So you want my money too? I see you.

You've seen them. The ads talking about all they can do for your hair, and the newly developed companies and individual sellers cranking out products specific to the natural hair market. Some ridiculously so.....that's another topic I'll get into in the future. Everyone seemingly wanting a piece of the proverbial natural hair pie. Everyone seemingly having something they feel that those in their targeted demographic are seeking. Folks with newfound celebrity on youtube and in blog-space capitalizing on this growing niche and their growing audience.

But at what cost? What are you REALLY paying for?

Slick marketing maybe? Sure. Definitely a possibility. Hell, maybe you will find that product that does everything you want *cough*, but really....that's not gonna happen because guess what? Our hair and its needs change, as will your product rotation. Nothing will be your everything. There is no holy grail of products. There are products that serve specific purposes. Period. And guess what? The products that work best for you may not have a THING to do with "natural hair".

There....I said it.

Here are few tips I think every new natural or transitioner should take into consideration:

• Just because something is marketed to "natural hair" doesn't mean it's meant for YOUR hair. Most of the products I use aren't targeting anyone besides folks seeking "moisture". Learn about what your hair needs to thrive and cater your products around that.

• Don't buy every single product just because "girlwiththeperfectcurlsandvariousnaturalhairproductsponsors" tells you to. It'll save you money down the line. For the record, I have NOTHING against sponsorship. I'll just take your recommendations with an extra grain of salt because there's a possibility of [financial] bias driving your recommendations.
  

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Anything that's gonna "transform" your hair should be looked at through the lens of a microscope, and if you're trying to transform your kinks into something it's not, maybe you need to turn the microscope onto yourself.

• Be careful of bandwagon jumping. Far too many of you jump on routines not knowing the what, how and whys? DO YOUR RESEARCH!

• The only hair types you should even be worried about (IMO) concern low, medium, and high porosity. The hair-typing systems are out-dated in terms of relevance and effectiveness in determining what works best for your hair. It's helpful in finding similarly LOOKING naturals, but not similarly ACTING hair and recommendations. Don't base product decisions on letter and number-typing systems. Base it upon the condition of your hair.
  

And for the record, I have no qualms about folks creating opportunities for themselves. There are many that I'm happy for and truly hopeful for their continued success. But I'm all about being responsible and putting the time and energy into R&D before selling anything. It's not always as simple as mixing up natural ingredients and putting it in a pretty jar.

I value information, knowledge and passion more than bottom-line, and I can see your bottom-line from a mile away.