Money Saving Tips for Product Junkies

Hey all of you product junkies out there!!  Admitting that you have the problem is the 1st step.  right?  lol  Well welcome to the family we're here for you.  Whether you are trying organic OR non organic products it can get pricey trying to find what products work for you.  If you are like me and just love trying new things it can become even more of an expense... but it doesn't have to be.  One thing is for sure, if i try a product and I end up liking it, I WILL buy more!!  That being said...

Here are some tried & true tips to help you SAVE MONEY!! 

"Over The Counter" ~ These are products that you can get in any stores beauty section.  When I first went natural, Garnier Fructis & Infusium, Motions were my favs.  I don't use them anymore but I am just saying don't knock what you can get at Walmart or the grocery store. Some of those OTC products are great!  I have heard people swear by the Herbal Essence line.  Be careful though if you want to stick to organic products. Just because it looks and sounds organic, doesn't mean that it is.  (Read your ingredients)

Product Swaps ~ This is where you meet with fellow natural sistahs to swap products. generally the way it works is you get to swap product for product, so ex:  if you bring 8 items you leave with 8 items It is assumed that the persons swapping will only bring new or gently used items. if you have some kind of phobia this wont be for you :-)  But this is a GOOD way to mingle, try new things and also to see what else is out there and what others are using.  And its free!!

Mostly New & Some Gently used products obtained at a Product Swap

TJ Maxx ~ I really should include Ross & Marshall as well.  These stores often get shipments on several costly product lines.  I have gotten these product lines there:  GioVanni & EO. I heard that the Say Yes To.. line & some Carols Daughter has been seen there as well.  They are DEEPLY discounted! (1 Liter of Giovanni Deep Moisture Shampoo $12.99!!) They get different items every week, so what you find there will vary and they also wont have the exact same thing at a different store.  I love the hunt!

Buy in Bulk ~ Sometimes buying in larger quantities means paying less per oz.  Do the math.  You could end up saving lots of money this way. If you know you like it, buy the larger quantity.

Lola's Green Hair ~ I met this really cool chick via Twitter (@LolasGreenHair)  she has a very cool website by the same name.  Here you can post & sell your new & gently used items and you can also BUY new or gently used items.  The membership is my favorite price... FREE! The product prices are awesome!  Check it out for yourself!

Hair Shows ~ If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there are Hair Shows do yourself a favor and check it out.  There are always LOTS of vendors selling some of your favorite products for the low low.  For instance I got a $20+ jar of Jane Carter Nourish & Shine for $5.00 at last years World Natural Hair Show ~ Atlanta.  There will also hopefully be  vendors from smaller & little known product lines to sell you GREAT products for a good price.  Word of warning, SOME hair shows are costly to get into.  If you are going in for product be aware of the cost and your bottomline.

Some of the items obtained from the World Natural Hair Show 2010

Some items obtained from the World Natural Hair Show 2011

"Meet Ups" ~ These are gatherings where people are merely meeting at various locations to talk Natural Hair.  Again, if you are in an area where these meetings occur, go to them.  There is most always a freebie or two involved.  Most of the time the freebies are sample size, but i have been to some where they gave full size! The double benefit of attending meet ups is that you are gonna be hanging out with like minded people, meeting new people and its just fun! aaand usually they're FREE!!

Start a blog or YT ~ When i started my channel & blog my intent was not to get free products, i didn't even know that was a possibility.  But as my memberships grow I am finding that more companies are willing to send us products to try.  So i wouldn't say this should be a reason to get into it cause its a lot of work.  but if you are already doing it... Its free products.

Please share how you save!!  Hope this helps

Thanks for Reading,
Peace :-)

The Sistah Cafe & Our Natural Kids NEW Look!

Greetings Family!

I appreciate you all so much for checking out my blog as well as my other online entities.  We have made some changes recently and I wanted to share them with you, so consider this a relaunch!

With the help of our friends over at BosGraph Design we have made all of our sites more attractive & hopefully visible by updating them with professional logos, warm and inviting colors, and by removing all  unnecessary links.  As my relationship with the online Natural Hair community grows I wanted my sites to represent.  I am hoping that these changes will help to invite more views, sponsorship & donations as we continue to share our knowledge & experiences with you.

Introducing...

Our Natural Kids ~  This site was launched back in February 2010.  It was a result of the positive feedback that my daughter & I received after we posted a bunch of Natural Hair Styling & Maintenance vids on You Tube.   This is a social networking site that allows its members to do everything from Uploading pics & vids to blogging to personalizing your own profile page, you name it.  We have discussions boards as well as chat capability.  There are interactive sub groups like MotherBloggers & The MarketPlace to help members connect!!  We have volunteer contributors there to give you professional tips (Jamesha Bazemore) and to encourage you in a positive way (Keianna Johnson) We are now nearly 800 members strong with members in nearly every state and many countries worldwide!!  People from all over the globe are coming together on Our Natural Kids to discuss hair care and maintenance for children with curly, multi textured, afrotype hair.

The Sistah Cafe ~ Its all in the name.  This is where your girl, The SistahChick, hangs out! Here I share a little bit more about myself.  Whether I am writing about my Natural hair, showing you pics of my family or our latest trips, bringing you updates from my Container Garden or just sharing recipes...Cafe's are warm & inviting places where you can relax, chill & be yourself.  The Sistah Cafe is that plus more!!!

The SistahChick's Spot ~  This is my YouTube Channel.  I became a YouTuber on 4/10/2009 with one goal only and that was to share my Natural Hair journey with the world!  Since the beginning Natural Hair has been the main focus of this channel.  However, as with life, there are many different facets to every journey.  Here you can watch as My LittleChick and I show our hair regimens.  Here you can also see a video diary of my Quit Smoking journey, product reviews, tutorials plus footage of various events that I have attended in Atlanta, yearly photoslide updates set to funky music and much much more! 

The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids ~ We are on FaceBook!!  Our FaceBook fanpage allows us to possibly come in contact with at least some of its 500 million users.  Here we are able to quickly update you with whatever is going on in the African American online community.  We provide links to pertinent news/info regarding natural hair products, videos, websites, etc.  for kids and adults as well.

All of these entities are a direct result of my love for my race, my people & my culture.  I truly enjoy sharing & fellowship with like minded individuals.  Being online allows us to reach people that we wouldnt normally be able to come into contact with.  I hope that my community appreciates the time, cost & work that my family & I have put into all of these projects. We will continue to share our positive light & energy with you and we hope that you will spread it on to others! 

Thanks for reading.
Peace :-)