Curly Undergrad: My Curly Hair Products Don't Fit!

After the giddy feeling has worn off and you have said goodbye to the ‘rents, the tears will come down like a waterfall when you see the storage space in your shoebox-sized dorm room.

Soon panic sets in, as you, a long-time product junkie, try to figure out where you will put your salon-sized bottles of conditioner, store your summer products, find storage for your winter products and stash your I-no-longer-use/want products that you can’t bear to throw away.

So here are my tips to help you de-clutter and find space for all your curly hair products. How else would your college transition to natural locks look great every day?

Clear the Clutter, Organize the Product

College is not the time to be a product junkie. Stop hoarding the gels and butters and get organized!

1. Get Rid of It. As a curly who embarks on a natural hair journey, it’s only normal that you try to experiment with as many curly hair products and tools as possible. Along the way, you acquire your Holy Grail products and stuff you wouldn’t even give to a friend. If you are like me, you kept it all anyway. Don’t even try to deny it, because if I looked in your bathroom cabinet, it would look like warehouse storage for a small beauty supply store.

Going away to college or university means downsizing your budget, social time and space. But for a curly, it also means downsizing your collection of curly hair products. As a rule of thumb, if you did not like it, throw it away or give it to a friend to try. If you can’t remember how it performed on your hair or you haven’t used it for more than three months, then toss it. After all, there is a reason you are no longer using it.

1. Buy Large Sizes. If you can buy the largest bottle possible of whatever it is that you need, then do it! It’s much easier to store one large bottle of something than it is to store two or three smaller bottles. If you really love it, and it is a part of your everyday routine, invest in the large bottle.
2. Utilize Spaces you Wouldn’t Think of Normally. Storage bins are lifesavers. They can be cute, colorful and found in just about every size to fit every space. Invest in a few and use them to store your stuff in unconventional spaces like under desks and beds and on top of clothes cupboards. Also, many storage bins can be stacked to save floor space. Be imaginative, because you can’t ask to use your roommate’s storage space to store your own stuff!!
3. Simply Your Hair Routine. Many of us have long rituals that we go through every style session to get our hair just right. These style sessions usually involve a plethora of styling agents and tools. Let’s be realistic, though, in college, you wont have enough time to sleep, let alone style your hair. Also, any extra time will be spent catching up on assignments, the family you forgot to call, the friends you haven’t seen since your first college class and the well-balanced meals you haven’t had since you started dining in the school cafeteria. My advice would be to focus more on creating a healthy hair regimen rather than getting every curl just right. Try styles that are quick and easy and that require very few curly hair products to create. Then go all out on the weekend. By simplifying your routine, you will be able to limit the number of products you use and therefore have to take with you to college.

Final Thoughts

I hope this helps to take the guesswork out of packing your bags and storing your stuff. Good luck with all your scholarly endeavors and as always, love, peace and curly hair bliss!