Building a Hair Regimen

be consistent ... your hair will thank you for it!

Many natural newbies and anyone interested in beginning a healthy hair journey, may often wonder: “Do I NEED to develop a hair regimen? Can I just ‘wing it’ and take things as they go? Will following a regimen be difficult? Will I get bored?” Listen, I firmly believe hair should be fun, not work! So it’s not like I want to take the fun or creativity out of anyone’s hair journey, but I think developing a hair regimen can really make a huge difference in the positive results you can achieve in your quest for healthy hair!

Following a hair regimen may sound like a tedious task, but trust me the more you practise a system; eventually it becomes like second nature and it will just become part of your lifestyle. I’ve found that once I am consistent my hair thrives, from the time things get haphazard I see a change in the health of my hair. Maybe it’s all in my head =) but let's continue. If you’re like me and you tend to get bored easily you can incorporate creativity even in the habitual. For instance, if you perform a particular task routinely you can switch up the products used to achieve that task, especially if you’ve found several things that work for you. So, for example your weekly deep conditioning session can involve greek yogurt, olive oil and honey one week, or store-bought hair mayonnaise the next week, yet another week – half an avocado from your fridge with an egg for protein.

When building a regimen, here are a few things to consider:

Your Personality: Are you a “no fuss” kind of person? Then try to avoid a routine that’s too complicated or elaborate, eventually you may just get frustrated. If you’re a creative type, you may be able to incorporate several different activities into your regimen to peak your interest or several different ways to accomplish the same goal.

Your Skill Level: I know, I know, persistence has its place but let’s be real for one second here: not everyone is good at doing hair! (did I say that? =) yep!) Yes persistence pays off, but there are some people that get things right away and others who will need time to hone certain skills and techniques. So ask yourself: How comfortable do I feel doing my own hair? What techniques can I do well /do I need to work on? Maybe you can do certain aspects of the routine yourself and have someone else help you with styling, OR maybe you’re good at styling but you really tangle your hair when you wash. Evaluate your skills honestly and then decide what you can improve with practice and what you may need assistance with.

Your Lifestyle: What is a typical day/week/weekend like for you? Are you a graduate student with a busy schedule on a tight budget? A mom of toddlers with very little ‘me-time’? An athlete? Keep your regimen practical and relevant to you.

Your Hair Goals: Do you want to retain more length? Are you transitioning? Whether you’re working on your thinning hairline or split ends, or you have breakage, dryness issues, or even want to maintain what you have. Your goals are a great way to help you plan and to inspire you to keep going on your journey.

Your ‘Hairsonality’: What does your hair like? What works for one person’s hair may not work for yours, so listen to what your hair is ‘saying’, it’s not always about what the latest trend in hair care is. What is your hair type? Now, I don’t necessarily follow the numbering system, but it’s a useful exercise to see if the regimen of persons whose hair looks similar to yours can work for you (or if they wear a similar hairstyle to yours, such as locs). Also based on the type of hair you have you can decide honestly what can be in your regimen. I for one know that I don’t really have ‘wash and go’ hair, I have ‘wash and fro’ hair, #keepinitreal LOL so I would not try to incorporate a “wash and define curls and head out for the day” session into my regimen, it just has never really worked on my hair.

I will do another post soon on my own hair regimen so you can see how I sectioned everything out, but until then, take a few minutes to sit and consider these questions and make some notes and soon you’ll be on your way to developing an iron-clad hair regimen!

(yes there's more! =) in Part 2)