If you follow me on my Instagram, you will know I am a product junkie currently in “recovery” lol. I am cleaning out my hair collection and as I am doing so, I am realizing how much money and products I have wasted.

I fell into this trap very early on in my natural hair journey. In the beginning, I was trying to soak up all the information I could. I watched countless YouTube videos of all the “best” and “must try” products all in an attempt to learn how to care and style my hair. I wanted to try everything so the products could work their “magic” on my hair and here I am six years later with a collection of products that are barely used and just collecting dust. Many of my products have expired and I now have to throw away hundreds of dollars’ worth of product!

I do not want you to end up like me. so please see four things you can do to stop being a product junkie.

1. Stick to the products that work!

   In the beginning of your natural hair journey, you may easily fall into the trap of being a product junkie because you are constantly on the search for the “perfect” product(s). Once you become more familiar with your hair and it’s needs, you will be better suited to locate products that will work and when you do, stick to them. This doesn’t mean never buy another new product, but only do so when you run out of one of your holy grails.

2. Use it or return it!

   Many of the stores we buy our hair products have return policies, so if after you use a product and it’s not working for your hair, return it. Do not hold on to it. If you can’t return it, then try giving it to a friend or family member with a different curl type, who may be able to use it, but do not keep products in your collection that simply don’t work for your hair.

3. Label your products

   Hair products expire! I know this is kind of a no-brainer for some, but when I first started my journey, I was not thinking of this at all. I kept buying products not realizing I had products in my collection I should be using before they expired.

   For those of you that do not know how to tell when a product expires, on the back of your product there is a little open jar with a number on it, which indicates how many months the product is good for after you open it. I am encouraging you to put the date you opened it on the product so you can keep track of when it will expire. This will motivate you to use it before it goes bad. I recently purchased a water-proof and oil resistant label maker off of Amazon to help me with this. I’ll link it here for those that are interested.

4. Set a budget and stick to it

   Setting a budget for how much you are willing to spend on products and how often you are going to buy them is very helpful. This can be a real game changer and will require you to be real with yourself and your spending habits.

   Setting this limit will also help you with self-discipline and stop you from overindulging. There will be times, you will see a product you really want to buy in that moment, but then you stop yourself and eventually forget about it. Here you would’ve saved money and practiced self-discipline, which will help you in many aspects of your life. It will also stop you from hoarding products plus save money! Win-win.

   In the case where you come across a product you really want to buy and you make yourself wait a month or so and you still want to try it after all that time, buy it, but only after you have ran out of your current products. Practicing this self-discipline will prevent you from wasting money and making rash decisions.

I really hope that you find these tips useful, especially for those product junkies that want to make a change.

Since I have implemented these habits, I feel so much better. I have more space and I am not hoarding products anymore. When my space is clear I feel more clear headed. I also notice a difference in my bank account lol and I feel so much better knowing I am not wasting products. Another nice thing is, I love that I am forced to use my holy grails more so they don’t go to waste, and I am realizing again why I loved them so much.

Tell me in the comments, are you a product junkie or a recovering product junkie?