One of the things that I’ve found rather challenging with wearing my hair in its natural style is where to shop for natural/curly girl-specific products in Toronto. Sure, you can always resort to purchasing things online, but in times like these, who wants to deal with the exchange rate, shipping charges and duty? I am a self-confessed product junkie, and I do not mind purchasing products online from time to time. However, I’m all about local purchases. So, when I heard that there was a store that offered a variety of product lines that American naturals rave about, I hopped on the train to check it out.
HoneyFig is nestled in the trendy North York neighbourhood just south of Sheppard on Yonge Street. Upon entering the store, my disdain for the bitter weather and the two-minute walk from the station had vanished. I was there on business, and nothing was going to distract me from enjoying my date with my hair. After Courtney, the naturally fly sales associate, had finished assisting another customer, she greeted me with a smile and asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I was looking for a Jessicurl product that was currently out of stock, however she was gracious enough to hand me a couple of sample packets. Score! I love free stuff!
I then proceeded to browse through other product lines, and to my amazement, I saw Oyin Handmade. I was so happy that I almost did a cartwheel in the store. If you’ve ever read the product reviews from Naturals, you’d totally understand where I was coming from. Not to mention that I had every intention of purchasing the sample pack online once I was able to get over the hefty shipping fee. Unfortunately, they were also out of stock of the OHM item that I wanted. Normally, this might have dampened my spirits, but I was able to test the tester and choose a comparable item from another product line that I was desperate to try.
I had previously purchased from HoneyFig.com, but the experience of being able to see, touch and test products before committing to the goods is sobering for a product junkie like myself. Moreover, Courtney used a lot of the product lines, shared her experiences, and gave her opinion on what might best work with my hair texture. Before I left, she took my email down and confirmed that they would send out email blitzes when new stock became available.
HoneyFig currently stocks Blended Beauty, Carol’s Daughter, Curls, Hamadi, Jane Carter, Jessicurl, Kinky-Curly, Miss Jessie’s, Mixed Chicks, Oyin Handmade and many more lines, which can be found on their website (www.honeyfig.com). I would rate my experience as an 8 out of 10. Friendly and knowledgeable staff member (check), testers and samples available (check, check), convenient location (check) and leaving with an extra spring in my step (check). Now do not sleep on this one, HoneyFig knows what’s up!
