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Thursday, February 16, 2012

"What am I paying for exactly?"


"When I saw that price I was shocked!"

That's what I told my friend when referring to a deep conditioner I reviewed for NaturallyCurly.com a couple weeks ago. The Curlisto "8 minute Hair Repair" Deep Therapy Masque conditioner was pretty great, but four measly ounces of this stuff would set you back a whopping $34 and that, in my opinion,  was just  blasphemous!

As a vlogger who receives a a lot of products from different companies free of charge,
I always try to put things in perspective when it comes to reviewing products and making my recommendation on whether to buy a product or not. Purely based off the way my hair felt, I thought this product was great, but I didn't see the price until I went to do the art work (the prices are rarely listed in the information sent when I receive products from NaturallyCurly.com. You have to find that information out yourself ladies and gents!) and that was after I filmed my review and final verdict.

As I do research on ingredients and companies, I know that some business owners prices are higher than others when it comes to purchasing their ingredients. All natural ingredients are relatively expensive to purchase as opposed to others. Take jojoba oil for instance. When I first went natural, I was really interested in trying this oil in its pure form, but never did because of the price. I think it was more than $8 for three little ounces. My thought? Why would I pay that much for some oil when I can get extra virgin olive or coconut oil for the same price and triple the amount? Just think of how much that stuff companies (especially small business owners) order to make their products? It can definitely get costly. But when a companies puts in a load of plastics and silicones in their products, a few intriguing words on the label (i.e. "growing formula," "prevents shrinkage," "hair repair") and put slap a hefty price tag on it, they expect naturals to jump without hesitation.

I would love to say I can't understand it, but I do. Why? Because this formula (in some cases) works. It's been proven! Look at Miss Jessie's. Their products are not all natural (far from it, actually) and their products continue to sell like crazy! I remember I bought their Baby Buttercreme as apart of my "mandatory all natural hair supply" bundle the first week I went natural. After seeing the buzz around their products, I thought "this stuff is what's needed when natural" so I bought a 2 oz for $9. SERIOUSLY! I figured at those prices, this stuff has to be good. Why else would it be so costly? But unfortunately it did nothing for my hair and that was the last Miss Jessie's product that I purchased. I had absolutely no desire to try any product that cost a ridiculous amount of money for the ingredients that they were made of.

All natural brands on the other hand? I give them a bit of a pass to a certain extent.

So my question to you is, what is your deal breaker when it comes to products? Would you pay more for better ingredients or is the price all that matters to you? Let me know in the comments!

7 comments:

  1. I won't pay more than $20 for a product (unless it's a supersize version of something I already use). I use several different shampoos & conditioners, but when it comes to daily styling products I either use something all the time or not at all. So more than $20 is too much to potentially waste on something useless.

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  2. right now my hair is in braid extensions while I transition. when it comes to products, while all natural ingredients are ideal, i'm more concerned about the price and how it makes my hair feel. my limit is $10 per product i.e. shampoo, conditioner, moisturizers, etc. The only (only) products i will spend big $$$ on is Carol's Daughter

    Nichole Naomi
    xoxo
    www.nicholenaomi.com

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  3. I like to do a "cost per use" break down. If the product will last me a long time and/or it is already one of my staple must-haves then yes, I will spend the money.

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  4. I can agree with everyone above. I will mostly go with the $ per oz with most products and will not purchase any thing under 8 oz. Protein treatments I have spend $30 but I don't use but once or twice a month. For styling products my limit is about $20 and it has to be something that is 8 oz or more and a little should go a long way. I am 3 years natural and although I have certain items that I love and repurchase, I am still a bit of a tester (product semi-junkie). I love Oyin BSP, Hair Dew, Franks Juice... will always have on hand (I live in MD). I love some Curl Junkie Conditioners/Leave-ins and I purchase those and they are all about $16-$20. I also like the OTG products of Shea Moisture. Right now I am enjoying the stylers KBB Creamylicious. I love avocado oil, coconut oil and grapeseed oils or vatika for pre-poo.

    Basically to sum it all up. I will not overpay for products because I have found that there are quite a few substitutes that are less expensive. I have only found a few products that have WOW'd me and they have not been the more expensive. Listen to your hair and not all the hype.

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  5. I think I am like the cheapest person in America so most products I wont purchase just because of the price. For example.. I want to try that entwine so bad but I have to justify it.. Meaning be out of all the other 8 million products I have under my sink first before I can buy it. I think 12.00 is the most I have paid for ANY product.. See I told you I was cheap. LOL but I get a good variety of products, IE beautiful textures, giovanni's, cantu shea butter, herbal essences... Oh wait I splurged and bought a butt load of Carol's daighter products about 6 months ago.. Yea never again

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  6. I am a product junkie but I refuse to spend anything more than 10.00...I will splurge for some products but they must last me a really long time. For example I bought A LOT of products and such when I first went natural about a year ago that I still have... ALSO I buy a lot of raw ingredients that are cheap and make my own products... AND they are all under $5 w/ free shipping. So I never really spend to much on my hair... Although it adds up at the end of the year...

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  7. I have a product question in reference to the Entwine products? I just received my first order and i do really like them..but paying that price on a regular basis is just not in the budget! Are they're any other proucts that have given you the same effects on a working girls budget?

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