How to avoid becoming a product junkie

At the start of any transition there is bound to be a period where you have to try different “shoes” on for size before you know what works best. This is especially true when you’re learning to care for natural hair.

With so many products on the market boasting promise after promise of growth and health, it can often be difficult for natural newbies to know exactly which product to trust their maintenance routine to. While it is recommended that you initially experiment in order to get your hair care arsenal just right, over experimentation could prevent you from developing a beneficial hair care niche, and instead turn you into a product junkie.

With a plethora of products seeming to call your name from store shelves, how can one quell the urge to create their own personal beauty supply at home? Here are some helpful hints that will help you from succumbing to the fate of product junk-ism.

1. Try by Trial, Not Error

When experimenting with new products, try to procure trial or sample sizes of the product instead of committing to full sized portions. If trial sizes are not commercially available, “borrow” modest amounts from natural hair friends or your stylist, if he/she is willing. This will allow you the opportunity to actually try the product without investing money in products that do not work for you.

2. Set a Time Limit for Use

Generally it does not take long to see the results of most products. Depending on the product’s purpose and the condition of your hair, results may be evident within your first use. Setting a reasonable time limit in which you expect to see results – typically four to six uses – can go a long way in preventing you from over-investing time, and money, to products that are ineffective.

3. Learn Active Ingredient’s Roles

Each ingredient listed in commercial products serves a specific purpose, most having nothing to do with hair maintenance. Additionally, different ingredients respond differently to different hair types. Being in the habit of label reading and educating yourself on the purpose of active ingredients will help you make solid choices on products that work well with your hair type, without having to actually try the product.

4. Use it Up

Because certain products can take longer than others to produce results, commit to using the entire container before skipping to something new. Items like moisturizers and conditioning treatments have to infuse the hair and bond with its structure, so it may take longer than four to six uses for you to determine just how well it works. Container commitment will prevent you from wasting money on products that cover your shelf a lot longer than they cover your hair.

5. Buy By the Brand

Commercial products are typically created to work as systems, using ingredients that are complimentary to corresponding products (i.e. shampoos, conditioners and moisturizers). While mixing and matching products from different manufacturers can work well, buying complete systems is your best bet for seeing just how well a certain product line works for your hair, and whether other products from other lines are necessary.

6. Ignore the Big Name Claims

Simply because Jada swears by it or Mary won’t leave the house without it doesn’t mean you have to rush out and add it to your arsenal. Considering a lot of money goes into seductive advertising geared at catching your loyalty and dollars, realize that you do not have to possess every new item put into production. One or two products for cleansing, moisturizing and styling are usually all that’s needed to keep hair healthy and manageable, so resist the urge to stock up on an entire line based on your favourite celeb’s endorsements.

7. Document your Findings

Once you find a product that works, take note of the ingredients, your hair’s condition before and after use, as well as the length of time it took to achieve desirable results. Do the same with products that do not work. Keeping a concise journal of these components will help develop the ability to prejudge what will or won’t work for your hair type, or knowing when you hair needs something more.

8. Trust Your Own Research

Not every product works the same way for every hair type, so take product reviews from others with a grain of salt and your own best judgment. While there are some products that work well for everyone across the board, simply because one person had a good or bad experience with popular products does not mean you will.

All in all, testing products is the most effective way to narrow the multitude of choices on the market and find what works best for your styling and maintenance purposes. However, overwhelming your hair with an abundance of different chemical combinations (whether natural or lab manufactured) can put undue stress on the hair, leading to breakage and even hair loss. Keeping the above tips in mind when experimenting can not only stop you from becoming a product junkie, it can save your hair in the long run as well.