Product Junkieism

Are you a product junkie?  Is that necessarily a bad thing?  I ask because I've often heard people in the natural community mention the term product junkie and how either they are one and/or don't want to be one.  I've even heard it mentioned in a negative tone as if it were  a real problem.  Any answer given to this question would be relative but I thought I would share my opinion with you.

So what is the definition of a product junkie?  Yes, it sounds obvious but to be certain I took the liberty of looking it up and breaking it down.  Wikipedia says a junkie is "a hyperbolic expression for a person with a particularly strong enthusiasm for some activity."  Basically it is saying someone has an exaggerated, intense enjoyment, interest or approval for something (in our case: hair products).  I assume that when we hear the term "junkie" people tend to think about drug addicts which adds to the negative stigma of the term.  Junkies usually go wrong when they sacrafice their responsibilities to fulfill their habit.  Ok, I know I just went deep but I would like you to know that I don't believe product junkieism is anywhere near that serious or deep.  Junkieism!?...Ok, I would like to think that I made that up...LOL!

Rece. A PJ's new finds. 26 june 2011.<http://ahairstory.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/>

So what makes a person a "real" product junkie?  Is a product junkie that person who has a lot of different products because they like to try new things and/or rotate their products?  Is it a person who likes one particular product or product line and wants extras stored in their bathroom closet because they don't want to run out?  I still have a hard time answering that question.  I don't believe that we can fairly determine another person's wants or needs for the products they purchase.  I have nothing against the two scenarios I've stated above and in my opinion I would not label that product junkieism.  I only know my finances and would say that purchasing hair products instead of paying rent, mortgage, car note, gas/electric, etc... is the characteristic of a product junkie.  I would not neglect my responsibilities and I would hope other people wouldn't either. (Not taking care of your responsibilites is another extreme example to parallel the drug addict example above and it is not really what I'm focusing on.)

I look at a person who buys a lot of hair products the same way as I look at the person who buys a lot of shoes, a lot of purses, or clothes etc.  This is something that person likes and there is nothing wrong with it.  There are a lot of products on the market today and I know we can't have them all and not all of them work best for us.  Unlike shoes and clothes, in most cases you cannot try on hair products to see if they work well for your hair before you purchase them.  Therefore, many people are left with a lot of unused products in their cabinets which can become wasteful and cause money to go down the drain.  My suggestion to this ,as if you asked, is to pass it on to someone who might like it (donate, gift it, sell it at a discounted price!). This makes room for your next products that hopefully work better.  It's fun to try and buy new things.  My hair journey includes growth, maintenance, and experimentation.  I love experimenting with my hair products and styles.  Well, my styles are still kind of limited but I'm looking forward to my days beyond the TWA (teeny weeny afro).  In some people's eyes I may be considered a product junkie, but I will not claim the label for myself.  I hope that we don't fall into the trend of labeling individuals.  Let me wrap this up by saying...do you and I will always do me.

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Peace & Blessings...Happy Belated New Year!

Natural4Rachel