Spend Your Money Wisely- 6 Steps To Make Before Purchasing A Product

It’s hard out here for a broke or near broke woman with dreams of mountains of creamy conditioner and refreshing hair mists. Here we are still in the throws of the recession and as many are getting back on their feet there are still some of us pinching pennies and trying to make ends meet.

Not everyone is back on track and with foreclosures still occurring and unemployment still high, many natural women are thankful for staying clear of the pricey salons but are in need of some hair care assistance nonetheless.

The days of carefree spending are behind most of us and we need to cut out the wasteful spending of our past. So, as I look you product junkies squarely in the eye, I want you to know that I am not saying you should give up your natural tendency to shop till you drop for hair products and accessories.

Sometimes you have to buy a lot to figure out what is going to work for your tresses and many newly naturals must take this PJ road in order to become a veteran. I’m just saying curb it a  bit with these helpful hints on how to save more and still get what you need, want or just have to have, it wont be hard.

1. Read product reviews – There are reviews EVERYWHERE whether you are on FB, Twitter, hair sites like this one or blogs. Give old Google a try since it’s free and full of resources.

Check out the product to see what it claims to offer then check out the reviews. Be careful about reviews on the company website though because their primary goal is to get you to buy it so more often then not those reviews are biased.

I mean to check out reviews like mine here, where I not only list the ingredients, I give a full account of what and how I used it and what my outcome was on more than one try. Read a positive review and a bad one and see if you notice why they felt so differently about them.

It’s good to get a full review and not just a ” I loved it!’ or ” I hated it!” since that really doesn’t tell you anything. Also, read a review from someone with your hair type. That doesn’t mean it will necessarily work as well or as bad for your tresses but it might help.

2. Read the back of labels – I cannot stress this enough! Many of us are becoming Natural hair experts no longer are words like Cetyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol scaring us. These are actually good for your skin and hair because they are long chain fatty alcohols which means they act like oily moisturizers.

Google is your friend for labels and what they have in them and what those crazy words we cannot pronounce even mean.

Also, remember the the first 5 ingredients in a product are the most important so if a bottle has the word coconut oil* plastered all over the front but it’s way at the bottom of the ingredients list then they barely have a hint of it in there. The first 5 in the list make the bulk of the product.

3. Watch YouTube videos – Are you a visual person? Well, videos are great for allowing you to fully see the results from product reviews. Again, steer clear from the reviewers that don’t fully explain what’s in the product or say next to nothing about it.

You want a real review where they discuss the consistency, the process, the smell, pretty much everything so that you get a true picture of what it did or didn’t do. A great product review is going to be longer than a couple of minutes and a great product review gives pics of before and after use so you see the difference.

Many product reviews are sponsored so ensure that the vlogger is giving her own opinion because there is a difference.

4. Ask for samples – Many product lines have samples that they can send to you or can be found at stores. Don’t be squeamish about asking and remember they are more apt to send samples of new products especially if you are buying something already.

They are in the business to make money but if they see you are a paying customer they are more willing to give you free stuff, so just ask! All they can do is say no and don’t take it personally if they do say no.

5. Join a natural hair care kit service – Curlkit, Curlbox, We are Onyx, these are natural hair and beauty boxes that for a small monthly fee usually around $20. They will send you samples and full sized products for you to try every month and its a great way to try a ton of new and old products without breaking the bank.

I love them and have reviewed a few and have to say they are worth the dollars for such a great haul. Many times you get full sizes or big samples sizes of products so don’t sleep on them.

6. Go to meetups – I haven’t been to a meet up yet that didn’t break me off with a serious goody bad full of regular sized products. These meetups are being sponsored well by big manufacturers that want you to try their products and for a small fee at the door you usually walk away with a gold mine.

You get coupons, samples, full-sized beauty and hair products and often they have door prizes and raffles. It’s a great way to have fun, meet new people including some natural hair celebrities and come home with a bag or box full of new goodies to try. That’s it, how have you been saving money with your product purchases?