As you might know, retailers run all sorts of sales on just about everything on the Friday and Monday after Thanksgiving, respectively known as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Hair product and hair tool vendors are no exception. Accordingly, with this blog post I evaluate the hair products and tools that I really like and that I want to try sooner than later. This will help me decide what to prioritize purchasing, if anything. 🙂
Hair-related Purchases Already (Just) Made
After around 5 years of doing MAJOR and EXTENSIVE research in order to purchase a standing hair dryer . . . but then for EVERY HAIR DRYER being too skittish to purchase it after being scared away by the 5-10 negative reviews out of 200+ reviews . . . I finally ordered a standing hair dryer.
Those who have been on this hair journey along with me — I imagine — are thinking, “SHUT UP, NO YOU DIDN’T, WHAT MADE YOU FINALLY BE ABLE TO JUST GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE THE DARN THING?!??” LOL! 😀 Well, two main reasons:
#1:
I think my NOT drying my wash and go’s under a standing hair dryer is a key reason I have trouble with wash and going. Drying the hair under a dryer like they do at the salon could fix everything, and I’m tired of putting in all the
- work (which translates to time),
- product (which translates to money), and
- detangling (which translates to mechanical damage, no matter how minimal) . . .
. . . only to achieve a wash and go that is subpar to what I’ve seen others achieve on my hair.
#2:
A lady online just happened to be posting that the standing hair dryer she recently purchased behaves JUST LIKE A SALON QUALITY hair dryer. She shared a link to it. I clicked. It was listed as only costing about $85. There weren’t a lot of reviews, but not a single one was negative. Over 1600 units had already been sold. Shipping was free. Not only did I have the online lady’s rave review, but one of the online reviewers at the seller’s page said that the hair dryer was quiet! What?!??
So, yeah. 🙂 With all of that, I just decided to jump — to go for it before my overthinking could talk me out of it. In doing so, I knew that I was foregoing a feature I’d always prioritized: that the dryer be ionic (please see the relevant video on the GreenBeauty channel on YouTube to learn about the importance and healthiness of using an ionic hair dryer). Oh, well. *Kanye shrug* FOR FIVE YEARS I’ve been trying to purchase a standing hair dryer. It was just time. 🙂 *nods head up and down* Lord willing, I’ll let you know how that purchase turns out. 😀
Other Hair-related Purchases I’ve Already (Just) Made
- NaturAll Club Fresh Avocado Deep Conditioner: I got the 3-pack containing all 3 different kinds. The YouTube demos and reviews make this stuff look just magical. Curiosity about this product has been getting me. I decided to trial it before I start trying to generate a DIY version of the Anita Grant Rhassoul Condish: If the NaturAll avocado DC is even better than the AG Rhassoul Condish, I’d rather work on a DIY version of the former instead.
- TIGI Catwalk Curlesque Curl Rocks Amplifier (a curl definer / styler): Old posts on hair forums and old YouTube demos just rave and rave about this product for overcoming issues with wash and going to achieve a bomb, bomb wash and go. I never even heard of this product. When I saw those raves and thought about how trying a curl activator gel recently for the first time seemed to be amazing on my hair, I decided to purchase the TIGI Catwalk. It’s a little pricey. And I’ll have to play around with whether to wear it alone or over Uncle Funky’s Daughter’s Curly Magic (someone SWEARS by applying the Catwalk over completely dried Curly Magic) or under Bronner Brother’s Firm Hold Curling Gel or something. I’m a little too hopeful about the potential of this product, I think. 🙂 As Cedric the Entertainer joked, I have high hopes. LOL. High hopes are risky; they’re so . . . dashable. Mm, mm, mm. 🙂
Black Friday / Cyber Monday Hair-related Purchases I’m Strongly, Strongly Considering
| Item to Possibly Purchase | Justification / Reason / Thoughts |
| DevaCurl Wash Day Wonder | This is a detangling pre-wash that I want to try to see if it stands up to the hype. If so, mechanical damage and breakage might be GREATLY reduced. That translates to retained length and thickness. |
| Curl Origin Bamboo Blossom Twist & Twirl Defining Buttercream | Recently renamed, this twisting cream is reviewed as having serious hold but the kind great for a juicy twist out. After getting breakage from twisting with a super strong hold gel, this looks like a great product to test to see if its hold can translate to longer-lasting twist outs (which means reduced handling and damage) but without breakage. |
| Curls Cashmere Hair Silk | This is a leave-in that people in person have been raving about to me. I’m hearing words like “my hair is truly silky with this.” I’m wondering if this would allow me to run my brush through my wet hair once at the styling phase, with little damage/breakage. |
| Jane Carter Curls To Go Curl Drench Cleansing Co Wash | This would be a repurchase. I would use this to reduce the number of times I use deeply cleansing shampoo each month — to just once or twice a month. This would prevent drying out of the hair, which translates to less breakage/damage. |
| Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-in Conditioner | I would try this under gel when wash and going. Supposedly this product weighs down and elongates some people’s hair who desire that for their wash and go’s. Hmm. |
| Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Butter Cream | I would try this under gel when wash and going. I’m wondering if I just need to move to a buttercream instead of continuing with leave-ins that have great slip but tend to be too light for my hair/aims. |
| Curls Cashmere Hair Bath | Friends say this shampoo leaves the hair feeling clean AND like it was just conditioned. Wow. I have looked at the ingredients, and it has some seriously fortifying-looking ingredients in it. I wonder if it would improve the health of my hair over time. I might be great to use as a second wash AFTER my Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampoo. What might THAT do?!!! |
On Trying to Decide Whether To Make Any Further Purchases . . .
So to be honest, I think I can psychologically justify obtaining the first three items listed above: The DevaCurl Wash Day Wonder (detangling pre-wash), the Curl Origin twisting cream, and the Curls Cashmere Hair Silk. I also might be able to justify the Curls Cashmere Hair Bath. However, I don’t think — looking at my current hair products stash — that I can psychologically justify purchasing the other items just yet: I probably first just need to pause for a moment and work with the TIGI Catwalk product that I just purchased (for wash and go’s).
Now this may seem like overkill, but it has really slowed down my purchasing to maintain a table of products like the one below. The table helps me to remember what’s really working for me, and this helps me navigate the HUGE AMOUNT OF PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET (see the discussion about the market in the video below).
It can be hard finding what works. And in 5 years, it is easy to forget what you’ve tried and just how well it worked. The shiny, new released product always sounds so amazing.
That’s why I keep my table. At first it felt like a bit much, just so extra. LOL. 😛 But once made, that’s it. Table’s done. It’s then so easy to remove and add products to the table, and glancing at the table helps me chill out on trying a whole bunch of new stuff just because I pick it up in the store or watch a YouTube video that makes it look fabulous.
How I Really Get the Most Out of My Hair Products Table
What’s unique about my hair products table is that it doesn’t just contain my staple and holy grail products. It contains products I’m considering, that I think might truly be(come) my staple and holy grail products, in a format that concretely shows how everything could rank up against each other. As a result, I can instantly see what I absolutely don’t need and what might be a real benefit, particularly if purchased sooner than later.
Not only that, but the order of the categories in the table speak to my regimen. Fiya, right? 😀
All of this together helps me to understand that I have sufficient product: There is no real, dire need to purchase. It allows me to see how a next purchase would change what I’m able to do/try styling-wise and hair care-wise.
Here is an example of what I’m able to see/reason from the table below after glancing at just the first two rows in the table:
Though I don’t own and haven’t ever tried the DevaCurl Wash Day Wonder, I get the sense that it would bump everything else to the side. That is why I had the gall to place it in the “favorite products thus far” column without ever having used it. And . . . I’m currently out of its competitors, the Shea Moisture hipo mask and the Curl Junkie lotion. ENABLED CONCLUSION: This purchase is justifiable now/soon . . . if I’m okay with the price and if I have a backup detangler somewhere in case the Wash Day Wonder ends up being a bust.
| Category | Favorite Product thus Far | 2nd Favorite Product Thus Far | Also Good | Also Good | Also Good |
| Pre-wash / prepoo | DevaCurl Wash Day Wonder? | Shea Moisture High Porosity Moisture-Correct Masque | |||
| Detangler | DevaCurl Wash Day Wonder? | Shea Moisture High Porosity Masque | Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion | ||
| Cleanser | Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo | HairPrint Chelating Shampoo | Jane Carter Curls To Go Curl Drench Cleansing Co Wash | Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo | Malibu C Hardwater Shampoo |
| Scalp exfoliant | Cantu ACV Root Rinse | Komaza Pona Hair and Scalp Treatment | |||
| Protein treatment | Komaza Care Protein Hair Strengthener | ||||
| Deep conditioner | Shea Moisture Manuka Honey | NaturAll Club Fresh Avocado Deep Conditioner? | Anita Grant Rhassoul Condish | Tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask | |
| Leave-in conditioner | Curls Cashmere Hair Silk? | Shea Moisture Manuka Honey Leave-in Milk (has a very thick buttercream-consistency) | Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion | ||
| Rinse-out conditioner | DevaCurl Decadence One Condition | ||||
| Curling crème or curl activator | TIGI Catwalk Curlesque Curls Rock Amplifier? | Ampro Curl Activator Gel (but something better smelling, such as the Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curling Creme) | |||
| Foam / mousse | Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curl Enhancing Mousse | Texture ID Foam Thermal Multi-Styling Foam | |||
| Gel | Bronner Brothers Firm Hold Curling Gel | Kinky Curly Curling Custard | Eco Styler Gel (either Black Castor and Flaxseed Oil or perhaps Olive Oil?) | ||
| Twisting cream/gel | Curl Origin Bamboo Blossom Twist & Twirl Defining Buttercream? | The Mane Choice Ancient Egyptian 24K Twisting Gel | Bronner Brothers Firm Hold Curling Gel if light-handedly to avoid cementation and breakage | The Mane Choice Tropical Moringa Pearly Braid Out Glaze | |
| Other | Biosilk Hard Rock Gelee to tame fly aways, control edges, etc. | My version of YouTuber CurlyProverb’s DIY ayurvedic hair tea (note: mine contains aloe Vera powder) | Grapeseed oil for oil rinsing |
The table is quite filled in, right? Overall that just slows my roll waaaayyyyy down. If all these blocks were pretty empty, that would speak to a need to view this season as a purchasing season. But the blocks aren’t generally empty. I’m good and I’m blessed in that I’m supplied and in knowledge of what’s great on my hair — no small feat. So I feel prompted to be a good steward of my money and save or purchase family Christmas gifts instead of getting pulled in by all of these Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. 😀
What Are Your Needs? Will You Be Making Purchases for Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
What about you? Any purchasing plans? Do you jot down notes about how a product does your hair, about what you’ve tried, etc. so as not to over purchase? Please sound off in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you.
Happy holidays, and always, thank you for visiting the blog! Many blessings to you and yours! I hope you are able to enjoy your family this holiday season. 😀 Please stay safe and take care! ❤
Yours,
Yvette
The Blossoming, Fit Natural 