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Truth is, it's so easy to become a product junkie especially when first transitioning. You're just starting to care for your transitioning hair and everyone is recommending some product that you should try. You get captivated by new ads all the time....you go crazy to shift from all of the products that worked for your relaxed hair and you search the internet and stores for products that contain no parabens, no sulfates, no mineral oil and is EDTA free. (PS that is not a copy of my bathroom)
I can say that although I tried a number of products I would not consider myself a product junkie. My nature is a little to frugal for that and that's the reason I titled my blog BUDGETED ELEGANCE instead of my Youtube/Facebook/Twitter tag name 242Naturalista.
A product junkie is someone who constantly is buying and trying new products. Nope this may not seem bad at all, right ladies? but the truth is the buying and trying of new products gets to the point that they honestly can't get enough. As soon as a product line comes out, or even if they have products that work for their hair, they shift to a new product. Sometimes PJ's don't even allow a product to work properly because before they find out how it works for their hair, they've already shifted to a new product.
Are you a PJ? Yeah the example above is a little scary and does not only include natural hair products, but any type of products really.
Here's a few tools for avoiding the product junkie phase while transitioning and even being fully natural.
1.You don't have to throw out all of your old products
I know, I know we're told to care for our transitioning hair as though its already natural..and I agree this is a good method but a lot of people take this to the extreme by throwing out or wasting products that have been working for their hair. You really don't have to do this..If you have excess products that work on your hair use them and allow your hair to determine if you should change those products. You may need to switch up the amounts you use or the method of application and that may help you to get your money's worth out of an old product. When it comes time to change those products (because it really isn't working with your hair and you have quite a bit of it left) you can opt for something like a product swap or just giving it to someone who it will benefit more (Ain't nothing wrong with some good Samaritan status lol)
2. Allow yourself time to test out a product
The product junkie phase can be considered a testing phase because your trying out a number of different products. As indicated above most PJs in my opinion don't give themselves enough time with a product. To help out with this, keep a log of the product your using currently and even when trying new products. I mentioned this in another post already but write down how the product makes your hair feel. If you're pleased, keep the product. If not test it out in a number of different ways for at least 2 months. If it still doesn't do what you would like then you can swap it with someone else and buy something new.
3. Spend some time doing your research
Research is key to healthy hair, especially when you just start out. Focus on products that have quality ingredients (first five) and by following your hair notes (hair assesment), you'll be able to already categorize which products could possibly work better for you. In essence you will already know how to shop and that will help curb the PJism lol.
4. Rotate products and use what you have
If you have more than a couple products in your arsenal rotate them from time to time...You many find that you don't actually need to go out and purchase more products because what you have already may be all that you need.
5. Homemade products
Sometimes we buy lots of products that have a fancy name just because it has that fancy name, when we have homemade concoctions that serve the same purpose. NO i'm not trying to tell you not to buy your fave labels, but lets think about this/ If you have a homemade product that's working then stick with it and that'll be one less product and a couple extra bucks in your pocket.
6. Product samples
Find company's that give product samples. This may be a little bit tougher in some countries than others but to combat this you can try a subscription service like a CURLKIT or curl box. These services give you a few products each month and you can test out to see what products were for your hair.
Last but definitely not least, believe in yourself. Just because a lot of other people go through this phase, doesn't mean you have to..You can find products that work for your hair without going overboard and you can also participate in product swaps with your girlfriends or fellow curly hair meetup participants.
I think the bulk of this post tends to favor what you already have working for yourself. The rotation of products is not a bad thing and i'm definitely not telling you how much of each essential product you need but I have definitely found out that those with the healthiest hair usually don't do too much to their hair so I guess its like a word to the wise. Each of us at some point may lean in favor of being a product junkie but even if we go that way, lets try to be cost effective. Y'all should already know i'm big on saving and using my money and time efficiently so my next blog post will be somewhere along those lines in terms of products.
Hope this article helps you in any way.
Blessings & Love always
Feel free to connect with me
Facebook/Twitter/Youtube - 242Naturalista
242Naturalista@gmail.com
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