Gone are the days where you could walk into your nearest Sally’s Beauty Supply, pick up a relaxer and be in and out in 2 minutes. Now, you must pick up every product that promises to fight the frizz, bring in the moisture, and define your coils and curls. You shop the aisles, view hours and hours of youtube videos, come home with your bag of goodies and head straight to the bathroom. You crack open the bottle, apply a quarter size (ok, ok, more like a golf ball size) amount of product and you HATE.IT! Soooooooo, what do you do now?!
We may not want to admit it, but we all have a little PJ in us. You know, a product junky…it’s a real disease.
According to Webster:
Product Junky- One who buys any and every product under the sun as long as it has one good review. (and by Webster I mean the Natural Hair Community)
But don’t worry, it’s curable!
It is very overwhelming to walk into the store and have no clue where to start. When I became natural, I received lots of recommendations and was literally sitting at home every night watching review after review of Youtube videos on hair products. I bought any and every product under the sun as long as it had one good review. Yes, my name is Tasha and I am a recovering PJ. Lol! Although I am in recovery, there are still a number of items on my to-try list but I’m doing much better at being able to control my splurges. The key is finding what your hair likes. Again, finding what YOUR hair likes. So here are some of my tips to help you along the way…
Pay attention to ingredients– Usually the first 3-5 ingredients listed on the product label are the main ingredients in the product. Therefore, if you have tried raw shea butter and your hair didn’t respond well to it, it’s best to stay away from products with that ingredient listed at the very top. Don’t waste time and money buying products with the same ingredients if they don’t work.
Keep a hair journal– If you are eager to try lots of products get a notebook or start a journal on your phone. *Maybe we need an app for that…hmmmmm* Before you start doing your hair, write down all the products you will be using and the style you are trying to achieve. The next day or after you are done, write down your results (i.e. great hair, not enough hold, white flakes, dry, etc.) or take a picture. This way you are able to have a record of what you liked and what products worked well together.
Buy what’s in your budget– Natural hair products can be very expensive so know your price limit. Yes, Miss Jessies Buttercream may have worked great for one natural but are you willing to spend about $50 on one product? Simply because something is more expensive does not mean it is better. Browse the aisles of your local beauty supply stores, Walmart, Target, etc and see what they have so you can avoid online shipping fees. And don’t forget to ask about their return policy, some places such as Ulta allows you to return things if they don’t work for you.
Samples, samples, samples!– Always request samples of products you want to try before you buy them. Some companies sell sample sizes, but many of them will send free samples. Granted there probably won’t be enough of the product to try it on your entire head, but it will give you a good idea of your results. Therefore, you are able to try a new product without spending any of your own money.
