Lately, I have received a plethora of emails from new naturals who have recently big chopped or will big chop sometime in the near future. The most frequent question I receive is, “Do I have to use all natural or organics products?”
My answer is really simple. No.
You can use whatever products you already have access to. It is not necessary to go out and spend a substantial amount of money on new hair care products, just because your hair is natural now.
Don’t Be Lazy – Write It Down
The key to using products you already have or new products, for that matter, is to understand how those products are working for your new natural hair. This is where your natural hair journal becomes a vital asset. Maintaining a natural hair journal is how you will know what worked and didn’t work for your hair. The basic things that you want to document are:
- What is the name of the product?
- Why are you using the product? What purpose will it serve?
- How you used the product (did you follow the instructions exactly)? Or, did you deviate a little or a lot?
- How often are you using the products?
- Did the product do what you expected it to do?
- Take pictures
If It Doesn’t Work the First Time, So What?
If you don’t get the expected results, then so what? Natural hair is trial and error. Sometimes, it’s unpredictable; if it doesn’t work the first time, try it again. You have to remember, your natural hair journey is a personal journey. It will not be cookie cutter.
If you find that a product doesn’t work as you anticipated, try using it in a different way. For example, let’s assume that you tried a new shampoo and on the 1st attempt it lathers way too much and it is hard to rinse out. To remedy the excessive lathering and rinsing issues, you might try using less shampoo and focus on your scalp and not your hair. If you find that rinsing is still a chore, another aspect to review is your water? Do you have hard water? We recommend using Root Cause Analysis to solve problems with your natural hair.
Non-Organic vs. Organic Products
When you really think about whether you should use organic products or not, take some time to evaluate your lifestyle. Understand that the process of preserving your hair starts with what you eat, drink, or ultimately consume internally. One of the best things that you can do for your hair is to eat healthy. This could mean eating organic food products, but that’s definitely not required.
So, going natural doesn’t mean that you have to use natural or organic hair products; although it is an option. Use products that make your hair feel good to you.
Do you think you that must use all-natural or organic products now that you are natural?
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About Jael Byrd
I have been going natural for the past six years and find the main advantage is I use anything basically to wash my hair. sadly even body wash and I do not have a problem. However I do realise that some products do enhance smell, body, shine etc but I really dont think organic makes much of a difference. Confession! I went to Jamaica and was introduced to a set of naturally made products which truly made me upset. Why? My hair just seemed to start growing after being stagnant for a while and thus I had problems grooming it ever so often with the constant new growth. So that said it really depends on you and the ingredients that you much rather.
Niph, I think understanding that we are not bound to certain types of products is key. If using body wash gives you the desired results you seek after then that is great! I personally, like for my hair to feel a certain way and I try to stick with products that give me what I want. I even use homemade products that work well including avocados and coconut milk.
Honestly, I think your hair was going all the time but you may have found that you were able to retain length better. I am glad that you were introduced to those products from Jamaica. Switching things up can be good sometime
Thanks for your comment!
i almost became a product junkie. i was looking at you tube videos like it was going out of style. i was on video tutorial overload seeing what everyone was using and what product people was giving good and bad reviews about. i had to snap out of and just keep using the products i had here in the house. some of those natural shampoos and conditioners and hair treatment are priced so expensive that i just couldn’t see myself paying that much for it. there are still some things i want to try like the kinky curly products but right now, i’m just trying to keep it cleaned and moisturized and getting it growing healthy again. maybe as my journey continues i will venture out and try other products and and techniques but i’m trying to keep it simple and as budget conscious as possible.
@naturallylonda – I think you are using a great strategy and it will definitely benefit you in the long run. I think Youtube does have that effect on people but you saw what was happening and was able to snap out of it.
“I almost became a product junkie.”- I think this is a great line because as you become more aware, you quickly realize that natural hair is not expensive but it can definitely become expensive if you want it to be.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
Jael