As a natural almost 2 years into her journey I have accumulated tons of products. I once considered myself a product junkie. I know, I know. *hides face in shame*
The number one no-no for going natural is “don’t give into the product hype.” But due to experimentation and finding what works best for my hair it is inevitable that the products have piled up.
I love to get things organized around my house when the seasons change. It just seems like the perfect time. With Fall approaching and the plan to move within the next month I thought I’d tackle my hair product stash. If you’re anything like me and have products on products all around your home use the following tips to get yourself organized.
Take Inventory
First let me share that my product stash is huge! I have products I’ve purchased, freebies from couponing, 6 months worth of full size products from CurlBox and to top it off I won a Creme of Nature giveaway earlier this year where they sent me over 150 products!
Yes. Boxes on boxes. As a result, I’ve filled two cabinets under bathroom sinks and have a book case in a spare closet all filled with hair products.
While going into it feeling a bit overwhelmed, the first thing I wanted to do was take inventory. I took a visual account of everything I had. What was unused? What didn’t I like that I still had? What are my faves? How long have I had an item for? etc.
Purge
The biggest solution is to purge! I know you don’t want to get rid of any of your precious babies. You may need it for next season or you may get to it… eventually, right? But a girl can only use but so many products.
Toss
First remember products can go bad! Those products you have had for years and years that you honestly can’t remember when you bought them, toss them!
During my purge I found some products I bought my freshman year of college almost 10 years ago! Yikes Straight to the trash.
Donate
With all of the products I have collected, especially freebies from couponing, I think it’s perfect to give to those in need.
If you have a lot of unused products donate to a local women’s shelter. They are typically always in need of hair care products for every hair type.
Do some good and pay it forward!
Swap
After tossing all of the baddies, swap your dislikes/extras or just straight up give them away! This is how I literally cut my stash in half and cleared out a bunch of space.
I loved all of the Creme of Nature products I received but just didn’t have the space for all of them. I gave over half of my supply away to family and friends who I knew would appreciate them.
This also applies to some of the other products that you don’t use. I purchased the Kinky* Curly Curling Custard and I don’t what it is but it just don’t like the consistency of it. It’s a little too tacky for my liking so I ended up trading it with a friend who likes it for something that works for my hair.
Grab a couple of girlfriends, pop open a bottle of wine and trade/giveaway your extras!