In the past four years since I left all chemical processing and fully embraced my natural hair. I’ve spent a lot of time and money trying various products and truly learning what works for my hair. Many of the products that I used on my relaxed hair no longer gave my natural hair favorable results. Many of the products that I once loved would leave my natural hair sticky, dull, and dry. Additionally, the more I learned about ingredients the more I cringed at the ingredients list in my old arsenal of products. Many of these products contained ingredients like mineral oil, petroleum, sulfates, and harsh alcohols that I personally was no longer interested in using as a part of my healthy hair regimen.
Finding new products with healthier ingredients for my hair type was the easy part. Learning how to properly use them to achieve my desired results turned out to be a science project with many variables affecting my outcome.
When it comes to hair products, how you use them is just as important as the formula itself.
You can buy every leave-in conditioner, pomade, edge control, butter, pudding, and cream on the shelf, but it means nothing if you don’t properly use them or learn to use them in a way that is best for your hair.
Thirty precent of the videos on my BlakIzBeautyful YouTube channel are product reviews, so I completely understand the euphoria that comes with learning about a new product. Additionally, I wholeheartedly understand how disheartening it feels to try new products and they fail me. My hair not only looks nothing like the advertisement, but my hair did nothing that the product promised! Because this has happened innumerable times, I started playing around with the variables when it comes to my hair. This leads me to my one and only suggestion on how to maximize the efficacy of everything you use—try, try, and try again.
I suggest trying a product by completely following the directions on the bottle for your first use. If you are directed to use on soaking wet hair, do it. If it states apply in sections, do that too. Whatever they are telling you to do, it’s most likely because the manufacturer has a stylist on staff making these suggestions based on the products designed use. Reading the directions in the store can also help you make a decision about whether this product is even worth the time commitment. If you’ve followed their directives and your results are a fail, then try again but in a new way.
You don’t know how many curly puddings and gels I’ve tried in order to attain curl definition. I always felt defeated after applying a generous amount of product and shaking my head vigorously—to the point of needing a neck brace and it never worked because my hair isn’t exactly curly; it’s more kinky, curly, and coily. For this reason, using the product on smaller sections while my hair is soaking wet and then using a detangling brush to evenly distribute the product worked a million times better, and I could see my natural curl pattern. The directions were obviously written for women with a particular hair texture, but with a little trial and error I made the product work for me.
It’s ok to try products on damp, wet, and even dry hair. Use products in smaller sections to see how that affects the results. Slathering it all over may not work or you. You can also layer your products to enhance your results. Leave-in conditioners are great for hydrating hair under products that have strong holds. Whatever the case may be, you’re better off finding a new way to work with a product you already have and saving your money on investing on new products. The results might pleasantly surprise you.
What products did you try and didn’t like the results after following the directions but you gave it another shot? How did you change it up?
