Move away from the hair product aisle. Yes that’s it, nice and slowly. Now listen up, didn’t you just purchase 2 conditioners and a moisturizer last week? Have you even tried them yet? And now you are at the BSS stalking that new product line you heard about….
Product junkieism is all too real for those of us caught up in it and I totally feel your pain. At the beginning of my hair journey I was addicted to YouTube product reviews. I mean I would literally spend hours upon hours a day watching hair videos & stalking the hair boards for new products to buy.
Hair style tutorials, tips or product reviews, you name it, I watched or read it! It didn’t even matter whether or not the products were available to purchase close to home, I just wanted to know what everyone was using on their hair.
It became so ridiculous that I was seriously considering purchasing a $30 product on the other side of the world that came with a whopping $56 shipping cost. That’s when I knew that it had to stop.
I can definitely understand the obsession with products, especially if you are brand new to hair care. Everyone seems to be looking for that one magical product that will instantly soften their hair or make it curly like the girl you saw on YouTube. More likely you will give up disappointed having spent hundreds of dollars on products that will never be used again.
And even when we are aware of our weaknesses, some of us still go to the BSS looking to purchase one deep treatment and walk out of there with 4 different ones; just because we heard about them online, it’s a never ending cycle of purchase and disappointment.
But if you in the midst of product junkiesm right now you will know that there are major downsides not least of which is over extending your financial position. I kid you not, I once read a story of a woman who couldn’t stop buying weaves. She had a huge stockpile of extensions* that hadn’t even been used yet but she kept buying more because of recommendations from ladies on her favorite forum.
This week one vendor’s hair was the best and the following week another vendor was all the rage so she kept buying and buying. It got so bad that she couldn’t bring herself to tell her husband that she had spent their rent money on hair. Yipes! An extreme example certainly but still something that some of us fall victim to.
Here are some tips to help you recover from product junkieism.
Yesss I has the BC two weeks ago and I’m still trying to find what works with my hair. I’m 4c
Yes still trying to find what works! I’m 4c please help!!!!
Yes, I am…
Me too!!! Me and my daughter have 4c hair it’s hard trying to find products that hold these curls!!
Yes….looking for the nearest rehab!!! Lol
Yes, I am..
I have no more counter space, because I have so much PRODUCT!! I need a12 step program
no no noooooooooooooo 🙂
I refuse to be a product junkie. I did my research on my hair, looked up products others were using and researched those. I also got recommendations from my friend who specializes in natural hair care. Only then did I decide on a few and purchased. If I didn’t like it after a couple of uses I took advantage of the return policy.
ugh I am I just went back to my mixed chicks
I AM…have products i haven’t opened. O but will try ’em.
I realized I’m becoming one.
I don’t buy everything I see
No! I use to products only!
This came just in time. I’m transitioning & was going to head to the BSS today for a deep conditioner & moisturizing butter. I know I would leave w/ way more than I went for, so think I’ll stay home & just make use of the items I already have.
No. It just doesn’t make sense to think it makes sense to keep purchasing products and you haven’t really given previously purchased products a real chance to see if they work. There are no miracle cures for hair so if you want to see IF something that was ‘recommended’ as a ‘go to’ by some blogger will work for you, you need to use the majority of it to see how your hair will react long term. Not just a few times and move on to another. “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!!!” Or money for that matter if you’re smart. Unless you see your hair on the floor after one or two uses then use them up first. You may find over time they have some benefit. Most of the products are not found in the dollar store so how is it wise to waste your money? Anyone who thinks it’s a smart idea, I’ll send you my address and you can just send me your cash. I have a few bills to pay each month and I like to eat about three times a day. Sheesh….
At the beginning of my natural hair journey, I definitely used to be a product junkie. Now, two years in, I’ve reigned back the junkieness. Finding HG and staple products in each category has really helped to cut down on my product spending. I am loathe to try a bunch of new products when I feel that the ones I already have are going to perform better.
I still have a bunch of products to go through, but my spending on products has gone down dramatically.
I kinda am. I went crazy on these YouTube websites trying to find the right product. Ran out to the BBS and made myself crazy trying to find the recommendation. Nothing worked except the eco gel lineup. I have 4c hair. Everyone that I find on the web has that natural curly hair to begin with so it just curls up with water. My hair kinks up with water and If I don’t try to comb it our before it dries, it turns into a rock so I have to add more water and then twist or something to work with it later. I just want to know some great styles with midlength 4c hair. I understand 4c ad 4d are the most fragile because they are the driest of hair so we need to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize I just need to know with what and styles. I just cut out all of my perm last week, I have been transitioning for over a year now I am lost.
I believe I am but I don’t want to be…lol
I went to product junkie anonymous rehab and now I’m doing much better.
I am a product junkie and proud of it, I love trying new styles, as well as products. The teen up the street, would suffer it I went to rehab. She loves her natural hair, her mom won’t buy her products, so I give her what I don’t like.
I am too. It starts off small…
Yes I am
I can definitely relate to this….every time I watched a product review I would be tempted to try to find the product. I can finally say that I’m doing much better and my stash of products has definitely thinned out. I had so many products I could have literally started my own BSS lol.
It not easy passing up the great sales out there. I purchase what I need.
I was totally a product/tool junkie in high school! I’ve done away with my old ways (for the most part) lol. The only things I honestly spend money on is shea butter, oils, and aloe vera. I mix my own creamy shea butter for hair & skin which works wonders. I make my own face wash and toner too. Outside of that I buy conditioner to co wash, either Giovanni or Avalon and shampoo with black soap or Bronner’s unscented castille soap.
Can excessive product weigh down my twist out? For example can my hair be too heavy due to applying to much product and ruin the chance of a successful twist out?
Yes I am. *sigh*