How To Go Natural For CHEAP!

I recently discovered that I’m a Master Chemist. I know how that sounds, but it’s the truth. For the past 3 weeks I’ve been trying to find the perfect concoction that will style my hair perfectly and the only way I can explain the process is by comparing myself to a Chemist.

A couple weeks ago I was looking around online for some curly hair advice and I found this video:

You don’t have to watch the whole thing if you don’t want to, but I chose to visit her site and see if there were any products on her list that might work for me since my staple is no longer making the products I need in the size I want.

I also was hoping to find cheaper prices and since I live close to Fulton Mall in Brooklyn I decided to walk around the many Beauty Supply shops and see what I could find.

DISCLAIMER: Just because some of these products did or did not work for me doesn’t mean they will or will not work for you. Please don’t pour a fortune into all these products, start off with something easy then see how your hair reacts.

Conditioners:

Note: YOU DO NOT NEED SHAMPOO! Shampoo dries out the natural oils in your hair and frizzes the curl. If there are suds in your shampoo do not use it! All of the conditioners below will work as both a wash and a conditioner for your hair.

Queen Helene: Super Cholesterol – Hair Conditioning Cream

Size: 2lbs Price: 6.99

This one was a wonderful surprise. It was recommended to me by a white woman of all people with hair almost as curly as mine. I was complaining about how hard it is to find conditioner I like for cheap and she suggested Queen Helene.

I love this product! It’s great for my hair, super moisturizing which is a must, it comes with a pump, it’s HUGE! And it has a large mouth at the top so when the pump stops sucking up conditioner you can go in for the rest without any hassle.

As I Am: Coconut CoWash – Cleansing Conditioner

Size: 16oz Price: 8.00

This was another surprise. I’d never heard of this company before but I know coconut loves my hair and it never hurts to have one other conditioner just in case. It comes in a nice big tub so you can just scoop it out and put in through your hair. Mine was so soft after. This isn’t my go to conditioner, but if I want something a little more intense than Queen Helene it’s a great alternative.

Curl Junkie: Daily Fix – Cleansing Hair Conditioner

Size: 12oz Price: 19.00

Another brand I’ve just discovered. I like Curl Junkie’s products and for the most part they seem to like me. That being said I can’t really justify spending almost 20 dollars on only 12oz, especially when the spout at the top means I will be required to put water in it to get the rest of the conditioner at the bottom.

A great product, but for me it’s a splurge. If you’re hair really loves it I say go for it, but this is my “In case of hair emergency break glass” conditioner.

Next Page: Leave-In Conditioners

Leave-In Conditioners:

Note: Everyone’s hair is different but if like me you have trouble with moisture than you probably need to put a leave-in conditioner in after you condition your hair. These are the products I like to use for that.

Curl Junkie: Hibiscus & Banana Honey Butta Leave-In Conditioner

Size: 8oz Price: 22.00

Again with Curl Junkie. I really like this product. It smells great it’s a nice moisture for my hair. But as I said before I can’t talk myself into buying it again for 22 dollars when I’m only getting 8oz in return!

The plus side to this product is that it’s a tub like I prefer so I can get all the conditioner I want, but I use my leave-in conditioner daily so I really have to make it last and my hair is quite long so that’s not easy. I won’t say not to buy it, but I also think if you don’t want to spend the price above there are alternatives.

Cantu: Shea Butter – Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream

Size: 16oz Price: 4.99

And here’s the alternative! So I used to use this a couple years ago and then I just stopped. Not because I didn’t like it, not because I found something better, just because I forgot I liked it. I rediscovered it recently and my hair LOVES Shea butter. It really loves it.

Cantu’s product also comes in a nice large tub of 16oz for only 4.99! For my daily uses this is a perfect product. It lasts me a long time and it gives me all the moisture I need. If you want to try out a leave-in for the first time I’d suggest starting here.

Next Page: Styling Creams

Styling Creams:

Note: After I’ve conditioned and leave-in conditioned my hair I style and after a lot of deliberation I think I’ve finally figured out what products work the way I want them to.

SheaMoisture: Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

Size: 12oz Price: 9.99-10.50

Another product I was using none stop last year and just forgot existed until a couple days ago. Like I said before my hair loves coconut and it’s a fan of hibiscus too. This product is a little grainy which might throw you off at first, but once you work it through your curls they will be feel soft and smooth.

This leaves my hair shiny, soft and frizz free! Getting my hair to be frizz free is really difficult so this product is a definite winner in my book.

Kinky-Curly: Curling Custard

Size: 8oz/16oz Price: 17.00/29.99

I’d never heard of Kinky-Curly but once I saw the packaging and the pricing I thought it wouldn’t be that bad to give it a whirl. Now this product will give you shine and leave you frizz free, that being said it will also leave your hair feeling crinkly and stiff.

I hate that. I didn’t realize until the second time I used it just how hard my hair had gotten. I’ve since used the product just at the ends and the sides where I tend to get the most frizz in hopes of taming it but it didn’t work any better. Maybe I just didn’t dilute it enough, but this was not the product for me. If frizz is a huge problem for you this might be your product but it isn’t one I care for.

As I Am: DoubleButter Cream

Size: 8oz/16oz Price: 15.50/28.00

So after my experience with Kinky-Curly’s products I thought I should look around at my local beauty supply store and see what As I Am who had given me a lovely Coconut conditioner had for styling. The DoubleButter Cream is what I found. I saw the title cream and when I opened the package at home I saw cream so I thought this would be a breeze, that was not the case.

Like Kinky-Curly’s custard this product left my hair stiffer than before and did not tame the frizz in the way I had hoped it would. Again I can’t say that if you buy this product you’ll have the same experience as me. My hair might just need something a little gentler, but I found this product acted more like a gel than a cream so it’s not one for my hair.

Next page: Deep Conditioners

Deep Conditioners:

Note: If you’re going natural or are already natural than you’re using deep conditioners, it’s a fact of life for us curly haired ladies. We need that deep moisture to keep our hair soft and as frizz free as we’re allowed. I like to deep condition once a week so I tried a couple new products.

As I Am: Hydration Elation – Intensive Conditioner

Size: 8oz Price: 16.00

I’m sure you’re surprised to see another As I Am product here after my experience with the DoubleButter Cream but I have to say this deep conditioner is incredible. I bought it not really expecting much, but after I put it on under a cap as I made dinner and cleaned up my apartment my scalp started to feel great.

It wasn’t until I washed out the product and felt my hair did I realize what a wonderful affect it had had on my curls. They were so soft they kept slipping through my fingers. I was almost sad when my hair dried at I couldn’t keep playing with my hair. This product worked wonders for me, it’s a little expensive but since I only deep condition once a week I thought it was worth it.

SheaMoisture: Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

Size: 12oz Price: 9.99-10.50

Now here’s a cheaper alternative to the product above that works just as good. Like I said before my hair loves Shea butter, I don’t know why. I used to have this product but I don’t think I ever read the label so I was just using it as a regular conditioner. What a waste!

I used this product last weekend like you’re supposed to and my hair came out lovely. It responded really well to the Shea butter and like the deep conditioner above became so soft I thought I was putting my hands through someone else’s hair. A great product for a great price.

Next page: Oils

Oils:

Note: Some people have hair that’s so dry the best way to moisturize it is for them to put oil in it. Now my hair isn’t quite that dry but I did try these products out to see if I could get anything out of them.

Trader Joe’s: Coconut Oil

Size: 16oz Price: 5.99

Ok. Coconut loves my hair, however I do not love coconut oil. Wow…this product. It’s got a great price, it’s got good packaging, it’s not that hard to melt down and put in your hair. However: IT GETS EVERYWHERE!

My God. I was told to melt down the oil, put it in my hair, put a silk cap on and sleep with it but that’s IMPOSSIBLE! The oil was dripping none stop on everything and it STAINS. I still have stains in my towels and my robe from the experience. I have no idea how anyone would sleep with that on their head. And a silk cap? Forget it. It will bleed right though, you have to wear a plastic one that will stay oily FOREVER!

Now I could have been using the product wrong, or too much of it or whatever, so it might work great for someone else. I will say this in it’s favor, afterwards: my hair felt fantastic! Coconut loves my hair and I really wished I could handle this product but there’s no way I can put my apartment at the mercy of coconut oil any time soon.

Desert Essence: Jojoba Oil

Price can range from 5.99-10.99 depending on the size.

This oil is simpler to talk about: It didn’t work for me.

When I say that I don’t mean it was horrible, or it got everywhere or it smells bad. I just mean that I used it on my hair and it had no real affect on it. Thankfully I only got a tiny bottle that maybe cost my 5 bucks at the most but I can’t recommend this product since it just didn’t work with my hair texture. I think that if you just started transitioning and you’re hair is really thick and dry this would work for you, but I can’t really give you anymore information than that.

Next Page: Top Hair Sites

Websites You Should Check Out:

If you’d like advice on what to do with your natural hair or what products might work for you I suggest checking out the sites below and before you chose to buy anything.

Great site with deals on lots of products and they even have a place that will evaluate your hair. It’s not a precise science since it’s the internet but you might find something you like.

I think the site‘s title speaks for itself. This has an even larger inventory of curly products with plenty of reviews and a great filtering system so you can find what you’re looking for easily. Give it a look.

This blog has got video reviews, lists of great products and links to plenty of other blogs if this one isn’t the one for you. Most importantly it has a community of people who are all searching for the perfect curl. I highly recommend giving this a quick look.