Let me save you some money.
I have spent more than I care to calculate on natural hair products over the years. Curl creams, growth serums, edge controls, protein treatments, co-washes, and oils. I have tried a significant number of them. Some changed my routine in ways I still rely on. Others sat on my shelf looking expensive and doing absolutely nothing for my 4b hair or my microlocs.
What I have learned is that the natural hair industry is enormous, beautifully marketed, and not always honest about what you actually need.
This article is.
Here is my real breakdown of where your money is well spent and where it genuinely is not.
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Worth It: A Good Clarifying Shampoo
This is the most underrated product in any natural hair routine and one of the most skipped, especially in the loc community.
A clarifying shampoo that is free of silicones and heavy residue removes buildup that your regular wash simply cannot touch.
For microlocs, this is non-negotiable. Products accumulate inside the loc over time, and no amount of co-washing or gentle cleansing addresses that.
A proper clarifying shampoo used every four to six weeks is one of the most effective things you can do for the long-term health of your hair, and it does not need to be expensive to work well. What matters is the formulation, not the price point or the packaging.
Not Worth It: Expensive Growth Serums and Hair Growth Oils
I know. The before and after photos are compelling. The ingredients list sounds scientific and impressive, but the honest truth is that most hair growth serums on the market cannot deliver what they claim.
Hair grows from the follicle, which sits beneath the skin. Topical products, meaning anything applied to the surface of the hair or scalp, have very limited ability to penetrate to the follicle level and alter the growth cycle in any meaningful way.
The exception is minoxidil, which is a clinically proven topical treatment for hair loss, but that is a medical intervention, not a hair care product.
What actually supports hair growth is scalp health, good circulation, consistent moisture, reduced manipulation, and internal nourishment through diet and hydration.
A scalp massage with a simple carrier oil, such as coconut oil, will do more for your growth than most dedicated growth serums.
Save your money.
Worth It: A Quality Deep Conditioner
A deep conditioner that actually works for your hair type is one of the best investments in your natural hair routine. For 4b hair, which tends toward dryness due to the tight, angular curl pattern that makes it difficult for natural oils to travel down the shaft, deep conditioning is not a luxury step. It is essential maintenance.
The key word is quality, not expensive. A good deep conditioner for 4b hair will be rich in humectants like aloe vera, glycerin, or honey, and free of heavy silicones that coat the hair without penetrating it. If you have low porosity hair alongside your 4b texture, which is common, always apply your deep conditioner with heat to give it the best chance of actually getting into the strand.
For microlocs, deep conditioning is still relevant and beneficial.
Apply to your scalp and work through your locs gently, allow it to sit with a heat cap, and rinse thoroughly.
Your locs will feel and look different on the other side.
Not Worth It: Edge Control Used Daily
Edge control has its place. For a specific style, a particular occasion, a moment where you want your edges laid and precise.
As a daily product applied to the most fragile part of your hairline? It is quietly working against you.
Most edge control products contain alcohol and strong holding agents. Applied regularly to fine 4b hair at the hairline, they dry the strands out and create a cycle where you apply more product to tame the brittleness caused by the previous application. Over time, this contributes to breakage and thinning at the hairline.
Use edge control sparingly. Cleanse your hairline properly afterward, and if your edges are already struggling, give them a break from it entirely.
Worth It: A Lightweight Scalp Oil
Not a heavy hair oil. A lightweight scalp oil, something you apply directly to the scalp between wash days to nourish the skin, support circulation, and maintain balance.
Jojoba oil is the closest thing to the scalp’s natural sebum and absorbs well without sitting heavily. Peppermint or tea tree infused oils help with scalp balance and are particularly useful if you deal with itching or flaking. Sweet almond oil is light, non-greasy, and works well for regular scalp maintenance.
For microloc maintenance specifically, a lightweight scalp oil applied between the locs and massaged in gently keeps the scalp nourished between appointments without contributing to the buildup that heavier products create. This is a product category worth spending on because you use it consistently, and it directly affects the health of your scalp and therefore your hair.
Not Worth It: Most Protein Treatments Marketed for Natural Hair
Protein treatments are genuinely useful, but not as often as the natural hair industry would have you believe, and not for everyone.
4b hair can be protein sensitive. Too much protein makes already-tight curl patterns feel even more rigid, brittle, and difficult to moisturise. If your hair frequently feels stiff, snaps easily, or seems impervious to moisture, excess protein may actually be contributing to the problem rather than solving it.
Most naturals with 4b hair need protein far less frequently than moisture.
Before adding a protein treatment to your routine, assess your hair honestly.
Does it feel mushy, overly stretchy, or limp? That signals a need for protein.
Does it feel dry, brittle, or stiff? That signals a need for moisture, not protein.
Do not add protein because it is trending or because a product is marketed for growth. Add it because your hair is telling you it needs it.
Worth It: A Satin Bonnet or Silk Pillowcase
This is the unglamorous one that makes a genuinely significant difference.
Cotton absorbs moisture and creates friction. Both of those things are working against your hair every single night you sleep without protection.
A satin bonnet costs very little and preserves the moisture you spent your entire wash day putting into your hair.
For microlocs, it also protects the delicate new growth at your roots from friction that can cause frizz and disturb newly retwisted sections. This is one of the highest return investments in your entire routine. If you are not doing this already, start tonight.
Not Worth It: Multi-Step Product Systems from a Single Brand
The natural hair market is full of systems, the four-step routine, the matching collection, the complete regimen from one brand. They are beautifully packaged and very convincing. They are also rarely necessary.
Your hair does not need every product in a line to thrive. It needs the right products for its specific needs, regardless of brand.
Mixing and matching from different brands based on what actually works is not only acceptable, it is often far more effective than committing to a system designed for a generalised hair type rather than your specific one.
Buy products based on ingredients and how your hair responds to them. Not based on the matching aesthetic of the collection.
The Honest Summary
Invest in a clarifying shampoo, a quality deep conditioner, a lightweight scalp oil, and a satin bonnet. These four things, used consistently, will do more for your hair than any serum, system, or trending product.
Be cautious with daily edge control, heavy protein treatments, growth serums, and branded product systems that promise to solve everything in one collection.
Your hair is not complicated. It wants to be clean, hydrated, and left alone more than it is touched.
Most of what you need to give it is simple, affordable, and already understood. The industry just makes it very easy to forget that.
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