This article was inspired by this chat amongst our CurlTalk members.
As curly girls, many of us are product junkies by nature. We like to try every product out there in hopes it will provide us with the best hair days of our lives. Whenever we find products that outperform all the others and give us our best hair days, they are known as our “Holy Grails” or “HG” for short, our Holy Grail products may not be the most inexpensive but they work so well that we feel the need to have them on hand. Here are some tips for making our Holy Grail products last longer.
Reminder: Most websites have sales. Sometimes once a month, sometimes only once or twice a year but make sure you are subscribed to e-mail newsletters for your favorite brands and hair websites (Curlmart? Wink, wink”> so you are alerted about their sales. The “friends and family” sales usually offer the highest discount- sometimes up to 40% off! Target, CVS and Walgreens sometimes put some very popular products on sale buy 1 get 1 free or half off! Sale time is the perfect time to hoard, I mean, stock up on your Holy Grails so you can save some money on them. So now back to the tips on using your actual products.
Whenever we find products that outperform all the others and give us our best hair days, they are known as our “Holy Grails” or “HG
1. Experiment with how much product you truly need.
Be it a co-wash, deep treatment or styler a little experimenting may reveal that you are actually using more product than you need to. Try cutting back a bit and see if you get the same results by using less product.
2. Take the water out!
When applying your HG masks, and deep conditioners make sure you gently squeeze the excess water from your hair first with a microfiber towel or t-shirt. Too much water on your hair before applying these products will only dilute the concentrated formulas and you may wind up applying more product than actually needed.
3. Consider the shelf life of your products.
Many curlies follow the CG method or prefer products with more natural ingredients–I don’t blame you. However, it is important to consider how quickly you go through your products, as natural products with few to no preservatives can expire and go bad quickly, so they get thrown out. That is literally money wasted. Try to not overbuy if you go through natural products more slowly so they do not expire on you. You can also store these products in the fridge for some extended shelf life.
More: This symbol tells you when your products expire
4. Stretch your wash days.
The more days you go between washing your hair, the less often you will use your wash day product. Aside from the fact that washing your hair too often can strip it of natural oils and dry out the hair, this is an added benefit. Most curlies only use their after shower styling products such as gels and sealers, after they shower. Invest in a good dry shampoo and refresher spray to use on the days in between (and get them on sale”> A good hair primer such as the Living Proof Prime Style Extender and Ouidad Whipped Curl Recovery Primer worn under other stylers post shower can help your hairstyle last a few extra days. Sleeping with hair in a pineapple and on a satin pillowcase can preserve your style as well, thus using your Holy Grail stylers less frequently.
5. Invest in the Q-Redew.
This is a one time purchase that will last you years. Many times I thought I was going to need to wash and redo my hair because of wonky waves or a ponytail dent. But this handheld steamer is a game changer. I like to use it with Devacurl Set It Free but you can also use it all on its own. It helps droopy curls spring back and helps ponytail dents disappear.
6. Dilute your shampoo with coconut water.
I wouldn’t suggest this for deep treatments because we want them as concentrated as possible but you may want to try diluting your shampoo. You can mix 3 parts shampoo to one part water in a little bottle. You will go through a lot less product and it will help spread throughout your scalp even better. If you want to some added benefits for your hair and scalp, dilute it with coconut water instead.
Holy Grail products lead to good hair days and consistent good hair days are priceless. These are just some ideas to how to stretch your favorite products out a bit to make them last longer.
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