Confessions of a (Recovering) Product Junkie: My Journey to Sobriety.

Hello my name is Tiffany McCoy,  and I'm a product junkie...it’s been 4 weeks since I purchased my last product, and my products of choice are conditioners, oils, herbs (no real herbs as in ayurvedic herbs), pretty much anything you can put on hair. I'm not proud of this but it’s who I am. The reason I'm here is to help you overcome your addiction...lol. I'm super dramatic but this "addiction" is REAL. I can have six bottles of conditioner under my bathroom sink, but let me walk into a store and see a product that professes it will encapsulate my tresses, drenching my curls w/ moisture, and soft cascading curls....say no more they had me at hello. Sometimes I think commercials and in store propaganda were specifically targeting with me, and only me in mind. Then I get online or read posts to my blog and I realize there are millions of Product Junkies (PJ) suffering from the same “illness”. So what would it take to get you clean? Well you’re in luck, because I'm going to put you on a path of sobriety.

The first thing you may say to yourself is, “I’m not a PJ I just like trying new products” fair enough that may be true, or maybe you’re in denial. If the area in which you store your hair products looks more like the hair care aisle in Target then continue reading. The goal of most curlies and non-curlies is growing long hair, they don't care what they use or how much it costs, they're going to try it. I bet if I told someone, if you coat your hair with toothpaste every two days your hair will growth two inches per month. Now a normal person ( when I say normal I am referring to a non-product junkie) will call your bluff because they know that no product, serum or method will make your hair grow two inches a month, no matter how dedicated you are to preserving your hair it’s just not possible. Here's what, the greatest asset you have on your journey to length retention is… (Drumroll), KNOWLEDGE. Period. You can even apply this to other facets of your life, when you are informed, and knowledgeable on whatever you are in pursuit of, you will always be one step above your counterparts.

As I stated, I'm a recovering PJ, so I know the impulsive emotions a product junkie feels, so let's get back to the basics, let's go over what we do know. First, understand that hair is not a "living” organism, its dead. Once the hair breaks through the scalp, its dead, once this happens you’re doing nothing more than preserving the hair until it has reach the final growth phase (click here to learn about hair growth cycles), regardless of what a label proclaims about its moisturizing properties water is the ONLY true moisturizer, all other oils, butters, and lotions aide in sealing the water as long as possible. Last, your hair is always growing, if it’s not visually longer then that means you are not retaining length (that's a whole other issue) I'm going to give you my top reasons why your addiction is killing your hair (metaphorically speaking), I willing to be money you'll quit cold turkey.

1.) Money! Buying five to six products months adds up to: $120.00 per month and $1440.00 a year( that on the cheap end, assuming that the average cost is $10.00), however we all know we spend more than $10.00 on one product.

2.) Regimen. This is a basic fundamental, in order for your hair to retain length you NEED a routine, for two reasons. The first reason is that a regimen ensures and makes you accountable for moisturizing and second, long term you can track when you were successful and when you fell short of your hair goals.

3.) The more things change, the more they stay the same. Think about it when you start off, your hair is probably not in the condition you want. Then you start using products that promise to give you exactly what you want, long, shiny, and manageable hair. The constant inconsistency of so many different products puts stress on the hair, thus putting you back where you started. Create a regimen with the products you need to preserve your hair, and stick with that for three to four weeks, BEFORE, you use change products. I

4.) One size does NOT fit all.  Just because a product is “made” for natural hair or curly hair doesn't mean it will work for your hair. Just because it worked for a person whose hair similar to yours, doesn't mean it will work for you. Purchase products that will work for your hair and your hair only. This will eliminate the need for the constant use of different products.

5.) When you are testing new products for their compatibility with your hair, introduce one product at a time. When you constantly introduce product after product, it’s hard to tell what product is working for you or when a product is having adverse effects on your hair.

6.) Loyalty. I'm often asked if you can use different product lines together, the answer is yes, BUT (and u knew this was coming) most products of the same line are formulated to work together. When you mix and match products from different lines, you run the risk of products becoming harmful or not working as they were designed to work (does that make sense?). Let me clarify what I mean. Think of it like this, you clean your toilet with Soft Scrub, than you decide, hmm let me add bleach to really get it clean. Separately these products are safe, but together it can create a harmful chemical reaction, or it may negate the effectiveness of each product.

To pull it all together, you will be more successful in growing long hair if you focus on having HEALTHY hair. Having the proper knowledge, knowing your hair, and having a regimen will keep your hair healthy, thus making it grow. With all the money you save from giving up your product junky fixes, you can buy a killer pair of shoes, or a new hand bag. There’s always a bright side. There are enough conditions that’s that plague are hair don’t let your addiction become the ultimate demise of your hair.

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