1. Know your hair - every curlie is different and has different needs, however there is a foundation to every head of curls, which are hair density, porosity and width. If you know how your hair behaves in each of these categories you will be able to pick products based on their consistency and "claims to fame" so that you are not buying  products that don't suit your curly needs.  Find out your hair type here: Curly Hair Care

2. Documnet the products that work/don't work for you  - another great way to not go overboard buying products is to document what works/doesn't work for your curls. I like to use Instagram to post pictures of my curls and caption them with what I used. This way I have an image to go along with a listing of the products. You can also use more private ways to document, such as using a journal where each time you use a product, you can write the name of it and how it made your hair feel and smell. As well, you can document its uses and how long it made your style last.

3. Categorize your products when storing them - if your products are just thrown in a basket or stuffed in a cabinet without order, you will never truly get a sense of what you have and what you need. Categorize them by function, i.e. shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, leave-in, gel, curl cream, etc. and not by brand. This will give you a better view on when you need to restock on a particular product type. 

So why even do all this? What's the point? Well, well then, my curlfriend, read on. Here are the benefits:

1. Save money - not being a product junkie helps you to not buy products you don't need or won't use. This of course saves you a little dinero! And who doesn't love a little extra cash in their pocket? If you know your hair type and for example, know that your hair needs butters rather than gels, then you will not buy that new curly hair gel that just came out and save that $$ for something else.

2. Save on clutter - if you know you have 5 leave-in conditioners at home, thanks to your categorizing hair product skills, then you will know not to buy another leave-in the next time you're at the drug store. I mean does your curly hair products cabinet really need 6 leave-in conditioners? A while back one of the drug store chains was having a huge buy one/get one sale on Shea Moisture products. And man, I went crazy and bought like 4 conditioners since my curly family and I go through so much conditioner. I had my products nicely organized so each time I would stroll through the hair care isle at a store, no matter how good a conditioner looked, I knew I had 4 of them at home waiting for me to use. And guess what? I didn't buy any new conditioners for quite some time after that!

3. Less bad hair days - there is nothing worse than a curly head of hair on a bad hair day. Yah, you know what I'm talking about! Imagine doing a complete wash day only to apply products that just don't work for your hair. We've all been there...I know, the struggle is real! But when you've done your research, taken the time to truly know your hair and put in the work to really understand what works/doesn't work for you, then you will start to see more consistent, predictable results. You'll know what products give your hair a fluffy, soft (yet not frizzy) hold. And when you want that look, you'll know just what products to reach for. And when you want that more defined curl, again, you'll know just what to use.