Being Consistent

[ChloeDharma]

Now we read all this great advice on healthy growth promoting hair habits. I remember from past experience things that worked for me like daily bent over brushing with a BBB, twice a day in fact and massage, scalp oiling etc. The thing is it's so easy to forget or procrastinate (I'm particularly bad for this with herb washing and henna applications).

Does anyone have tricks to get into the habit of doing things to care for their hair, taking supplements etc? I suppose one way would be to just incorporate one thing at a time into your routine at a time plus if the habits/experiments are new to you then it's best to try just one thing so you know what works and what doesn't. For me, because I know from experience what works best for me it's quite hard because I remember the benefits I got from certain habits so I want to do them all again.

Anyway I thought it would be a good idea to share tips on being consistent with healthy hair habits. One I would suggest for something like bent over brushing or massage is to do it when you brush your teeth morning and evening. Or for massage do it while watching a TV program you watch regularly, I'm thinking this is the only useful thing about soap operas lol.

Having a certain day that you do more involved stuff like DT's used to help me. Mine used to be Sunday, I'd do all of it then, DT, shave legs, face mask henna every 4th Sunday.

I'm out of tips now, or just can't remember them but I am the worst for being disorganised so would love to hear suggestions for keeping to a routine.

[Kina]

Do you use gmail? On the calendar (and I'm sure that with other calendars this would work, I just don't use any of them) you can set up recurring reminders and alerts. I'm not always consistent either, so that's the best I got :)

[SkyChild]

I read somewhere that if you do something every day for 6 weeks it becomes a habit. Set up reminders until it sinks in and becomes part of your routine

[ChloeDharma]

I have a gmail account but only really use it to mail one or two people. I tend to avoid things that bleep on my phone or tablet as I get all irritated by them. It sounds a good idea for those who use that kind of thing though, particularly henna and DT's :)

[ChloeDharma]

I read somewhere that if you do something every day for 6 weeks it becomes a habit. Set up reminders until it sinks in and becomes part of your routine

I've read something similar and before when I was doing it regularly it did just become something I did without thinking about it. I suppose the trick is to stick with it long enough to become a habit.

[saturnine]

I always keep a notepad by my bed with reminders like that written on it. That way, I'm reminded when I wake up, and then I also get one more before bed just in case I forgot over the course of the day. You could also leave notes to yourself on your phone instead of setting an alarm.

[höpönasu]

I'm really not a consistent pill popper, I can be so lazy I don't want to swallow my pills. :laugh: But I've eaten e-pills for several years so eating them is definitely a habit. I placed my hair pills with my e-pills so every morning I take all of my pills because it's a habit now. When I started my hair growth journey I was really excited about oil treatments, I did one once a week. Now that I'm let's say old-timer hair grower I can't really bother. :P But I try to do at least once per month. I don't think calendars would help me, I really need to want to do it or have it as a (pleasant) habit for me to keep it going.

[lapushka]

Only things for me. Benign neglect (updos) and weekly washing. Dry detangling pre-wash. Wet detangling post-wash (after turbie). Those are the recurring items.

[cathair]

I'm really not a consistent pill popper, I can be so lazy I don't want to swallow my pills. :laugh: But I've eaten e-pills for several years so eating them is definitely a habit. I placed my hair pills with my e-pills so every morning I take all of my pills because it's a habit now. When I started my hair growth journey I was really excited about oil treatments, I did one once a week. Now that I'm let's say old-timer hair grower I can't really bother. :P But I try to do at least once per month. I don't think calendars would help me, I really need to want to do it or have it as a (pleasant) habit for me to keep it going.

I could be wrong... but I think you and mean very different things by E pills :D What are your e-pills?

[ChloeDharma]

I could be wrong... but I think you and mean very different things by E pills :D What are your e-pills?

I'm so glad you asked, I was feeling a bit stupid thinking this is maybe some new technological thing like e-cigarettes but couldn't work out what they might actually be.

ETA Ah could it be vitamin E?

[Madora]

ChloeDharma, you're right on target re: consistency in hair care! That is really half the battle, when you come right down to it.

Of course everyone's life style is different and many are time challenged with families to care for, kids to get ready for school, going to school themselves, caretakers for others. So you need to pick your battles and decide what time schedule works for YOU...and then do your utmost to stick to that schedule as much as life lets you.

For me, it was always a question of time in the morning..having enough time to thoroughly detangle and arrange my style...and then eat breakfast and be ready to catch the bus at 7:30 for school at 8 AM. That meant getting up good and early, so I would not be rushed.

I tend to be a creature of habit and don't mind caring for my hair at a certain hour, etc. Of course now that I have 7 kitties, my hair brushing sessions are not the minute I awake in the morning (as they were so often in the past) but after my kitties have had breakfast.

Bottom line: aim for consistency as much as possible, but don't tear yourself up if you miss a day here and there!

[Catatafish]

I was trying to get organised yesterday and do a budget, study plan, exercise plan and such, and I came across a fairly cool way to remind yourself to do the things that are good for you. It is kind of like a list program, but it turns your goals into a game of sorts. Here is a link for the video explaining it. I might give it a go. Certain types of people might like it.
http://vimeo.com/57654086