READ THE INGREDIENTS LABEL!

You might be wondering why the title of this post is in capital letters. Well, I had a funny experience earlier on this week and although I already knew to check the ingredients list on hair products, I didn't. My oil blend which I use for my hair had finished and I was looking for a replacement. Ideally I would go to the Beauty Supply Store or the Grocery Store (for coconut oil or olive oil). But on this particular day, I went to a Dollar shop. I perused the kitchen aisle looking for coconut oil (first mistake). Since I didn't see it, I decided to check the other kinds of oils available, and then saw a bottle that said in large letters, "EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL." I decided to buy it without checking the label.

Hours later when I was ready to put the oil in my applicator bottle, I decided to check the ingredients list. Lo and behold, the list was this: 94% SOYBEAN OIL, 6% EVOO.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!

So why did it say EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL on the front? I went back to look at it, and in small letters was the word, "Blend." This was clearly a marketing ploy by the manufacturers - put the desired ingredient in large, easy to see letters; and then tuck in the real thing in much smaller font.

This is routinely done with hair and beauty products, so be cautious when you're buying them. Lucky for you, whenever you want to order from the African Naturalistas Store online, you can quickly and easily check the ingredients list of any product.

Have you ever bought a product and then later found out that it wasn't what you thought it would be? Share in the comments below.

Berry Dakara.