Curly Undergrad: Natural Hair Products On a Budget

College is expensive, and for those of us who are looking for a higher form of education, there is simply no way of getting around the thousand-dollar price tag. After hyperventilating over shelling out for college tuition, books and other miscellaneous expenses, you are probably looking for ways to save a buck or two.

Besides the obvious ramen noodle diet, you could also save money by getting the most out of your natural hair products. Here are some quick and easy tips to help you stretch your hair products and dollar with three cheap and easily available ingredients.

Deep Conditioners

Making less do more

If your hair is thick or long then you know just how painful it is to use half of an 8 oz. jar of a $20. So, don’t! Instead, soup up your products by adding your favorite ingredients for natural hair products. If your deep conditioner is thick, then thin it out and stretch it by adding oils such as coconut oil, olive oil and grape seed oil, all of which are cheap and easily available in most grocery stores. You can also add honey, avocados and coconut milk to add extra moisture to your dry strands.

You never know, adding your own ingredients could just lead to your next batch of cheap, homemade hair recipes.

Moisturizers

It is all in the base

Stretching a moisturizer is super simple. All you need to do is determine the base for your moisturizer. Most moisturizers are shea butter based, so in order to stretch it, add more shea butter. Likewise, if your moisturizer is mango butter or avocado butter based, then add those. However, keep in mind that by adding more butters you will make the moisturizer heavier, and you’ll need to use less.

Make sure to apply your natural hair products when your hair is wet, since it will be easier to apply at this time and result in wasting less product.

Styling Product

The thick of it

If a product is very thick, adding aloe vera gel will help to thin out the product without sacrificing its hold. If a product is too thin or does not have enough hold, add a butter to it, like shea. The thickness and stickiness of the butter gives hair more hold, but still retains the softness of your curls.

Shampoos

Less is always more

The most cost effective way to use shampoo is by diluting it with water. A lot of shampoo is wasted on the actual length of the hair, and even more conditioner is wasted trying to put moisture back into the hair that the shampoo has stripped. So, avoid all the drama and use the applicator bottle to get the shampoo to where it is needed, the scalp.

While rinsing, the shampoo will run over the length of your hair and cleanse it gently. By doing this, you should use a fraction of the amount of shampoo you normally use during each wash session.

Conditioners

Oils are the secret!

I absolutely love to add oils to my conditioners! They not only allow you to use less product, but they also give your conditioner more slip and help to put the moisture right back into your hair after a stripping shampoo. My recommendations are anything lying around the house like olive, coconut and grape seed oil. It is seriously that simple!

Also try pre-pooing with oil prior to cleansing. The protective layer of oil on your hair will prevent your shampoo from stripping it. This means you will have to use less of your conditioner to get the soft feeling back into your hair.

Words of Warning

• Never add the ingredients directly to your product container. Your products have been preserved carefully. By adding more ingredients to the mixture, you will upset the balance of product to preservative and you could cause the product to go bad. So, always remember to whip up your concoctions in a separate bowl.
• Remember to only make enough natural hair products to use in one sitting. I’m making an assumption here by saying that you guys are not chemists and therefore have no clue about how to preserve your mixes. Sometimes placing something in the fridge is not enough, and whipping up a whole batch only to have it spoil will be going against your efforts to save money.
• Never, and I mean NEVER, add water to your mixes unless you plan to use them immediately. Unless it is purified, water can add bacteria to your products and quickly disturb the ratio of product to preservative to create the perfect environment for bacteria to breed. Not even a refrigerator will be able to help your cause.