Product fatigue from trial and error is a real thing. Many naturals go through tons of products during their journey with the goal of finding a miracle in the bottom of the jar. But often many of us end up feeling disappointed and bamboozled and left wondering if it's the product or if it's just you. These continued failures often leave naturals deflated, wanting to cut their hair or even returning back to the creamy crack. We've all been there, so let's talk about some of the main reasons for so called product failure.
1. You have product buildup: The product isn't actually ON your hair: Hear us out. A lot of times when people think a product isn't working or they think a product IS working it may actually not be as a result of the product that they recently used. Naturals use a lot of products with oils, butters and other non-water soluble ingredients - which means the product isn't actually touching your strands but could be sitting on top of a layer of other products - that are either blocking it or enhancing. The best way to ensure your hair is actually benefiting from a new product especially if you like testing a lot of products is to wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo like Curl Crush Wash Yo Damn Hair.
2. Expectations: Sounds crazy but the expectations game is a mother. In the age of YouTube and Instagram - we're used to watching very professional people (who claim to be amateurs) achieve really beautiful styles. In addition, these people often have hair types that look good regardless of what they do to it. Add to the fact that many of these "amateurs" are not at all amateurs. Many YouTubers spend hours perfecting hairstyles and they are often paid for their content. It's their job! All that activity may not be feasible for those of us balancing career, family and a busy schedule. Also unrealistically expecting your hair to look like someone else's is a set-up for failure.
3. Everything isn't a styling product: In the end most of the hairdo's you admire are a "style" that means they were created with a styling product with a finished goal in mind. Think about when you used to go to the hair dresser - your hairdresser didn't slap moisturizer in your hair and send you out the door with the expectation that the hair would magically form into a sophisticated look - they styled the hair by setting it, braiding it, wrapping it, blowing drying it et. When picking out products - know the difference between a styler and a moisturizer. This is why we have put our styling products in categories for you. Twist-out products and Wash and Go products. These are all products designed to give you long-lasting hold and a style you can wear for more than one day.
4. You didn't follow the directions. Most products have fairly decent directions and sometimes we never read them - sounds simple but you'd be surprise.
5. You're not using enough - Ok so you may expect us to say this because we sell products - but some of you all have enough in your stash to moisturize a small town. At least when it comes to styling products - being more generous can help achieve a better style.
Bonus: It takes time to learn your hair: Many naturals are wondering how long does it take? But think of it this way. Most of us spent over a decade doing the OPPOSITE of what our hair does naturally. That was time that we missed out on learning our hair. Learning what it does at the beach, in the rain on a humid day. That's over 3,650 days of not only missed learning but of learning about straight hair instead. Think about that when you think about going back to being straight. Instead of making it easier you're just once again prolonging your learning.
All this to say - be patient with yourself, love your hair as it is, have realistic expectations and enjoy the process.
Remember your hair was beautifully and wonderfully made.
xoxo
Product Junkie
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