter and applied the KCCC and it made my hair a hot sticky mess, I was pissed that now I gotta wash my hair all ova again this s#it was expensive, yada yada yada".
I'm like, really now?
Bravo for putting this out there girl!
Good stuff, I totally agree on following the directions, it amazes me the number of people who use a rinse out conditioner as a leave and bitch when it doesnt work!
Love these rules! I agree 100% with all!
~Lexa~
anon @12:00 — great minds think alike. I too was lusting at her hair the entire time. 🙂 I was hoping she would give the deets for her product faves. 🙂
I didnt even bother to read the whole article, Because i could not stop staring at the hair in this article. Can I just say HAIR LUST!!!