The basics of hair care do not change. In order to keep your hair in a healthy state, you “need” to clean your scalp, condition your hair, use products that do not harm your hair and scalp as well as take other measures to protect your hair, e.g. sleeping on a satin pillowcase. Products in the natural arena can cost a pretty penny but does it have to be so? With the current economic turmoil, is there hope for a natural who has to put her hair on a budget without impeding its health and growth?
My answer is most definitely! Here are a few tips for surviving a financial low with fabulous hair:
1. Figure out what your hair responds well to. Are you sensitive to cones? Protein? If the answer is no, the drugstore is your oyster. From Suave to Pantene, there are so many products that are readily available that you can use. If on the other hand, you have some sensitivity, then you just have to work a little bit harder.
2. Get mixing! That’s right! Start figuring out what recipes work well for you. You don’t have to become a kitchen chemist, but adding a few handy products to your cheaper picks increase their effectiveness. Add a little olive oil or honey to that conditioner to increase its conditioning effects. Rinse with apple cider vinegar and why not clean your scalp with baking soda. Purchasing your shea butter and mixing your product yourself also gives you more control over the ingredients involved and the consistency of the product, not to mention how much it can reduce the price.
3. Get clipping! Do you get the newspaper on Sundays? Have you looked through the ads you get in the mail before throwing them away? There are so many coupons that come regularly in the mail, hidden between piles of other advertising. Take your coupons with you and see how much you can save.
4. Get shopping! I know the goal is to save money, but reality is you still need products. Shopping ahead of time helps you avoid spur of the moment buys or mandatory shopping. If you wait until you’ve used your last drop of conditioner, then you have to pay the current markup for the product.
5. Get a card! Do you shop at CVS (free) or Sally’s ($5 if I’m not mistaking), then invest in the card. It saves you more in the long run. At first, I didn’t appreciate my Sally’s card, but a 10-15% discount year-round adds up after a few purchases. It is so worth the five bucks!
6. If you have to buy online, then why not wait until you need more items and make a bulk order to save on shipping. Are you shopping from individual merchants? That can quickly add up, but if on the other hand, you shop from a natural’s electronic department store, such as Curlmart.com or Sistasplace, you only pay the shipping cost once. Plus, these vendors sometimes have irresistible offers, so pay attention!
7. Swap products! Do you have a product that didn’t work well for you? Are you looking to try something new or is one of your staples too expensive for you right now? Why not swap it with someone else who is interested in what you have? You can find a swap board on naturallycurly.com
8. Don’t waste your hard earned money! Sometimes, a product is just too expensive for what it does. So be the judge of where you won’t go. Personally, I refuse to pay $60 for a 16 oz product. If I never buy it, I would never know if my hair would have liked it! LoL, Sounds good to me! In addition, each and everyone’s hair is different, true, but if every one regardless of texture, length, curl size and condition had a negative experience with a product, should you really try it yourself to know?
9. This is an extension of Tip#1, my hair responds to different products at different times. My hair hated silicones my second and third year natural, but seems to tolerate them now. In retrospect, I was also using colors heavily back then. Give old ‘cheaper picks’ a try. You might luck out and find that your hair has gotten the memo.
10. Style with your savings in mind! Protective styles and sets will obviously require fewer products to maintain a beautiful look than will out styles simply because the hair is styled for a longer time period.
Come back tomorrow for a few products that are budget friendly!
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome post!! These are some great tips!
Great info thanks!!
Yes indeedy sweetie. Good points
I love the one about bulk orders because the shipping is a lot cheaper that way and also if you prefer commerical products then Sistersplace and Curlmart. Thanks for this post.
Thank you for these helpful tips.