I have a problem. I am a Product Junkie.
What can I say? I love products!!! (#helpme”> | Photo by Gerilyn M. Hayes
For those of us living with this intense addiction of walking into beauty supply stores, a product junkie’s heaven on Earth, with the sole purpose of feeding the compulsion to peruse their aisles of brightly colored labeled curly hair creams, coconut oil-infused gels, and nourishing shampoo and conditioner combos, it is a struggle to leave the premises with less than $20 worth of items that will end up in our beauty caboodles.
Understanding that product junkie compulsions are real, I had to take a step back and let go, and let prioritization guru Jennifer Slaski, Founder of Prune and Bloom, help me get my life together in a matter of hours. During this time, she helped me compartmentalize my physical products and my emotional attachments to all the items I’ve collected over the past two years of working for NaturallyCurly.
Eight full bags of product later, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with all the excess. Slaski and my coworkers encouraged me to not only give it all away but to consider donating them to charities in my community. And that’s just what I am going to do.
So, if you’re like me, wanting to free your home and mental space of accumulated product clutter, you need this article.
Together, we will learn the best ways to give back to the community by uplifting others with our partially (and in most cases unused”> beauty and curly hair products.
Simply gather your new and gently used beauty and curly hair products in bags or bins, and make a date to donate. Hop in the car, and get to business.
Let’s go!
3 Best Places to Donate Your Beauty and Curly Hair Products
WomensShelters.org
The NaturallyCurly CurlTalk is a fantastic resource for all things curly, but also a great place to connect with curlies in your area to start a donation circle. Women’s Shelters: A Nationwide Directory of Shelters for Women is mentioned in a CurlTalk forum, and continues to be one of the best resources to reach out and donate to organizations that uplift women in need of safe spaces, new lifestyle opportunities, and much more. Beginning your donation cycle here is a great first step to your product junkie recovery. You’ll also help those in need!
Dress For Success
You may have heard this term throughout your life, but did you know there is an organization that lives by this popular motto? That’s right, friend. Dress For Success brings out the very best in women that need an extra boost of je ne s’ais quoi and elevated confidence levels for their professional lives. In addition to accepting donated, new beauty and hair care products, the organization will offer professional attire and footwear to women.
Beauty Bus
Empowering those in the community with terminal illnesses and disabilities takes a committed effort from all of us, from all communities. That’s why you need to consider donating your new and gently used beauty and hair care products to the Beauty Bus. This organization specializes in beauty and grooming for women, children, and men with terminal illnesses. For those of us able to volunteer time, the organization is accepting volunteers to help with in-home services and deliveries of “Beauty Bags” for their clients.
More Donation Services that accept beauty and hair care products (check each for details”>:
- Family-to-Family Share Your Beauty
- Project Beauty Share
- Local shelter directory by state (USA only”>
- Back to M-A-C
- Return to Origins
There is a myriad of options for us to collect and give away our products. Which, if not all, will you choose to donate to? Let us know in the comments. You could not only help those in your community, but you could win some serious prizing because of your efforts. Details are as follows:
Join Our Pound for Pound Challenge
Put your product junkie-ism to the test in our Pound for Pound Challenge! Simply snap a photo of your product stash, @ us on Instagram and use the hashtag #NCpound4pound. Whoever has the biggest stash wins a $100 gift card to the Container Store.
