HAIRCARE ON A BUDGET

Hey hey guys!!!

Firstly, I have to apologise profusely for my absence the last two Fridays! Things have been superrrrr hectic lately. My little brother was sick and in & out of hospital. And then, I also fell ill! Stress! Well thankfully, we’re both feeling much better now so I’m back!

Now, when I talk to people who want to go natural or people who are newly natural, one of the main complaints is: “NATURAL HAIR IS SO DARN EXPENSIVE!” Trust me ladies and gents, I feel your pain. When I first went natural, I was spending nearly all my money on my hair. It was so annoying because I thought one of the perks of going natural was that I would save money in the long run. But if you’ve been natural for a while, you know the drill. You go out and buy a million products, only for like 4 of them to work. Or you spend lots of money buying only organic, all natural products! Or (and this is the the MOST annoying one), hairdressers have been known to charge more for clients with “black hair”, especially natural clients. It’s all very frustrating. But there are ways around these issues that mean you can have healthy, beautiful hair without breaking the bank. Stay tuned!

• Learn to do your hair yourself – sounds kinda obvious but if you know how to do your own hair, no one can charge you extortionate prices for simple things, such as a deep conditioning treatment.

A recent homemade henna gloss treatment

• Use what I like to call ‘multitasking products’ – I’ve touched on this in previous posts but one thing that has saved me a great deal of money is using products that I can use for things other than my hair. For example, I use shea butter, apple cider vinegar and almond oil on my skin as well as my hair. Do your research and see how you can make your products more useful!
• Don’t buy every single product you see on YouTube, blogs, Instagram etc – I say this same disclaimer every single time someone asks for a product recommendation: what works for person A may not work for you. Just because your fave hair YouTuber or blogger swears by certain products, doesn’t mean they will automatically work for you and your hair type. All of us have different hair! Of course, give things a try but don’t throw out all your old stuff and buy all new things because someone says so!

I adore the Curl Enhancing Smoothie but I know of quite a few people who really dislike it

• Get in touch with your DIY side – making your own products can end up saving you lots of money. Try mixing your own concoctions instead of splurging – of course, PLEASE do lots of research before mixing anything and plopping it on your head! For example, instead of buying some pricey protein treatments, pop into your pantry and grab some eggs, mayo and olive oil. Or for a moisturising one, get into the kitchen and grab an avocado, a banana and some coconut oil.
• Buy in bulk – although this is not always the case, sometimes it’s better to buy multiple bottles/tubs of a product or to buy a bigger size than you usually would. More often than not, it works out cheaper in the long run. Plus, sometimes, especially in America, they have buy one, get one half price offers.

One of my faves – Giovanni Direct Leave In (I bought this huge 1 litre bottle and I refill the small one)

• Don’t give up on products too soon – I have some products that, the first time I tried them, they were horrendous!! Then after trying them in new ways, they turned out to be great. So if something doesn’t work, try it in a new way and see what happens. Maybe try it as a styler instead of a leave in, as I did with the Dark & Lovely Au Naturale Anti-Shrinkage Curl Defining Crème Glaze. Or if it’s a poor deep conditioner, try beefing it up with some olive oil or honey.
• Try doing product swaps – when you try a product and you REALLY don’t like it, rather than throwing it away and buying something else, try swapping products with someone. Like I keep saying, what worked terribly for your friend may work amazingly well for you.

Just a little view of my latest protective style in case you don’t follow me on IG