POLL: How to decide what products to try?

How do you select new products?

  • Review the boards, members with similar hair types make excellent recommendations.

    Votes: 58 69.0%

  • Go to the BSS and plan to spend an hour reading lables.

    Votes: 8 9.5%

  • I try everything! Trial and Error works best for me.

    Votes: 18 21.4%
  • Total voters
    84
anniev2

anniev2

New Member
As a newbie, I am finding so many discussions about products that I think will assist me in my hair journey. I open one door of product knowledge only to find out that there are 5 more doors behind that one door.

Knowing that PJ-ism is easy to get and hard to overcome I am trying to determine how to select my products and I want to find out how other newbies or veterans make their product decisions.

It seems logical to base product decisions off someone with a similar hair type and who has given a positive product review, but we all know that everything is different for everyone. So will I just have to be a PJ to find out what I need or should I be more strategic in my decisions? (POLL)

 
anniev2 said:
As a newbie, I am finding so many discussions about products that I think will assist me in my hair journey. I open one door of product knowledge only to find out that there are 5 more doors behind that one door.

Knowing that PJ-ism is easy to get and hard to overcome I am trying to determine how to select my products and I want to find out how other newbies or veterans make their product decisions.

It seems logical to base product decisions off someone with a similar hair type and who has given a positive product review, but we all know that everything is different for everyone. So will I just have to be a PJ to find out what I need or should I be more strategic in my decisions? (POLL)
Click to expand...
Hey girl...When looking for products, PJism is pretty much inevitable.
I have been on the board for just over a year and I have tried so many products and I am still trying to find what works. I am getting very close though.
Important thing is to keep some kind of record of what you have tried and record how you like it or how your hair reacted.
I find that products that work for some people with similar textures to mine, don't always work for me.

HTH

ETA: I voted for trial and error, but I find that information from members with similar hair helps to narrow down what products I should try.
 
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Great! That makes me feel sooo much better. Just in the week since i've joined I've purchased hair stuff each time I've been out shopping (prob because I purposely go to stores with hair products). I'm starting slow and I'm staying in a reasonable range.

First I think I need to find out what my hair needs...like whether its moisture or protein and if my hair is truly porous. From what I've read on the boards that is an excellent start. Also, I realize I will prob have a setback or two until I find out what's really the deal with my hair and i'm cool with that too.

Thanks Mandy, for your response.
 
Mandy4610 said:
Hey girl...When looking for products, PJism is pretty much inevitable.
I have been on the board for just over a year and I have tried so many products and I am still trying to find what works. I am getting very close though.
Important thing is to keep some kind of record of what you have tried and record how you like it or how your hair reacted.
I find that products that work for some people with similar textures to mine, don't always work for me.

HTH
Click to expand...

I agree with the bolded. Trail and error works best for me. If I try a product and it doesn't work for me, I usually won't buy another product with similar ingredients or from the same product line. :yep:
 
GORGEOUS86 - that makes perfect sense and I should have thought of that! So i will probably use trial and error too, keep a record of what i like/dislike, and pay attention to the ingredients in each. That way I can probably find a common denominator that is positively/negatively affecting my hair and I can pursue/avoid that ingredient in other products or product lines.

Girl, that sounds great actually! I'm so excited and much less nervous about what i'll do.
 
My vote was finding people with similiar hair types and use similiar products. It gets expensive trying a variety of products. Although, at times I am guilty of it.
 
I choose review boards.... But after someone mentions a product, I google it do research on it. But it is a lot of trial & error, cuz u still don't know what the product will do for u. And then in the store, i do read the labels. So I guess I am really all thee above in my product search.
 
I wish it was multiple choice. I do a little bit of both. Trying to find hair twins and trying different products with ingredients my hair seems to like. The one thing I have learned on my journey is that achieving healthy long hair you must be able to make an invesment with either your time or money(especially if you are a PJ like me). :yep:
 
Chameleonchick said:
I wish it was multiple choice. I do a little bit of both. Trying to find hair twins and trying different products with ingredients my hair seems to like. The one thing I have learned on my journey is that achieving healthy long hair you must be able to make an invesment with either your time or money(especially if you are a PJ like me). :yep:
Click to expand...
Yeah me too, I kind of do both, but mostly just trial and error. I guess even if you do review other members products, you still have to do your own trial and error...right?:look:

ETA: Actually, if I re-read the OPs question, the way for me to know which products to TRY, is to review other members products, but the way to know if the products WORKS for me, is by trial and error.


OK, I am thinking too much into this, I need to go to bed! :)
 
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I do a little research once I read about a product I have interest in. Read the benefits and ingredients of the product... educate myself a little before I try it. Gives me a sense of security.
 
I do a lot of reviewing and some trial and error. For example, I just started using ayurvedics. At first, I didn't want to try it because mixing powders just sounded complicated. What ultimately made me try it was the fact that the women who did use it consistently had really healthy hair. It didn't matter the hair type, relaxed or natural. They all had really healthy hair, so I tried it. Actually, those were the first product recommendations I tried from this board.

ETA: How I usually pick products is seeing what worked for people on here (no SLS, no cones, etc.) and then try products that fit those descriptions.
 
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your really gonna have to play around with different things. its a smart idea to start experimenting with cheaper products first. trust me. to give you an idea of what you might need, these are the things i had to get:

clarifying shampoo
gentle low sulfate or sulfate free shampoo
chelating shampoo (if you have hard water or use a no-lye relaxer, sometimes you can get a shampoo that clarifies and chelates)
moisturizing conditioner
reconstructor
daily moisturizer
leave in conditioner/detangler (this can be a conditioner, moisturizer, an actual leave in or whatever works for you)
oil to seal in your daily moisturizer (although there are quite a few people that don't do this)
 
I'm big on buying JUST the most reviewed and recommended products from people with similar hair issues as me.

I don't worry so much about the type, 'cause I'm mixed and I pretty much have everything going on, everywhere, at all times, LOL.

But, since shea butter was highly recommended by naturals, I picked up some Cantu (cheapest trial I could figure) and my hair LOOOOOOVES it!

Next, I'll be moving on to henna and castor oil. Yaaay, LHCF!
 
I wish it was multiple choice too. This how I found what worked for me:

I educated myself about healthy hair practices and what the general rules are: clarifying, cones, moisture/protein balance, etc.

Then I looked at how others who have similar hair and hair goals as me (wear their hair curly, texlaxed, 4a, etc) and then I started with some trial and error based on what these ladies were doing.

But now that I have a better idea of what works and doesn't work for my hair I have to focus on reading labels (and researching new ideas I come across like using eggs and yogurt). I actually love reading labels now that I know what I am looking at. I can almost guarantee that something will or won't work for my hair. This has also helped me get over PJism because it doesn't make sense to just buy everything if half of it won't work.
 
Don't forget...you've had your hair your whole life. Think about your past experiences and what worked before you even knew about the board. I know we've all made hair mistakes before coming here but I'm pretty sure there are things we've done in the past that were good as well. So, think about the times when you really liked your hair and when it was behaving well and try to pinpoint what you did or what you used to get it that way.
 
I think every product I own has been based on a review from Fotki or the hair boards. If it hasn't then it's because I read the label and liked ingredients.
 
I voted read the labels, but really its a combination of all three. When I first started looking at LHCF, I tried some, (well a lot), of the popular products on the board. Tried different moisturizers, protien treatments, prepoos, etc. With trial and error, I learned what ingredients work for me, so now I look at labels if there is a new product out, or I just feel like trying something different. I look at the key ingredients to see if it's something that may be worth giving a try.
 
i'm new too and recently came up with my reggie. i did a ton of research on this board and others, took into account my hair issues and requirements ( i wanted to go sls free) and looked at the reggies of women whose hair i liked that was the same type and picked a shampoo and conditioner based on that. i chose a moisturizer based on board recommendations and picked the finalists (ntm silk touch & jane carter nourish and shine) based on the ingredients. picked the deep conditioner the same way. i am committed to using this reggie for the next 3-6 months. my goal is to remain consistent and not continuously add new products. i also learned about prepoos from this board and have been using almond oil for this. i am thrilled with the results thus far and feel very lucky to have found my staples pretty early on.
 
I didn't vote in the poll because my answer is none of the above. I read- A LOT. Since I am a PJ, I'm always browsing someone's store or website and if I find something that interests me, I'll do more research on it THEN check here for reviews from similar hair types or one of my product sisters.
 
A lot of my products are staples that I've had for many, many years. Now I will be buying things based on product reviews/discussions (ie - Hairveda and Shescentit).
 
I read labels for hours. Left that stuff where it was. I just looked up what KEY ingredients makes hair grow and went out and bought them in unrefined forms and VOILA! I have what my hair needs to grow and be healthy!
 
i chose the first one because usually that's how i decide what to try. It usually works best for me this way and i spend way less. Prevented me from being a PJ big time.
 
I evaluate a product based on my hair needs only. Questions like, does my hair like or dislike protein, oil, water, silicones, SLS etc....

I read labels and except for ORS moisturizer & cheapie conditioners my products are 100% natural. Generally the less ingredients a product has the better for me & if there are many ingredients I try to make sure the ones up front are natural.

There are so many great products that do so many different things in different heads of hair...true evaluation can only come from experience:yep: I like to stick to products that have been proven since time immemorial (ie. olive oil) do double duty in my kitchen and will never be discontinued.
 
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