Are you a product junkie? Are you unable to resist the latest sale items or the newest product on the market? Does indulging on a shopping spree for natural hair products feel like a relaxing therapy session? Do you spend more money on hair products than you care to admit? If you said yes to all of these then you might have a problem. However, not all is bad there are a few occasions when being a product junkie can be a good thing.
Generally speaking, a product junkie is someone who is unable to repress the excessive impulse to buy hair care products even if they are unnecessary. Nowadays, with the current global economy and the environmental impact of excessive consumption (waste) being a product junkie is having a bad reputation, not to mention the negative connotation of the word “junkie” normally associated with addictive behaviour.
However, even those who don’t think of themselves as being in this category must admit that there are a few occasions when being a product junkie can be a good thing.
1| Product Match
Being a natural is wonderful I get it, but sometimes finding the right product combination to give you that WOW! look the majority of the time can feel like a losing battle. When you’re out buying on a whim, piling up the shelf under your bathroom sink and your wardrobe with hair products, you are bound to find the winning partnership between all the products you own, even though you may not commit to it for a long time. Yeah! The addiction is much too strong.
2| Never Hanging
Oh! Shock. That moment when you’re looking like a wet chick half way through your washing routine, you reach out for the conditioner and then you realise you forgot to buy it on your last grocery shopping round. Yeah, it sucks. But it would never happen to a product junkie, admit it! They would just reach for the nearest conditioner under the sink and resume their wash day. Life-saving moment, right!?
3| Spreading The Love
You really gotta love these passionate buyers, they are out there scavenging through all the bad products being sold and still they pass the word to us. They are your best friend, your auntie, your sister or your YouTube guru. You name it, they’re out there giving you the What, Where, When and How of hair care products. They are really saving us all from having to experiment with countless products, not to mention all the money we save. Yes, we do need to try some ourselves products out there, but we don’t need to go over all the “crap” out there, at least, these ladies can steer us away from all that.
4| Supporting Small And Black Owned Business
It’s a fact that product junkies may spend more than their allotted money on mane care, or that their bill payments may fall behind because they can’t back away from a good deal. This, of course, has bad repercussions, but if we look on the bright side (we can always find one!) they are supporting natural hair businesses to grow, whether they are established or new and emerging companies. They are also in a way challenging them to develop better products to care for their (our) needs. Don’t you agree?
I know we often think of a product junkie as a person buying excessively and needlessly ready-made products from known and unknown brands, but I want to challenge your thoughts to move away from this construct. Can a person who makes their own products also be thought of as a product junkie? I believe so. I like making my own products and sometimes I get excited when I buy ingredients online. I don’t consider myself compulsive in this matter because I have two kids, bills to pay and I’m able to control my urges. However, I bet there are people out there who have stacks of natural ingredients to make their DIY mixtures. Share your thoughts with me.
Are you a product junkie? Do you agree with me? Can you think of another occasion when being a product junkie can be a good thing?
