You've Got The Right Stuff!

Are you a product junkie? Do you buy everything you see on youtube or products that your friend uses to make her hair bouncy and curly only to find that it does not work for you? Does your product cabinet have so many products that you forgot that you had that  "special formula" back there that you absolutely had to have last month? If this is you, continue reading!

Many naturals go through this, especially when we are newly natural. I am guilty of it. I love going to events where products are involved. Just give me a room with endless tables of products and I can show you how to work it! I have spent countless amounts of dollars on special formulas, concoctions and the like trying to achieve that look like the lady on some random website. The realization hit me when I decided to clean my cabinet one day and found two products that I had forgotten my urgent need for having them. They weren't even opened! As I sat on the floor, surrounded by jars, bottles and tubes, I thought to myself, "this has got to stop."

I began on my journey to stop buying unnecessary product. How did I do it?

1) Don't buy to be nice. Many times, I would go to a booth at an event and the person would be so nice, had a great smile and was so thorough in telling me about their product that I would purchase it just for those reasons. I am sure my thinking was that I could use it somewhere down the line.

2) Set a monthly product budget and stick to it. By doing this, I was able to be more selective about what I needed for the month.

3) If your hair loves it, why change? When I found a product that my hair absolutely loved, I kept it in my regimen. Then, I built on it.

4) Focus on the really important things! Those red shoes that I wanted, that new dress that kept calling my name, the lip gloss that I had to have are all things that I could have gotten sooner had I not spent all of my money on hair products! Even though that bottle of conditioner only cost $8, the other seven bottles cost as much as the shoes.

5) Know when your hair is happy. When doing my hair, I would feel the hair after each step. If it felt good, soft, moisturized and not stripped, rough and matted, I would continue to use that product. Feel your hair after your shampoo, your conditioner, etc. What is your hair telling you? That is how you know you have the right stuff!

These are only some of the strategies that I used to curb my spending. I hope they can help you (yes you with that new hair gel in your hand) to douse the desire to buy more.

I have two events coming up. Fro Fashion Week is in Atlanta, Ga on February 1-5 and the World Natural Hair Health and Beauty Show will be in Atlanta, Ga on April 28-29. There will be many vendors at each event. I have set my budget and I am ready to face all of them with the confidence that I will not have to purchase extra luggage to carry all of my goods home!

What are some things that you do to avoid being a product junkie? Post a comment to let me know.

Bye For Now,
Ria

Transitioning.....careers?

Hello community! I am excited to be creating my very first "official" blog. Many of you have seen me on Facebook, Tumblr and the like. Some of you have even viewed my Natural Hair Vlog @ Riavision1 and My Studio. While these sites are great to have, it's even better to have a site to publish informative articles and topics for the Natural Hair community to share.This brings me to my first topic-- transitioning.

Before becoming completely natural, some of you transitioned (growing your hair out and trimming along the way until all of your chemically treated hair was gone). Even though this is a natural hair community where we discuss things related to natural hair, I am not talking about transitioning to natural, in a sense. I am referring to transitioning to a natural hair career!

I have been a nurse for almost 20 years and have enjoyed my career, minus a few bumps in the road. Since becoming a part of the natural hair community, I have gained an extraordinary interest in textures, styles and the science beyond the hair. This curiosity led me to want to become THE next natural hair stylist in my city!  Not to worry! I won't be giving up my nursing career just yet. There are still many people out there that need my healing hands. However, there are, also, many people that need my creative hands!

I have been encouraged by some talented people in the industry and I have to give them their shout-out! My daughter, Kye, has been my biggest encouragement, sounding board and guinea pig. She is always willing to let me try new products on her hair and cheers me on when I update her with new things that I learn in school (or on youtube). Karen Wilson, the guru behind Karen Wilson Natural Beauty has been and continues to be an inspiration to me since she has a similar story. There are a host of friends, acquaintances and future clients that constantly cheer me on. There are too many to name and to be sure that I don't leave anyone out, I will just say that you know who you are! I appreciate you equally as much!

Being that there are only a few weeks left until I sit for my license, my excitement is building. I look forward to creating beautiful hairstyles and experiencing all that there is to experience about natural hair! I will keep the you, the community, updated.

Have any of you ever made a big career move that was least expected of you or that you were a bit nervous about? Leave me a comment and let me know.


Bye for now!

Ria