Why Did You Fall Off Your Staple Product's Bandwagon?

[alwayzalady22]

this thread isn't about jumping on a new product bandwagon, then leaving it to the wayside...it's about people who testify to the effectiveness of the product, but then qualify their testimonial with something like 'yeah, i did this back in the day, but i haven't used it in a looooooooong time...i need to start using this again!' erplexed i guess this is perplexing to me because consistency is highly touted on this board, and because it doesn't make sense to me to stop using a product that you're willing to rave about but then you stop using it...

so answer me this- what caused you to stop using a product you loved and gave you great results? i don't want to know about any serious extenuating circumstances (birth of a baby, death in the family, divorce, school, etc.)...did you run out and just not buy anymore? was there an ingredient in it discussed on here or somewhere else that isn't supposed to be 'good' for hair (mineral oil, cones, parabens, etc.)? were you a pj? or was there no good reason at all? does it make you wonder how good a product is if someone qualifies their testimonial by saying they stopped using it themselves and need to get it again?

just some random questions going through my head on this hair journey

 

[HoneyDew]

I guess for me I will stop using a particular product just because I tried other things that I like just as well. I have stopped using a poduct I loved because of the cost - maybe my goals changed and it became less attractive to spend the money on it. But, anyway I like to change my conditioners like I change handbags.

Just like I can get sick of one of my favorite handbags and stop carrying it for a while. A few months later I will run across it in my closet and fall in love with it again.

I become bored with somethings that can easily be replaced. For example, I have my favorite leave-in and don't know of one single product that works as well. I won't be changing that. But, then I can use many different conditioners that my hair likes. I can switch those up easily just for variety.

 

[alwayzalady22]

thanks honeydew...cost is a VERY good reason to leave something behind...

 

[HoneyDew]

thanks honeydew...cost is a VERY good reason to leave something behind...

yes it is girl! But, I do continue to buy the expensive ones if I cannot find a cheaper alternative. But, it always seems silly to buy something really expensive, when I can just pick up something just as good (in some cases better) that is much cheaper.

 

[LocksOfLuV]

Honestly, I used to be an Aveda DR PUSHA, until I had to be real and tell myself "girl you cannot afford that."

I love the stuff, but I found stuff cheaper that gets the job done. I still use Aveda only when I wear my hair down so that's like every 6 mos, so one bottle may last me a few years. Versus using it every wash. I have yet to find something that makes my straight hair so darn silky!

The longer my hair gets the more product my hair uses also. Like HD said, buying expensive products long-term really isn't appealing to me anymore.

 

[BrownBetty]

Well I am a pj in recovery... so there were times that I just wanted to try something new. Other times the product stopped working e.g. Salerm Wheat Germ Conditioner, worked fine for about a year, I used 2x a month and after every relaxer then out of the blue nothing, it just sat on my hair. Wouldn't condition, detangle, moisturize, nothing! I clarified used heat, finally just gave up on it.

 

[BrownBetty]

Honestly, I used to be an Aveda DR PUSHA, until I had to be real and tell myself "girl you cannot afford that."

I love the stuff, but I found stuff cheaper that gets the job done. I still use Aveda only when I wear my hair down so that's like every 6 mos, so one bottle may last me a few years. Versus using it every wash. I have yet to find something that makes my straight hair so darn silky!

The longer my hair gets the more product my hair uses also. Like HD said, buying expensive products long-term really isn't appealing to me anymore.

I feel you Aveda is a mother but it makes my hair sooo pretty. I have decided that once I have finished my stash... I am going to have to make some hard decisions about the expensive products. If I want to still buy them then I can't spend $$$ on trying new things. I found that I have spent just as much or more trying to find cheaper alternatives to certain products. So if I buy Aveda DR I can't try the new poo or con on the board.

 

[LovelyLionessa]

I guess for me I will stop using a particular product just because I tried other things that I like just as well. I have stopped using a poduct I loved because of the cost - maybe my goals changed and it became less attractive to spend the money on it. But, anyway I like to change my conditioners like I change handbags.

Just like I can get sick of one of my favorite handbags and stop carrying it for a while. A few months later I will run across it in my closet and fall in love with it again.

I become bored with somethings that can easily be replaced. For example, I have my favorite leave-in and don't know of one single product that works as well. I won't be changing that. But, then I can use many different conditioners that my hair likes. I can switch those up easily just for variety.

I couldn't agree more, well said. I am particularly fickle when it comes to conditioners. There are so many good ones out there, that I am finding that I can just limit my self to one kind. Price is something I definitely consider since I use a lot conditioner at a time. And if I can find something that cheaper and is just as effective if not more, heck I'll go for it.

 

[HoneyDew]

I feel you Aveda is a mother but it makes my hair sooo pretty. I have decided that once I have finished my stash... I am going to have to make some hard decisions about the expensive products. If I want to still buy them then I can't spend $$$ on trying new things. I found that I have spent just as much or more trying to find cheaper alternatives to certain products. So if I buy Aveda DR I can't try the new poo or con on the board.

You know what I do with my expensive products is use them less often.

This one is not as expensive as Aveda DR, but my liter of Joico K-Pak treatment is pretty expensive for me. I don't use it as often as other things so it lasts longer for me.

 

[bajanplums1]

This happened to me.

In the summer time my hair did so well with Elucence Poo, Paul Mitchell Conditioner, and Elucence Con as a leave in. But when the winter set in may hair began to break and shed. My hair was no longer manageable and the new growth became a bird's nest. I had to swtich to heavier products. KeraCare proved to be just what I needed in the winter.

I realized in the summer with the humidity and heat, my hair retained moisture and oil better. But indoor dry heat and cold outside hair destroyed my hair from late November to late February.

Now it's March and I will use Keracare year round. My shedding is insignificant and my breakage--what breakage.

 

[alwayzalady22]

lovin' the responses, ladies! lemme throw this out there then....say you're in the market for a cheapie conditioner or wanna add a new supplement to your regimen...if you're doing some research on lhcf, does hearing someone say 'oh yeah, i LOVE this stuff, i used to use this years ago, i better go get some more....' ever make you wonder how effective the product/supplement was in the first place if it seems like there wasn't a reason for the person to stop?

sometimes i read threads about growth aids or supplements in particular where people are like 'yeah, my hair grew 3/4'' with this stuff as opposed to the 1/3-1/2'' i usually get...i need to get some more of that, i haven't used it years!'...stuff like that just kinda makes me say 'is there some hidden drawback about this product that made u stop using it despite it helping you reach your hair goal?' or are these the kinds of raves/reviews you don't pay attention to?

 

[gymfreak336]

You ask very good questions. Well for me personally my hair did great when I would condition with got2be so smooth conditioner and followed it with mizani moisturefuse. Well they changed my bevolved moisturefuse formula so I stopped using it. To be honest, I don't know why I stopped useing the got2be. It was the perfect combo of protien and moisture for cheap.

I get bored very quickly and I like buying products so I tend to experiment alot. There are alot of things I like and I think my pj urge is just too strong. I told myself that I would slow down when I found atleast 2 moisturizing conditioners that did the trick, well I found them and I still bought new ones. Right now I am loving aveda damage remedy but that stuff is expensive. For the cost of just the shampoo and conditioner, I could have bought 4-5 bottles of my aubrey organics favorites. At one point I was only using keracare shampoo or design essentials shampoo and even though I loved them, I ran out and I haven't repurchases yet even though I know I need to. In the mean time I have bought 4-5 shampoos that I don't know if I really like as much as those two.

Lately the only thing I can really be consistent on is my daily moisturizers. Jane carter nourish and shine or ors olive oil cream are the only ones I use.

I really should just stick to a couple of things but I can't stop. Truth be told, many times when I feel like something isn't working as well and I get the itch to get something new, I should just clarify and call it a day. I think I confuse product buildup with something not working.

 

[B_Phlyy]

I don't know if I really fell off any of my staple products, I am just at a different place with my hair now. For example, I know what my relaxed hair likes and so my "staples" are based on what my hair is like in that state. However, I'm 7 months post and more of my hair is natural than relaxed, so those same products don't work as well.

Also, I have a chronic fear that one day all the stuff I like will be discontinued, so I always like to have a backup (or 2) and the only way I can find it is if I deviate from my staples for a while.

 

[stacy]

I loved Kercare Humecto in the tub. However, when I ran out, I didn't have the money to order another online. After awhile, I convinced myself that it wasn't all that and didn't even buy it when I had the money. But, looking back, it really was/is all that (hugging myself, tears slowly streaming down my face). I now have it on my "to buy" list as my main deep conditioner.

 

[GoldenBreeze]

For me, my consistency is in my regimen not necessarily my products. I do stick with a product that works for a long time, but when I get bored with it I want to try something else. The something eles can either be something I've used previously and really liked or something new. For example, oils work well for me, and I seal moisture in with them. I usually have 2-3 going at a time. So I may be using castor, jojoba, and coconut, but when one of them runs out I more than likely will purchase a different oil that I like to replace it. In other words I keep the sealing regimen, but vary the sealants. There are just too many good oils for me to use the same 2 - 3 all the time. There are some things I don't change. Like my EO combo, I think it's a great combo for healthy hair growth so I won't change it. HTH

ETA: I will also change a product that has been working if my hair decides it no longer likes it.

 

[HoneyDew]

For me, my consistency is in my regimen not necessarily my products. I do stick with a product that works for a long time, but when I get bored with it I want to try something else. The something eles can either be something I've used previously and really liked or something new. For example, oils work well for me, and I seal moisture in with them. I usually have 2-3 going at a time. So I may be using castor, jojoba, and coconut, but when one of them runs out I more than likely will purchase a different oil that I like to replace it. In other words I keep the sealing regimen, but vary the sealants. There are just too many good oils for me to use the same 2 - 3 all the time. There are some things I don't change. Like my EO combo, I think it's a great combo for healthy hair growth so I won't change it. HTH

ETA: I will also change a product that has been working if my hair decides it no longer likes it.

Sounds like me. I hardly ever change my regimen, but I do get bored with some products.

 

[newflowers]

I find that though my hair really love my staple products, sometimes I am not in the position to buy them - some are expensive for me. Cost is definitely a consideration when I change from something that works really well. For instance, last year, I was way low on funds; instead of doing a phyto relaxer like I'd been doing for years, I used something different. The cheaper product was not good for me and my hair suffered. Now that I know about stretching relaxers, this is not a problem I'll ever have again; however, at the time, I was fully convinced that 8 weeks was the max I could last before I HAD to relax.

The other reason is I like buying things. Instead of phyto 7, I'd buy the Sebastian Potion 9. Phyto 7 works better, but that tiny tube versus the larger one. When it's purchased, I'll use it. I don't normally keep an extra stash of products, so I do not buy again until I 'm almost out. Something else I see or read about will catch my eye. It may be a few months or more before I return to the one product I like the best.

Because I know how I am about buying things, when someone writes they've not used conditioner x for a long time, they need to get it again - I completely understand.

I do think that now that I actually know about regimes and much more about better hair care, I'll use my favs that work best for the most part. I know there are a few products I'll try because of recommendations here - like maybe the keracare reconstructor and aphogee or dudley protein(products I've never used consistently before and did not use correctly when I did). When I am finally unbraided, I know I'll have a learning curve during which I'll use the products I've always liked and try a few more to see how they work. I may one day say - hey I used to use that and it worked great, I'll have to try it again.

 

[GoldenBreeze]

Sounds like me. I hardly ever change my regimen, but I do get bored with some products.

It's boredom without a doubt, but I also think that I don't want to be so single minded that I'm not open to change. Technology in haircare is always changing, and I want to be open to the possibilities.