Affiliate Disclosure
The short version: when you buy a product through a link on this site, we may earn a small commission. The price you pay does not change. Here is the full picture.
How we make money
Happy Hair Journey is a participant in several affiliate marketing programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These programs are designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to participating merchants.
When you click an affiliate link on this site and complete a qualifying purchase within the merchant's cookie window (typically 24 hours to 30 days), we receive a small percentage of the sale — usually somewhere between 3% and 15% depending on the merchant and product category. Your price is exactly the same whether you use our link or visit the retailer directly.
How we keep recommendations honest
Most affiliate sites have a structural incentive to push the highest-paying products to the top of every list. We've designed our editorial process to actively resist this pressure. Four principles guide every recommendation:
Editorial independence
No brand can pay to be reviewed, ranked higher, or featured on this site. Rankings are determined by ingredient evidence, formulation quality, third-party testing, and reader-reported results — period.
Transparent relationships
We disclose affiliate relationships clearly on every page that contains affiliate links. You will always know when a link could earn us a commission.
Commissions never change scoring
We earn different commission rates from different brands. Higher commission does not equal higher placement — and lower commission does not get a product downgraded.
We pay for products
When possible, our editorial team purchases products at retail price for hands-on testing rather than accepting brand-supplied samples that might bias evaluation.
FTC compliance
In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR Part 255 — "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" — we disclose all material connections between Happy Hair Journey and the brands, products, and services mentioned on this site.
This disclosure applies to:
- Affiliate links throughout articles, reviews, and roundups
- Product images that link to merchant pages
- Buttons and call-to-action elements that direct to affiliate destinations
- Email newsletter content that contains affiliate links
What we will never do
- Recommend a product we wouldn't use ourselves or suggest to a friend
- Accept payment to publish a positive review
- Modify a ranking in exchange for a higher commission rate
- Publish sponsored content disguised as editorial coverage
- Make medical or therapeutic claims that aren't supported by peer-reviewed research
How affiliate revenue is used
Affiliate commissions fund the operation of this site — hosting, the editorial team's time, medical review, ingredient research, and product purchases for hands-on testing. Without affiliate revenue, we would need to rely on display advertising or paywalls, both of which compromise reader experience.
Questions or concerns
If you ever suspect that a recommendation on this site has been influenced by an affiliate relationship rather than the merits of the product, please tell us. Reader trust is the foundation of this business — we take it seriously.
Contact us anytime at hello@happyhairjourney.com or through our contact page.
Standard disclosure: Happy Hair Journey is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more about how we evaluate products on our About page.