Has anyone kept up with MacherieAmour?

[Miamori]

Macherie's prices are high for me, but as a college student at an expensiveeeeeeeeeeee school primarily supporting myself, I don't think I'm her target market.

I don't think she priced herself out of her target market. I think she priced herself for exactly the women she would like to target.

Not all black women are poh, or simply living comfortably. Many are rolling in the dough, and they have hair woes just like everyone else.

She may have priced herself past her "competitors," but that's fine. (For example,) I don't think BHM and HealthyTextures are trying to reach an identical audience.

ETA: "Not all black women are poh, or simply living comfortably. Many are rolling in the dough, and they have hair woes just like everyone else."

... Not to mention they may be busy (as many of us who would not pay the prices are), but with the extra money, are willing to shell out some extra cash to save time an energy. For instance, if I had the extra money, best believe I would have a maid/housekeeper visiting once a week, seriously, regardless of the fact that I am competent and capable and can do it myself for free. Time is money just as money is money, and that extra chill time or free period to work would be worth it for me.

 

[mstar]

So who do you guys think she's targeting? I've never actually seen her site, so I can't say...I've always been interested in it, but never joined because I don't want to pay the fee (not because I can't afford it.)

Based on the responses in this thread, women who are very interested in healthy haircare have avoided the site because of the fee. If we won't do it, I find it hard to believe that someone who knows very little about haircare is just going to plunk down $100 for a website that they know nothing about (there's not much info offered before you join). If she were my client, I'd advise her to lower the fee to attract more "looky-loos" who would probably keep subscribing once they got a taste of the possibilities of healthy haircare.

 

[aquajoyice]

I was on her site before there was a fee and watched her videos. She is very informative and has good advice. But i'm not sure what differences she's made to demand people to pay a membership. I saw someone else on here mention that she has guest speakers which sounds really cool. I'm guessing you get all of her instructional videos for free once you join, i'm not sure if she has created a haircare line or anything so i'm not sure what seperates her from the rest.

 

[AnotherLevel]

Healthy Textures (when it was free) was the very first hair board I joined (back in March 2008). I'd just had my daughter 3 months prior and I was getting post-partum shedding like no one's business. I joined HT and my then relaxed hair began to thrive like never before. As others have stated, Macherie (Gennifer) has incredible advice THAT WORKS!! So what we can't see her "before" hair. She is accurate, informative, knowledgeable, and very down to earth. I didn't join then pay site because I'd already learned so much and what I didn't, I knew how to search for (for free). We easily blow far more than $10/month on our pj-ism, McDonald's, OPI’s hella-high nail polish, etc. So, I don't think her price is high. It just depends on what you decide to spend your money on.

Nevertheless, I've since found and joined LHCF and feel I have all I need. Yall are great! Like others have said though, can't knock Macherie's hustle. She's good at what she does!

 

[sheedahp]

Her hair is BEAUTIFUL!!! Im so hatin right now Does anybody know if she has a fresh relaxer when she does her videos or is she using heat to get her hair straight like that?

 

[Afrobuttafly]

LHCF is large but it doesn't necessarily come up in google searches when you don't really know what you're looking for. I had never heard of forums before finding lhcf and I'm pretty sure I'd stumbled on archived threads before in google searches but didn't really understand what they were. And yeah, I'm sure a lot of people find her through youtube. And I doubt she mentions lhcf all that often so people don't really have an idea that it's here if they don't know already.

I do think her prices are high for me, especially after learning everything I have here. But, it's pretty cheap for someone who doesn't mind going to the salon every week or buying quality hair. It would have been nice if she did a first time discount or something for people who were already fans of hers though.

If I recall correctly, she did do something like that.

 

[LovinLea]

There's nothing wrong with making money off of a simple, or obvious, idea. Many of the most successful businesses involve packaging or reselling something that was previously free, or cheap. (bottled water, cups of coffee, etc.)

Her main problem is that she's priced herself out of her target market, but she has the right to make that decision.

maybe it's because she was an LHCF member just like me and you, but i really don't think it's worth it. yes, i saw pictures of her long, healthy hair and oohed and aahed but that's about it.

i couldn't guess who that target market is..

 

[onejamifan]

I love her youtube videos and because of her I found LHCF, however, I would not pay that kind of money for hair advice. It just does not make sense considering that there is so much free advice out there. The other thing is that because she used to be an active member of this site for many years, it feels a bit like she took all that info she learned from here and used it to build her own site and make money. Nothing wrong with her hustle, but I don't know... something feels funny about that.

With that said, if I had the charisma that she has and her entrepreneurial spirit, I'd probably be looking for a way to make some $$$$ too... I can't help but wonder how much she's actually making off that site though....

 

[belletresse]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm more inspired by women who have not had long hair their entire lives. I'm also more inspired by SEEING the progress these women have made and learning how they did it. I know, I know, I don't have many pix up yet-- no time.
There are many woman such as Macherie who have always had long hair. It doesn't really matter much what they do to their hair, it's always gonna be long unless they cut it off.

You're right, she never said that her hair was short. She has specifically stated that (at some point) she had course, damaged, difficult to manage type 4a/b hair. It's hard for me to believe that she has no early pictures of herself.

She may be the most wonderful person on earth, but my guess is that her hair has always looked just like it looks now.

It's like someone who has never had a pimple in their life selling an acne regimen. "Buy this, and you too can have beeeutifoool skin like me!!!" Yeah, right.

 

[Missi]

Gotta make this quick..down to my last free internet minute on vacation...

I'm a HT member and the $$$ is well worth. She host meet ups and seminars at her house. her videos are amazing and you can't get that nowhere. Gotta go.

 

[sylver2]

the only way id pay 100 for a hair care website is if "guiding hands" were to emerge from my monitor and personally assist me with my hair.......

right now i probably would say the same thing..but... when my hair broke all off..who knows..i woulda done anything. i will never forget the struggle and desperation i felt trying to get my hair back and grow it out. i jus prayed to make it to SL and i wouldve been satisfied forever!..lol

 

[Vonnieluvs08]

I found some of her yt vids a couple of months ago and really enjoyed them. Since I'm still a newbie I didnt realize how much of hair celebrity she was until I read this thread. I know I couldn't afford to follow her website. Much respect and blessings to her and her endeavors.

 

[gorgeoushair]

I miss her blog and having her on here. I wished she would have kept her blog(it's still up but no updates) for the people who can't afford it and was a fan of hers since the beginning or whatever. I do think it's a lot of money but I am thinking about joining. i was hoping she would lower the price or have some type of special(this is the recession)

I can't knock her hustle. It would be nice if she still came here though even just to say hi. I wish her well even though I so hate the fact that she charges at that price LOL

 

[Coffee]

After reading all of the posts, I'm going to join for 3 months and see what's going on.

 

[SouthernStunner]

After reading all of the posts, I'm going to join for 3 months and see what's going on.

That's right Coffee go on and take one for the team! I knew I can count on you!

 

[n_vizion]

I know $100 seems pricey for hair care tips, but if she continues to go above and beyond to add value to her members (meetups, specialists, videos, etc) she'll have no troubles getting people to sign up because of word of mouth.

Her hair is fabulous, if her specific tips really do help others create hair similar in health and length to hers, I ain't mad at her.

 

[TaurusAngel]

Gotta make this quick..down to my last free internet minute on vacation...

I'm a HT member and the $$$ is well worth. She host meet ups and seminars at her house. her videos are amazing and you can't get that nowhere. Gotta go.

Wow... that doesn't sound bad at all. I love MacherieAmour. She is amazing. I too saw her first before I joined here. Her youtube channel popped up while I was searching! She is doing her thing and I am not mad. What about the hair companies who put out tons of worthless products that people pay an arm and a leg for? At least she is providing something positive to people. Her site is a bit much for me since I am in college, but I would love to check it out soon.

 

[chiprecious]

I dont think she ever had unhealthy hair but I could be wrong. Even some of the women on this board have never had short, damaged hair. But I see what you're saying OP. When I see someone who went from thin broken hair to healthy thick hair, it's very inspiring to me.

I havent kept up with her though.

I think she was like many of me (me still...) that had coarse hair that could never get past a certain length. So on some level, there has to be some damage to not be able to get a few inches beyond shoulder length. Plus I don't think it was as thick.

 

[Poohbear]

Check out her fotki site of hair pics: http://public.fotki.com/macherieamour/

 

[WantNatural]

I first saw her youtube videos when I began searching for black hair care. Once I joined LHCF I didn't make the connection that she was the same person. I think that she seems very sweet, genuine, and knowledgable. I don't need to see pictures of her with ear length, dry, broken off hair to believe she knows what she is talking about - pictures of her gorgeous, thick hair are enough proof for me. I will not be joining her site anytime soon because it is not in my budget, which is too bad because I would like to support her. I wish her the best.

 

[lilsparkle825]

So who do you guys think she's targeting? I've never actually seen her site, so I can't say...I've always been interested in it, but never joined because I don't want to pay the fee (not because I can't afford it.)

Based on the responses in this thread, women who are very interested in healthy haircare have avoided the site because of the fee. If we won't do it, I find it hard to believe that someone who knows very little about haircare is just going to plunk down $100 for a website that they know nothing about (there's not much info offered before you join). If she were my client, I'd advise her to lower the fee to attract more "looky-loos" who would probably keep subscribing once they got a taste of the possibilities of healthy haircare.

You have to realize that many of the people who come across her site are still in the "my hair will never grow" phase. A lot of us are at the stage where we know what to do to get long healthy hair...it's just waiting for it to get to our goal length. Like sylver2 said, if I had come across her site when my hair was bleached and broken, I may have ended up joining that one instead.

 

[grnidmonster]

I think MacherieAmour is fab and her hair is to die for. Her videos are really helpful and I miss her being here. She was one of the first people I remember stating that good overall health is related to hair health. She even suggested anyone looking for fitness help call her trainer.

However, I must admit I was a bit turned off by the cost of the site and the way the conversion went down, but that is my opinion.

 

[Nightingale]

Gotta make this quick..down to my last free internet minute on vacation...

I'm a HT member and the $$$ is well worth. She host meet ups and seminars at her house. her videos are amazing and you can't get that nowhere. Gotta go.

If I were new to haircare and had never come across LHCF, that kind of support would be invaluable.

 

[WorkInProgress88]

.my one comment on this whole thread: not everyone who has started in a healthy hair journey started off with damaged hair. ok, bye

 

[dlewis]

I haven't joined her site. I do think she's very nice and helpful. I can understand why she would charge a fee. It takes a lot of time to work with someone through growing their hair. I takes me time to answer emails and pm's related to haircare and I don't even post in this section much. So for her to give all her members her time and always be there to answer questions and work with them ....well I can see why she's charging a fee.

 

[Missi]

I haven't joined her site. I do think she's very nice and helpful. I can understand why she would charge a fee. It takes a lot of time to work with someone through growing their hair. I takes me time to answer emails and pm's related to haircare and I don't even post in this section much. So for her to give all her members her time and always be there to answer questions and work with them ....well I can see why she's charging a fee.

ITA....her site is worth it IMO. Mach has been practicing healthy hair care since college...when i'm 26. I doubt i'lll have damaged hair photos of me 5 years ago. I barely have photos from 2 yrs ago. Lol

There are many haircare sites that charge. I'm happy that there are people out there who know about healthy haircare and use their time to teach others. Like Cathy Howse (Ultra Black Hair) she charges $300+ just for seminars alone. HealthyTextures is her business.

I see it this way: I'm also supporting a black female in the haircare business. I buy over $100+ black hair products (hairveda, con, avlon, etc)...i think i will let go of $100 to support Mach. After her DVD....she's been apart of my journey and has ALWAYS helped me out one on one.

ETA: She also got the founder of Avlon, Ind. to answer all the questions from her HT members. Even though I don't use keracare no more....i thought that was nice of her to hook a connection up with the KeraCare guy for us.

 

[momi]

I don't think she just really had damaged, unhealthy hair. If I remember correctly--she had always had salon-treated hair and then became inspired to take care of her own hair and experienced greater growth and retention. But I have never seen her in pics shorter than shoulder length?

I think I remember her sharing this after someone asked for her "before" pictures.

 

[Nice Lady]

ITA....her site is worth it IMO. Mach has been practicing healthy hair care since college...when i'm 26. I doubt i'lll have damaged hair photos of me 5 years ago. I barely have photos from 2 yrs ago. Lol

There are many haircare sites that charge. I'm happy that there are people out there who know about healthy haircare and use their time to teach others. Like Cathy Howse (Ultra Black Hair) she charges $300+ just for seminars alone. HealthyTextures is her business.

I see it this way: I'm also supporting a black female in the haircare business. I buy over $100+ black hair products (hairveda, con, avlon, etc)...i think i will let go of $100 to support Mach. After her DVD....she's been apart of my journey and has ALWAYS helped me out one on one.

ETA: She also got the founder of Avlon, Ind. to answer all the questions from her HT members. Even though I don't use keracare no more....i thought that was nice of her to hook a connection up with the KeraCare guy for us.

Well, it is good to hear from someone that actually belongs to her site. What works for one may not work for another. I guess now that you are posting the benefits--it seems worth it. I wish when I was in college and so desparate to get that WL hair that I had that option of Healthy Textures. I didn't even know LHCF existed. I am happy that she put me onto this site. I heard about it but she commended it for her progress.

 

[belletresse]

This thread's wandered a bit. We've already debated the overall merits of paying $99 for hair advice on many other threads.

I am talking about the relative merits of paying ANYTHING for someone's advice who doesn't and probably never has had hair like mine. There's a difference. I have weird, fine, frizzy, wavy curly, difficult to relax hair that I would categorize as 3D. (That's why I think that Andre's hair typing is ridiculous, but that's another topic.)

I've already found that I dislike every, single product she's used on her own hair. I wasted a lot of money by buying stuff she recommended on her free site. And, I already knew how to do a rollerset and a wrap. That's nothing new. Free tutorials abound on YouTube showing how to do braidouts and twists.

Macherie has consistently given only anecdotal evidence of ever having had damaged hair. If she has to call on others with hair like mine to chime in on her site, what's the point? I can get more of that here. Her free site was a nice jumping off point to my hair journey, but that's about it.

IMO, Black hair care is not complicated: I keep my hair clean, detangled, conditioned, moisturized, pay special attention to my ends and hold on to them; I avoid SHS's at all costs (as well as excessive heat.) I found a stylist who (ALWAYS) respects my wishes. When I relax, I know how a relaxer must be applied and never, EVER allow my stylist to overlap. I ALWAYS relax fragile edges last. I never let her cut my hair. I do not have a single split end. I do not obsess over having blunt ends. This has allowed me to easily regrow and retain 7 inches of hair that I lost May before last due to a lying, scissor happy, relaxer overlapping stylist.

After that it's just a matter of which products work for us individually.

 

[sqzbly1908]

This thread's wandered a bit. We've already debated the overall merits of paying $99 for hair advice on many other threads.

I am talking about the relative merits of paying ANYTHING for someone's advice who doesn't and probably never has had hair like mine. There's a difference. I have weird, fine, frizzy, wavy curly, difficult to relax hair that I would categorize as 3D. (That's why I think that Andre's hair typing is ridiculous, but that's another topic.)

I've already found that I dislike every, single product she's used on her own hair. I wasted a lot of money by buying stuff she recommended on her free site. And, I already knew how to do a rollerset and a wrap. That's nothing new. Free tutorials abound on YouTube showing how to do braidouts and twists.

Macherie has consistently given only anecdotal evidence of ever having had damaged hair. If she has to call on others with hair like mine to chime in on her site, what's the point? I can get more of that here. Her free site was a nice jumping off point to my hair journey, but that's about it.

In the end, Black hair care is not complicated: If we keep hair clean, detangled, conditioned, moisturized, pay special attention to our ends and hold on to them by avoiding SHS's at all costs (as well as excessive heat), we'll wind up with longer hair.

After that it's just a matter of which products work for us individually.

@bolded - WELL SAID!!!!