A few months ago I wrote a post(s) complaining about the lack of integrity in a lot of small businesses these days. You can read them here "How to find cheap haircare products" & "Small Business Rant". I strongly believe that getting great quality cosmetics should not cost a lot. Well, all I could do was rant about it and try to sway people to buy from better companies....or so I thought.

I was ranting to my husband about the whole base issue and customer service and he, probably tired of  my rants, asked why don't I sell the bases and products. Well, why not? Right? Well, there are of a lot of reasons why not!! Hell, I didn't want to deal with irate customers, shipping, packaging, and all the other things that come along with selling actual products. (I'm just keeping this thing 100% honest). Running a actual product based business is hard work.

So, I sat on the idea for a few weeks....

Well, I finally bit the bullet and decided to go ahead and at least look into selling products. Let me tell you, it is not easy to crunch numbers and keep a budget. Shipping is high, raw materials are even higher and quality is not something all wholesalers have on their mind.

But, I have honestly enjoyed the process. I have enjoyed finding quality ingredients, making my own products and designing my own Etsy store: DIY Haircare Products.

But the best part? Knowing that I am helping women find quality haircare and skincare products for a great price and giving them a company they can trust, who believes in fair pricing and honest customer service.

I truly, love my business. I love what I sell and I love learning. I hope to expand my business into a full "One Stop Shop" with more herbs, bases, butters and packaging. I know that if I work hard and effective, I will be able to solve many of the problems many customers face when it comes to small businesses.

So, I just wanted to let everyone know why I started my business and  the thought process behind it.

If you have a business you want to start, make sure you research it and really learn about marketing. Marketing and how to advertise are the 2 biggest things you NEED to learn.

Okay...I think have rambled long enough. I'm going to stop now.

Remember: It is never my intention to push products on anyone, so don't worry about my blog turning into an infomercial.

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I'm learning that it is better to take years and truly learn your craft then to dive in a only half know what you're doing.

I was reading a thread over on a haircare forum and the posters were really outing a lot of small business, WAHM companies for not being knowledgeable about their craft. I was embarrassed for the companies!

Since I have been researching a lot myself and looking up ingredients and beneficial oils and whatnot, I have learned a lot. I too have noticed how a lot of small businesses may not truly be educated about what they sell.

• Soap making- I keep reading some companies say you need to preserve bar soap! This is soap making 101, you don't need to preserve bar soap, liquid soap maybe but not bar soap! How can I have confidence buying from you if you don't even know the basics?

• Natural Hair- I instantly get turned off by people marketing shea butter, jojoba oil, and the like as moisturizers. This again is haircare 101 knowledge. Very few oils penetrate the hair shaft and, most other oils are sealants. A quick google search will lead you to this knowledge.

I hope small businesses step their game up and start putting their best foot forward because as customers get informed, we are going to start reading the fine print. When you are selling products and marketing them as "high end" you need to have "high end" knowledge to back that up.

We all like making money but, we have to be fair, honest and trustworthy. Know your stuff so you won't be embarrassed later on...

I can't count how many times I have heard this in regards to natural haircare (natural products, not "natural" hair), health, food, etc. People always have an excuse why they can't do something that they know they need to do. Always. (including me)

You know what I have learned? There is always a way. Always!

I'll take it section by section.

Natural Haircare:

If you buy from WAHMs the prices for conditioners, leave-ins and styling cremes can range from $8-20. For me, I make a budget and stay in it, I don't look at things outside of my budget. For example, I have set in my mind that I am not going to pay more than $8 for a conditioner. I don't care how great it is or what plant's super powers are in it, I am not buying it. All of the products I use on my hair are natural and none are expensive.

Making things yourself also saves you lots of money. Check your health food stores out and see what they have, also check vitamin stores for oils, teas and extracts.

Remember you don't NEED everything, keep it simple. You need to clean, moisturize and seal your hair, that's it. Shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner, and sealant.

Skincare:
This has a lot to do with what you put INTO your body. Want better looking skin? Drink more water. A lot of skin problems come from a backed up colon and not properly flushing out toxins. You can't eat junk all day and expect to have glowing skin. Nothing wrong with make-up but, some sunlight and water can help get rid of dark spots and prevent wrinkles.

I am not a fan of a lot of make-up. I like eyeshadow and lip gloss but, I don't like foundation, blush, concealer and all that. To me, make-up is suppose to accentuate not make your features...but that's me.

I am on the outside looking though because I have never had skin problems and when my skin does look "blah" it's because I need to drink more water and get more rest.

Skincare is the same as haircare; clean it, moisturize it and seal in the moisture. If you're taking care of your skin, you won't need 50-11 different lotions and pomades...you could wash your face and go.

Healthy eating:

I don't go overboard with this, at all. Some people make eating a burden and I believe food is meant to be enjoyed. I don't count calories and eat only nuts. Nope, I enjoy cake, cookies, chips, sugar, flour, rice, pasta, ALL THAT delicious stuff. What I don't eat is; pork, seafood outside of fish (fins and scales, anyone?), grocery store milk (hormones and mad cow disease anyone?) and a few other things.

A lot of things are great in moderation and cooking food from scratch is one the key factors to staying healthy.

You also have to stay active, get out and exercise, drink water and get sunlight!

Just balance it out, you have to eat fruits, vegetables, and fiber (things that make you poop). Get what's withn your budget, if you can't get veggies from Whole Foods, try the fresh market or Wal-Mart, something is better than nothing.

So don't stress yourself out trying to buy ALL organic and "healthy", do what you can and make sure you're eating a balanced diet.

Also, Fast Food is the devils spawn...seriously. That stuff will have you fat as a cow and the withdrawals from it are like crack.

Well that's all for now. I plan to do a post about birth soon and wrap up some reviews...

Lately, A LOT of natural haircare "gurus" (I use that term extremely lightly) have taken to advertising products that they claim are "made by hand". I was scrolling a particular forum and and found some information that really makes me want to be a more aware shopper.

Natural haircare and body products seem to be taking over, they are popping up everywhere and everyone has a "product line". I don't like to spend more money then I have to. Check these sites out and make sure you're not paying more than you have to either.

Examples:


Avocado Creme Balanced Conditioner Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Lavendula angustifolia (Organic Lavender) Distillate, Anthemis nobilis (Organic Roman Chamomile) Distillate, Cetearyl Alcohol(vegetable-based emulsifier), Ricinus communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Avocado Butter, Avocado Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Panthenol Vitamin B5), Panthenol (Vitamin B Complex), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Rosa mosqueta (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Salix nigra (Organic Black Willow Bark) Extract, Fragrance.

Price: 8 oz. $12.97


Wholesale Base: Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Lavendula angustifolia (Organic Lavender) Distillate, Anthemis nobilis (Organic Roman Chamomile) Distillate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ricinus communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrolized Wheat, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Panthenol Vitamin B5), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Rosa mosqueta (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Salix nigra (Organic Black Willow Bark) Extract

Price: 16 oz. $8.25


Another Company Aloe Vera Styling Gel: Organic Aloe Juice, Organic Witch Hazel, Phenoxyethanol, Pro Vitamin B, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Alcohol Denatured, Carbomer, Citric Acid

Price: 4 oz. $8


Wholesale Base: Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel), Phenoxyethanol, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Alcohol denatured, Carbomer, TEA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid

Price: 16 oz. $8.70

So take your beloved haircare product or skincare product and plug the ingredients into Google and see what you come up with. You be able to get it for half the price!!!