Why do "Natural hair" Products have to cost so Freakin much?

[BlkOnyx488]

Ok I think it's wonderful all these new and old companies popping up with a natural hair care product line. It shows that hair industry is paying attention, and they are aware of the growing market for men and women who have gone back to their original roots.

However what I find annoying and baffling is that every new product that comes out cost more than the last.

I can go to any store that sells hair care products and I can stock up on quality products for relaxed hair that's 10 bucks or less. And get a lot for that amount.

However I notice all the latest products for natural hair seems to start at $16.00 and up.
Or for 10 and under you only get a drop of product!

Why is that?
Well I am not going to play the game unless the manufacturers can garantee 3 inches per month, they will not be getting my DH's hard earned money.

 

[Kimgirl50]

I suppose the ingredients, I know cheap ingredients like mineral oil,petroleum,PEGs help keep there price down.

Also there arent many natural products so she theres no competition no need to lower prices yet. Just some of my guesses

Also Shea Moisture, is 9.99 all natural just something I found I liked from target

 

[biancaelyse]

There are still affordable products that work on natural hair that are not too pricey.

I love TJ Nourish Spa, Grapeseed Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Eco Styler Gel, YTC and YTT and these are all under $10

I think that some of the products that are marketed and targeted as natural are marked up knowing that somebody will pay for it. Not me though!!

 

[Roux]

I have noticed this too. Even sample sizes cost too much for me to care to purchase. Last natural hair product purchase I made was Kinky Curly Knot Today and I don't even like it. Prior to that was Bee Mine which was okay. I'm waiting on the natural hair company will model itself after Suave and make quality products at a great price. Probably won't happen but a girl can dream right?

 

[mzteaze]

1) Smaller start ups will pass the cost of (at least some of the) research and development on the consumer.

2) Whether we as consumers like it or not, it costs more money to use and source "natural" products. That gets reflected in the cost of the product. For the resident mixologists who will say they can get XXXX product (insert your mix materials of choice here like honey, aloe vera, etc.) at XXXX store for $2 (or extra low low cost here) - its true you can buy cheaper products. However, on a large scale, companies NEED products that are consistent and in general you get what you pay for. Most companies need certifications to verify the product authenticity/contents and MSDS for a variety of reasons. <------- adds to the price. All things that the home mixologist does not have to be concerned with.

3) If the company claims to be all organic (as a few do) - the equipment and manufacturing process is slightly different from the regular run of the mill production. Going green and/or certifying organic production COSTS. This is reflected in the cost of the product.

4) Lastly, market research tends to show who and what market they are attempting to appeal to. While most companies strive for market dominance , the reality is the product is marketed to narrower market by age, demographics, etc. This helps to determine the price points for the product.

Bottom line, new products tend to start high until companies find their market or develop cost-efficient manufacturing and packaging methods.

 

[mzteaze]

I have noticed this too. Even sample sizes cost too much for me to care to purchase. Last natural hair product purchase I made was Kinky Curly Knot Today and I don't even like it. Prior to that was Bee Mine which was okay. I'm waiting on the natural hair company will model itself after Suave and make quality products at a great price. Probably won't happen but a girl can dream right?

It certainly CAN happen. All a company really needs is a blockbuster product to break open the market. But there are downfalls to mass marketing products too which tend to be product reformulations for longer shelf life and stability (consumers tend to want consistent color/consistency, etc. from their products, something that we tend to tolerate more from smaller companies), OR reformulations due to cutting the price of costlier materials.

 

[loshed]

Isn't it cheaper to mass produce things? In the grand scheme of thing the natural population isn't that big so natural hair companies can't really mass produce on the same scale as relaxed hair companies and they also have to spread costs out over fewer consumers.

 

[mzteaze]

Isn't it cheaper to mass produce things? In the grand scheme of thing the natural population isn't that big so natural hair companies can't really mass produce on the same scale as relaxed hair companies and they also have to spread costs out over fewer consumers.

There is a difference between selling a product nationally and mass production.

Companies can sell a product nationally but in units that are less than say 10,000 (the numbers can be higher then this but this is just for example) sold annually. It absolutely is NOT cost effective for them to purchase and build their own facility. So most companies will develop a recipe then contract manufacturing and packaging out to another company. This tends to be the cheapest option. However, once the contract ends, the choices of re-signing with the same company or moving to less expensive option tends to end up in product reformulations for a number of reasons.

With annual sales numbers similar to say Suave or Head and Shoulders (for example), a company can afford to build their own facility, control manufacturing, etc. and push the savings back to the consumer. But as I pointed out earlier, there are also downfalls to being this large of a company.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

There are still affordable products that work on natural hair that are not too pricey.

I love TJ Nourish Spa, Grapeseed Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Eco Styler Gel, YTC and YTT and these are all under $10

I think that some of the products that are marketed and targeted as natural are marked up knowing that somebody will pay for it. Not me though!!

Yep *cough* miss jessie's *cough*.
It's not all about the cost of ingredients, because some so called 'natural' hair products aren't 100% natural to begin with. Certain companies target a certain audience so they can make a profit at the end of the day. I really don’t believe that the cost of aloe vera or shea butter is sooo high these days that it makes it justifiable to charge potential customers $58 for some hair pudding, just saying.

The only true ‘natural’ products that I use are coconut milk, eggs, honey and certain oils and I can get that at my local grocery store. If I could find unrefined shea butter locally that would be great.

 

[Lady_q_tee]

Hmm miss jessies has some questionable ingredients to say the least ... and then market it to us as an amazing product for natural hair .. Charge us $58 then laden the product with cheap fillers. $58 dollors for a product with mineral oil as the second ingredient? This ticks me of and makes me want to start my own product company!

Yep *cough* miss jessie's *cough*.
It's not all about the cost of ingredients, because some so called 'natural' hair products aren't 100% natural to begin with. Certain companies target a certain audience so they can make a profit at the end of the day. I really don’t believe that the cost of aloe vera or shea butter is sooo high these days that it makes it justifiable to charge potential customers $58 for some hair pudding, just saying.

The only true ‘natural’ products that I use are coconut milk, eggs, honey and certain oils and I can get that at my local grocery store. If I could find unrefined shea butter locally that would be great.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Long Hair Care Forum App

 

[Roux]

for me it isn't even so much that a product contain 100% natural ingredients...it would be nice to have a line of products geared toward naturals that work and don't cost a fortune...that's all I want.

 

[Kurlee]

I suppose the ingredients, I know cheap ingredients like mineral oil,petroleum,PEGs help keep there price down.

Also there arent many natural products so she theres no competition no need to lower prices yet. Just some of my guesses

Also Shea Moisture, is 9.99 all natural just something I found I liked from target

ur SO is cute!!!

 

[GraceV]

This thread is so timely. I was in Target this evening and saw Miss Jessie's products for $42-$58. I thought, folks must be high on some really potent stuff to be charging that kind of amount. Then I come in here and find the ingredients aren't all that? The prices alone are enough to keep me from ever going natural lol .

 

[Kimgirl50]

ur SO is cute!!!

lol thnx,