THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF BEING A PRODUCT JUNKIE

In the natural hair community being a product junkie or a product addict is deemed a bad thing, however, there are positives and negatives to being a product junkie. Yes, the term "product junkie" sounds like a negative term but it's really not so bad. Being a product junkie may be expensive and might be borderline hoarding but on the other hand you are investing in the health and maintenance of your hair. Here are some positive and negatives to being a product junkie:

NEGATIVES:
Being a product junkie is expensive. - To spend money on natural hair products on a regular basis will bear weight on your pockets. All natural hair products are not cheap and not everyone can afford them, especially if they are from well-known or luxury brands.  

Product wastage : You can't use all your products at one time; you only have a certain amount of hair. Some products come with expiration dates so you end up throwing them away if they have passed the date since you held unto them for so long. In the end you ending wasting the product and your hard earned money.

Not reading the ingredients: Product junkies oftentimes don’t read the ingredients hence they don't even know if the product will really work for your hair. You might end up using a product that is more damaging than beneficial, so take the time out to read the ingredients to decipher if it is good for your hair.

Cluttering your space: If your hair storage is taking over a large percentage of your space or you've run out of storage this could be a negative. You dont want to create clutter if your life. Your life can be simpler and free of excess things if you just stick to the minimum. 

Excess damage to you hair: Using too many products in your hair or different products on your hair can make your hair dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Not only could you cause breakage by over manipulation, but constant washing and styling can dry out your hair.  Even too much protein or too many oils can have the same effect.  

POSITIVES:

Finding the perfect product for your hair: Seeing that the market is finally catering to black natural hair and new trend and fun products are showing up everywhere, we now have more options to choose from and the only way to know if you've found the holy grail of hair products is by trying it out. Finding the perfect product may take time and money but one you've fount the product that lays your edges, keep your hair moisturized and get those curls pippin' then it will all be worth it. 

Give reviews – Once you try a product and it works or doesn’t work for you, you are helping the natural hair community by sharing your experience. You can share product reviews on blogs, forums or YouTube about the best and the worst products that you've used in your hair and why it did or didn’t work.

Prepared for texture change: There are so many factors that can cause changes to your hair texture such as whether, hormones, products, heat styling or eating habits. This could cause your hair texture to change from a loose curl to a tight curl or visa versa, high porosity, to normal or low porosity, fully moisturized to dry and brittle or thick and luxurious to thin and frail, so having the abundance of products might allow you to be prepared for that.

Supporting small businesses: Most of the new natural hair care brands are started by black women and when you buy from these small black-owned women businesses you are helping to build the economy as well as building wealth within the black community. 

If being product junkie helps you with the maintainanace and care of your natural tresses then, keep it up! Being a product junkie can simply mean that you are loving your natural hair and you will do whatever it takes to keep it healthy and beautiful. Trying different product can possibly help other natural hair women discover what might work for them as well. Also, trying new products is fun, it gives you a chance to play in your hair, experiment with different styles and hair routines and helps you learn more about your natural hair. There’s always going to be something new out there such as a new formula, recipe, ingredient, brand, or tool; natural hair creators are very innovative, however, following the trend may not be the best thing to do, so If you see something you really like carefully consider if it before you run out to purchase it

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