Maintaining Consistency With Your Hair Routine

Let's face it, sticking to a routine is hard no matter what the context is. Each new year, millions of people make resolutions only to find that they've struggled to keep to them mid-way through the first month of the new year. By the time February rolls in, the list of resolutions has most definitely found itself out the window. The year 2020 has been a hard one for most of us however, it has also given us many moments to self-reflect and to place a greater value on life. Some of those moments might have included taking conscious efforts to indulge in self care and spend quality time with those that we love. If you've decided to be more consistent with your hair care routine this new year then you've come to the right place!

Here are a few tips that will help you to have a better chance for success with maintaining a consistent hair routine.

1. Set clear goals

Try to be specific in a way that would allow you to measure and track your progress. For example, if your goal is to have longer hair this year, to be specific you would have to pinpoint the exact length that you want to gain (Bra Strap Length / Mid-Back Length etc...) then focus your efforts on length retention techniques that would see to you achieving that length. To take this further, go ahead and measure the current lengths of each section of your hair (crown, sides, nape etc..) then make your goal to retain an extra 2-3 inches for the year. 

Keeping the goal simple and realistic would also help it to become more attainable and lead to you remaining consistent as you are marking realistic results.

2. Establish techniques and products

Now that you have a specific goal in mind, you need to figure the techniques that you would need to adopt in order to help you to get to your goal. Think of your goal as the destination and your techniques as the fuel for your car. If your car has not got the fuel, it isn't going to start. So despite having your road map to hand (by setting specific attainable goals), without fuel you'll have a hard time getting to your chosen destination. Also, if your car has the wrong type of fuel (eg. diesel not petrol / petrol instead of electricity etc...), your car still won't be able to get to your chosen destination effectively. As such, it is crucial to figure out the techniques that would work best for you, your hair and your current lifestyle.

Techniques are methods of handling your hair. For example, within the natural hair community, a well known technique is the LOC Method (Liquid, Oil, Cream) used to seal in moisture into the hair once it has been hydrated. However, many naturals have variants of this moisturising technique such as the LCO (Reverse Oil and Cream) or the LCG methods (Liquid, Cream, Grease). Some naturals may even find that these methods are a little too much for their hair and that they are perfectly fine with simply applying their leave in conditioner and a styling product (eg. gel, mousse etc...)

The point here is that you need to figure out techniques that work best for your hair type and cycle. Other techniques include, detangling methods (fingers, wide tooth comb or brush), product application methods (prayer hands, starting from the ends and working to the roots). The best advice here is to try a technique and if it works for you (you are getting visible results) then continue with it. If the technique is not working then ditch it and try something else! 

With this point, find products and tools that would help to assist you with achieving your hair goals and doing your hair techniques. As aforementioned, if the product is not giving you your desired result then try something else. 

3. Track your progress

Keeping a written record of your mini accomplishments would not only help you to stay motivated but you'll also have a clearer picture of how well things are going. You'll be able to see if your chosen products and techniques are working well to achieve your goal and if they aren't you can swiftly make improvements.

Self - auditing yourself in this way, also helps you to see how far you have come throughout the year. Lastly, it really does allow you to gain more insight into what your hair likes and what it doesn't like. You learn how best to handle your hair and you become more confident with dealing with it. Be your own hair expert! Picture this stage as the pit stops you would make when you take your car to the service station along the journey. You relax, you enjoy the views and you recuperate before continuing on. 

4. Find social support

Back to our car analogy. If you're sat in this car, travelling for a long period at some point you are going to get tired. To keep you motivated join online natural hair communities where you feel inspired by other naturals. Ideally if you are able to find a natural with your hair type this is great! Popular choices are to watch natural hair youtubers or follow them on Instagram. There are also online blogs and forums that you can get involved in. This might give you more insight with what to do with your hair as you watch how others are doing it. You can also learn new techniques and feel encouraged to keep on going.

4. Enjoy the process!

Many at times, we are too much in a hurry to see instant results and then we get demotivated when things aren't happening as quickly as we imagined it to be. Whilst it is good to find social support from other naturals, it is also important to remember that we all have different hair journeys. No two heads of hair are exactly the same! As such, find ways to make your routine feel less of a chore and have more fun whilst you're doing it. Whether it be, creating a washday playlist on Spotify to keep you in a good mood as you wash, detangle and style your hair. Or, whether it be, learning to appreciate each stage that you are at, celebrating the mini milestones. 

Hopefully, as you take these tips on board you'll be able to maintain consistency and set yourself up for a successful hair care routine this new year!

Don’t miss out on more tips and real stories from myself and our Mane Babes! To learn more you can join the conversation by following us on Instagram - @Mercysmane!

As always sis, 
Stay blessed X