At first I would say that it is awesome that finally
companies are taking notice to the “Natural Hair Trend” that has taken place in
the last 20 years. But after realizing that most of these companies are just
capitalizing on the influx of people embracing their natural coifs, ingredients are the least of their concerns. From bloggers that advertise national
brand products, to packaging/displays utilizing celebrities, to advertisements strategically placed
during your favorite television show. The reality is that many companies found in
beauty supply stores and on aisles at the big box retailers truly don’t have
natural hair in mind when formulating the actual product.
So the next time you are in a beauty supply store or big box
retailer, take a look at the many products that are marketed towards natural
hair, turn it around and look at the ingredients. Now compare those ingredients
used in products that are just labeled for black hair (specifically relaxed
hair)… See any similarities. You do don’t you. Do feel some kind of way? You
should, see what these national brands have realized is that taking a product
and repackaging it to market towards the natural hair community is a multi billion-dollar
market. So why actually try to change the formula of a product that is already
doing well, instead they give it a spin off name, create a label and utilize
key words found that naturalistas have concerns for. Grrrrreat Marketing, *gives round of applause* Deceptive little ...*shut your mouth*
After being a part of many blogs and dialogue on social
media as well as email/Skype, with other natural women and men, I have found
that people like being blindsided. Why you ask? Tuh, most people don’t like
spending money on their hair, for quality products or just have been burned by
inexperienced stylist. With that being said, most will rather spend money on
cheap products that claim to do something and in reality it doesn’t do anything
it describes, yet it does cause a ton of other issues. Combine that with the misuse of multiple
products at once, lack of professional care and daily/weekly abuse that one may
subject to their crowns to that equals a mess of a disaster.
The damage done has lead to a few of blogsites, magazines, Natural
hair specialist and small business products dedicated to dispelling myths in
the natural hair world. Women and men
alike are asking the same questions such as “why is my hair dry?”, “Why am I
experiencing breakage?”, “How do I get rid of buildup?”, “How do I get my hair
to look like the box or this picture?” and “How do I get my hair to hold a
style?”
SMH, WELLLLLP… let me help you by answering all those
questions with one answer. Try checking your ingredients on your products used
in your coifs.
By investing in professional care from time to time and high
quality products you can see and feel a difference with your crown. When speaking of professional expert care I mean someone that has a license and seeks education to keep
abreast of trends and products. High quality products will have more natural
ingredients that you can pronounce with in the first 5-10 ingredients. Don’t
get sucked into a pretty label, celebrity endorsements or typical phrases that imply the
opposite like the aforementioned and “For Natural Hair and Locs”. It starts by knowing key ingredients and what
they do and how to read in between the lines. It’s really simple to S.imply
K.eep Y.our H.air H.ealthy
I agree that you should seek the advice of a professional when you need to. I also however, hate having to go get my hair done. I feel like I can do just as good of a job at home in my jammies with a good movie, than a professional can. But, I say this having grown up with a close relative that was also a haircare professional and having gleaned from her knowledge. I am also very comfortable working in my own head having been combing my hair on a day-to-day basis since I was 7.
ReplyDeleteFor someone who is not knowledgeable or comfortable working in their own head should seek professional. I never bought into all the hair product hype. For one thing, you have to slather on 12 different products to get the hair to curl and lay like you want it, and I just can't which is one of the reasons I decided to loc my hair. I can shampoo, condition (maybe) and go. I don't even have to palm-roll at that point if I don't want to. I don't use a ton of products, I use whatever organic oil I'm into that month and keep it move'n.
Loose hair requires more time and attention but I still think less is more can be beneficial from time to time.
Agreed, So Wheeler. If a person is well versed in maintaining healthy hair then by all means do it yourself! But those people are few and far in between, LOL. I write for magazines and the image of professional stylist has been tarnished by those that are not actually professionals. Maintaining healthy hair is quite simple. You just have to understand your curl pattern, porosity, elasticity and density. Once that is understood then people can make better choices for their hair and care of it. Thanks so much for reading my blog and posting a comment! Have a fantastic day!
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