Curly Explosion! Boutique or Big Business?

Hi Gorgeous!

The topic of this post has been on my mind for a while now. And I hesitated for a long time before deciding to comment on the explosion of natural or curly hair care products that have hit the market. Mainly because there is a lot to consider when making these kinds of choices.

Gone are the days when there were NO products to be found for naturally curly hair save the less than handful of products geared toward chemically manufactured curls, or lighter serum or gel-based products tailored toward are less than kinky curly girls.

Some of our curly, coily, kinky sisters got fed up and created a niche market of moisturizing, natural, and herbal based products that took to the streets and spreaded like wildfire! From the pioneers of Carol's Daughter and Miss Jessie's to the latest Coco Curls and Entwine Couture, women today are still creating those same good quality ingredients products tailored with YOUR hair in mind! And this is the reason that ALL THINGS CURLY was born. To bring you excellent, high- quality natural products that is good for your hair. And to promote these start-up, boutique businesses that saw a need, and made it there mission to satisfy that need. Sometimes that meant quitting full-time jobs to commit to their passion. And sometimes it meant working a full-time job and working a full-time business. Either way, their hard work paid off! Carol's Daughter is now sold in department stores and on HSN. Miss Jessie's is in Target and other locations. This means mass distribution and mass money!

All of this was not lost on big manufacturing companies who saw that more women were leaving behind relaxers and embracing their natural textures. What was once a 2 billion dollar industry was being cut into very rapidly! Think of all the naturals you see in commercials and magazines now. And television shows that show a whole family of curly girls. Curly hair is no longer being looked at as frizzy, unruly, unprofessional hair, as it has even been excepted into the board room now. And along with this hair comes maintenance products to keep it beautiful. They wanted a piece of that pie. And now the shelves at stores like Walmart look like this...

Now there are two schools of thought on the effects of this.

The first is YAY.. FINALLY.. we have been heard, and there are products out there that meet our needs. And the price point is also very tempting.

The other thought is a little bit of skepticism on just HOW quickly ALL of these lines popped up. What type of ingredients do these products contain? And is it going to work for my hair? Do I support what's cheap, quick and convenient; or do I support small business that started it all and is tried and proven?

At some point, we are all faced with these questions, and really, it usually comes down to quality verses economy. Only you can make that decision for yourself and your hair. Trust me, I'm faced with those questions as well! But here's what I want you to consider when making your decisions:

• Please, please, please read labels. Look at the ingredients and determine if you want to put that in your hair. Remember, everything that goes on your head goes into your blood stream. Choose wisely. I tend to stay away from Sulfates (in shampoos), para bans, silicones (in conditioners and stylers), mineral oil, and petroleum (fillers and cloggers).

• You get what you pay for. Sometimes cheap is a not a good thing. And sometimes its a great thing! (Check out Shea Moisture) It all goes back to the ingredients.

• Check out the scent of a product. I did. Some of them smelled straight like chemicals. One person even said a deep conditioner smelled like a perm! And some products smell overly fruity, but artificially so. It begs the question of what are they trying to cover up?

• Be wary of crazy colors! I'm not even going to lie, y'all. One product line in particular was a different color for each item. Mint green, purple, blue, orange, why? Again, what are you trying to cover up. A simple white, cream, or I've even seen mauve, will do. All those crazy colors says to me that artificial dye is in the product. Which again goes into your hair and into your blood stream.

• Research! Look for reviews on the products. I have, and was interested to see that many people who were initially excited by the price, were less than excited about the product. Again, you get what you pay for. You tube is good source, as you get to see people true reaction.

• Some products are just curly and not natural hair care products. There is a big difference. If it's just a curly product, then it doesn't have to be healthy. The objective is to obtain a certain look. But if it's not healthy as well, you will not be able to maintain that look for long because of build-up, stripped hair, dryness, flaking, and breakage. It's that old saying "everything that is good to you is not good for you."

These are only my opinions. But this is what works for me. And honestly, the proof is in the pudding.

I can tell you this....

Out of all the new lines that have sprang up and are being carried in stores like Walmart, I have heard pretty good things about Beautiful Textures. Hey! Just because I don't sell it, doesn't mean I'm against it. I'm not a hater! Lol. I just want you to be informed and make healthy choices.

So, I am going to the 2012 World Natural Hair, Health, and Beauty Show next weekend! I'll be back with all kinds pictures and new product info to share with you. In the mean time, stay tuned for a post on new products in the Darcy's Botanicals line coming to ALL THINGS CURLY.

Until then!

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