Curly on a budget

Hi all,

I really need help with my regimen. Currently I am using Organix Coconut Milk shampoo and conditioner, sealing with shea butter. I'm also doing weekly treatments, alternating between henna and whipped butter.

I'm trying to go all organic but I find it very hard to do on my college budget. So what products do you recommend that are within my budget range of 30/month? I just recently tried shea butter and I'm in love. But it definitely set me back $11 (for 8 ounces, what?).

Let's put our math skills to use...

So here's the scenario: you are looking for an organic/natural conditioner, shampoo, leave-in and butter/oil all for a less than or equal to 30. Is it possible? If so, mention the price and where you got the product from.

thanks in advance!

For poos and condishes you may want to try the following line Aubrey Organics, Giovanni, or Trader Joes. Aubrey Organics and Giovanni run about $7-8 but if you catch them at the right time at Whole Foods they have them on sale two for one. If you have a Trader Joes in your area, their poos and considhes run about 4 bucks. As for a leave in, if you're that much in a pinch, you can leave some of your conditioner in your hair. There is nothing wrong with doing that. However, the leave in I like best is Kinky Curly Knot Today. It's $11 BUT I found a way to stretch it. I dilute it and make it into a spritz. As for an oil, you can use EVOO. You should be able to find some for pretty cheap at a grocery store. The butter will be more tricky. But if you'd like to stick with shea, butters-n-bars.com sells a pound for $8. If you'd like to stretch that, try making a mix with some of the oil. And less is more when it comes to shea, so you shouldn't have to use too much.

Not sure if all this really makes the $30. But these should last you for quite some time.

i agree with junices n berries!

u can buy shea butter for realllllllllllllllllllll cheap and it should last for like a year if you use everyday....i buy my butter from shea essentials. i get the 8 oz and it was $7 or $8 . a lil goes a long way, too

u can transform some cheap and good (organix, herbal essence, whole foods brand, aussie etc) conditioners into even better good and deep conditioners with simply adding olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil (or any oil that helps in fortifying your hair) and/or egg for protein. keep in mind that adding these to your condish will stretch your conditioners, thereby getting more bang for your buck. u can purchase a couple of bottles of essential oils, and these essential oils should last a year or so if used on the regular.

i maybe go thru one shampoo bottle a year because i don't poo as much (i don't use cones in my regimen) and i co-wash. I co-wash as needed (someones 1-4x a month) according to my lifestyle (and which can easily be different from yours) with aubrey organix honeysuckle rose condish. that condish lasts forever because i don't use alot...a lil goes a long way imo (and i have quite alot of hair).

also, keep in mind that sometimes your conditioner that u use as a co-wash can sometimes be transformed into a good deep conditioner. and conditioners can be used leave-ins-just dilute with water or aloe vera juice.

so, you will spend prolly no more than $40 in one sitting, but all of this stuff should last for a very longggggggggg time....maybe a year (with the exception of buying a new bottle of conditioner and olive oil (but you cook with that so that doesn't count) once or twice during that time )

oh, and forget to say that a good shampoo that is super duper cheap because you get alot, its concentrated, can be used to clean around the house, etc is dr.bronners.

Dr. Bronners shampoo. A 32oz bottle was about $10 and you only need a little. I pour some in a spray bottle and spray on my hair in about 2 sections, that's all it takes. It will lasts a very long time.

You can get huge bottle of Giovannie conditioners from T.J.Maxx for about 12.99. Depending on how often you co-wash/condition, it should last 2-3 months, if not longer.

Oils will vary in price , but the cheapest is olive. I use olive, castor, jojoba, coconut and macademia nut oils the most. Another option is Hot 6 oil (think that's the name). It's about $4 and it is a mix of several oils, all natural and pretty good. I mix it in my conditioners and sometimes my spritz.

You might spend more than $30 if you need to purchase everything at once, but the products will last a while, so the investment is worth it.

For a leave-in/daily spritz, I mixed rose water (about $7) with a little conditioner and added a few oils. A bottle lasts about 2 months.

I've never paid more than $6 for my shea butter. Half of the container is mixed with various oils. It lasts about 2 months with my entire family using it.

Wow so much great information and lots of detail. Thank you to all the posters!

I've seen or heard of most of the products mentioned but where can I get the Dr. Bonner's shampoo?

Target, Whole Foods, any other local health food store.

You can use Dr. Bronners Castile Soap in your hair - it says so on the label.

I use it as a shampoo in my hair without incident. Remember, you must dilute it with water. I put 3 to 4 drops in a squeeze bottle filled with warm water and then shampoo.

I purchased a huge bottle for 8.99 and I have only used a quarter of the bottle. You can get different scents - I have almond scented. I have seen Peppermint, Lavender, Tea Tree, Citrus, Rose, etc. in the stores.

To wash your hair, you can always use baking soda and water and apple cider vinegar. That is a super cheap, but effective way to clean your hair.

I only use one conditioner: Giovanni Direct Smooth As Silk which runs me about $7.99 in the drug store. (I only use it weekly as a DC so it lasts me longer than a month.) I'm currently using Yes To Cucumbers as a co-wash conditioner, and again, $7.99 at the drug store. I cleanse my hair with raw black soap, which I can get a pretty good sized brick for $4. My shea butter goes for the same price, since I buy it (and the black soap) from a wholesale shop who imports from Ghana. Honey and oils vary in price, but carriers like sweet almond, grapeseed, jojoba or castor oil are fairly affordable.

I am always on a budget and I use suave naturals which cost $2 and garnier frutic triple nutrition which is $2.50 and i usually get some extra food product when I go food shopping and olive oil as well coconut oil from food stores. and ebay has a great deal on EO's, and I found 1lb of shea butter for $5 in the grocery store. these things last me some time because everytime I get $2 i buy conditoner and everytime I get any time of extra cash i spend it on hair product and that's how I build up. I know this is a lil scattered but I hope it helps some