As someone who works in education, I don't make a lot of money. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all. I'm simply stating a fact. Having to live on a budget requires self-control and discipline. It means choosing between the brown boots or the grey boots instead of indulging in both. It also means limiting the products I buy for my face, body and especially my hair.This got me thinking about how as Americans we live in a consumer-based culture. Simply put, we buy buy buy, consume consume consume, and that is what makes our economy go 'round. Every day some new gadget pops on the market, there is a new fashion trend to be hip to, and we are continually introduced to items promising to make our daily lives easier than ever before. I suppose there is nothing wrong with seeing shiny, new objects and lusting after them from time to time. But does buying them make you happy? Does that hole ever get filled? Are you really better off because you swiped the latest and greatest whatever off the shelves and carted it home?
I decided to google "consumer culture" to see what I could find. As I imagined the internet is littered with articles about the economy and how we Americans have become mindless consumers. I found one article in particular, however, that hit home to me. Entitled, Six Psychological Reasons Consumer Culture is Unsatisfying, it aims to break down why what we buy never feels like enough.
In thinking back over my own natural hair journey, I realized that I have fallen prey to many new products out there promising to do all sorts of things for my hair. It was very fun in the beginning to test out different potions and lotions, oils and creams for my newly kinky do. After all, we were just getting to know each other after decades of distance and I wanted to indulge in all that was available, hoping to find the perfect combo of products to meet all my hair's needs. There were so many choices though and sometimes that was frustrating. I can't tell you how many $5 and $10 (or more) I threw away after buying something that simply did not work or turned out to be less than awe inspiring to my tresses.
( I'm not knocking Sally's but....just say NO! I usually always come out of places like this with way more than I intended when I went in. Now I only venture inside if I have a specific list of things I need and don't allow myself to add anything to my cart that does not fit that description.)
So, after reading through the six reasons listed in this article, I thought I'd revamp them to apply to my own experiences with natural hair pj-ism. Here's what I came up with:
1. Products are easy to compare unfavorably -
With so many products promising to do similar things, it is almost impossible to avoid comparing what you just bought to the new almost-the-same-but-somehow-still-different product that comes out. I have gone through endless moisturizers and creams. I just threw away a few full-sized bottles a few days ago because of this ingredient or that scent. It kills me to know how much money I wasted on those!
2. A maximizing strategy leaves us less satisfied-
Basically, with so many options out there for hair products, sometimes it has been tempting to try everything that came my way so I could feel like I made the best decision for the care of my hair. Instead of sticking with a conditioner that I know works wonders, I felt the need to keep trying new ones thinking that that next bottle of creamy goodness would magically be better than the one that came before and solve my moisture, detangling, (you fill in the blank here) issues. It was as if I would be doing myself a disservice if I did not try as many things as possible before settling on one staple product. Somehow, however, I always keep coming back to the one I loved from the beginning.
3. Material purchases are more likely to be reevaluated-
How many times have I bought something good only to keep lurking online for alternatives? Plenty. It's like a maddening cycle of getting all excited the try the new thing, rushing out to buy it (or worse, spending an extra chunk of change to have it rush shipped because I have no patience to wait for things ordered online), then felt the familiar pang of disappointment when I see something similar out there, begging to be tried as well. Sadder than that is seeing that if I had only searched one site further I would have found it on sale, a few dollars cheaper, or with a free gift included. Way to make yourself feel like a lazy shopper!
4. The new option effect-
Along the same lines as mentioned above, every time I buy a new product, another one comes out that has been "re-formulated" or upgraded to have better ingredients, scents, or whatever! Knowing that re-inventing the wheel, slapping a prettier label on it and selling it all over again is one of the trademarks of marketing, it never fails to make you feel like you might be missing out on something if you don't ride the upgrade wave.
5. The reduced price effect and 6. A cheaper rival-
Pretty self explanatory but it hurts none the less...
So, do I say all this to pass judgement on you for doing the above things? No way! I myself am guilty as charged and lose no sleep admitting it. So what is my advice to myself ? Well, the last part of the article suggests we go for the experiential versus the new purchase. I guess in the natural hair world that means opting to spend your money more on the 'goings' and 'doings' and less on the latest bottle 'o goo. For example, I had a fab time at the natural hair show in Atlanta a few years back and have felt no sense of disappointment for going. It was a wonderful experience to see all that naturalness in one place! It was also super fun to try a beautiful cornrowed or twisted do for a few days/months back when I was in college and when I got my afro twists. I loved each and every natural hair meet-up I've been to (and those were free by the way!), not to mention I learned a lot and met cool people.
Bottom line- stick with the things that money can't always buy, like experiences (natural meet-ups, free info on blogs and sites, experimenting with friends to find new styles) and splurge every now and then when you just can't resist. Find your fab five product rotation (or less if you got it like that!) and don't sway from them every time the wind blows a new item your way. You'll likely find that you're happier when you do and not to mention you'll keep a bigger portion of that paycheck to spend or save for other things.
No comments:
Post a Comment