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LadyCelestina
February 5th, 2017, 07:28 AM
Anybody else interested in keeping / is keeping a hair diary? Basically a (cute :D) notebook or word document where you write down what you did, what products you used, trims etc. I admit after all this time on LHC I'm still prone to random experimenting. I have a vague idea of what my hair likes/dislikes, but really my routine is all over the place.
I'd like to pinpoint what products work best for my hair & stick to them.
I'm currently in the no trimming 2017 challenge, but I write down cassia treatments, DT's and clarifying and I'm hoping to eventually come up with a schedule.
Giving up random experiments is probably not going to happen, but keeping a record of results from random experiments seems like a good way to find out the ones that work :D

lapushka
February 5th, 2017, 07:53 AM
I put my weekly routine & product use on the blogs here; to me that's enough. Just to keep track of product use, and how I'm chugging along emptying products. ;) It's really nice blogging here, give it a try!!!

LadyCelestina
February 5th, 2017, 08:44 AM
I put my weekly routine & product use on the blogs here; to me that's enough. Just to keep track of product use, and how I'm chugging along emptying products. ;) It's really nice blogging here, give it a try!!!

I just checked and oh wow! your routines are so nice to read, and you are really consistent! :D :) Personally, I do prefer to write it down in a notebook, as I wash more frequently and I sometimes take longer LHC breaks :D

czech it out
February 5th, 2017, 08:49 AM
That's such a great idea! I would like to start one.

lapushka
February 5th, 2017, 08:59 AM
That's such a great idea! I would like to start one.

I would love to help you out, but I don't even remember how I started mine. :lol:

Are there instructions on this forum somewhere?

LadyCelestina
February 5th, 2017, 09:10 AM
I would suggest just getting your prefered medium and writing down what you did to your hair, what day is it and how it came out. Doesn't have to be every single thing, just those you want to keep track of. For example I braid my hair every night so I don't need to write it down. :D

lapushka
February 5th, 2017, 09:30 AM
I just checked and oh wow! your routines are so nice to read, and you are really consistent! :D :) Personally, I do prefer to write it down in a notebook, as I wash more frequently and I sometimes take longer LHC breaks :D

Yes, I copy & paste most of it, the bare bones, let's say, and then change up my products, the amount of tangles I got, the amount I shed. The amount of tangles tells me how good my first C is and whether or not to repurchase. I have found a HG 2nd conditioner, the HE Hello Hydration, but I haven't found a HG first conditioner yet.

hayheadsbird
February 5th, 2017, 09:38 AM
I keep a bullet journal style notebook in my dressing table and note down when I wash/henna/DT ect. Notes on any products that are working well and where in the routine I used them. Pretty basic but keeps me from having to remember everything. I use the same format for skincare stuff like facemasks and testing new products.

LadyCelestina
February 5th, 2017, 09:50 AM
Yes, I copy & paste most of it, the bare bones, let's say, and then change up my products, the amount of tangles I got, the amount I shed. The amount of tangles tells me how good my first C is and whether or not to repurchase. I have found a HG 2nd conditioner, the HE Hello Hydration, but I haven't found a HG first conditioner yet.

Part of the reason why I started a dairy is that I have a feeling that my HG conditioners would be the cheap ones from Lidl and Kaufland :D I want to find out if it's just wishful thinking since they are so cheap :D In theory, my hair should do better with richer conditioners for damaged hair, since I have damage, but in reality I feel like the cheap ones and occasionally maybe something with protein work best. They are just the right amount of coney, the lidl and kaufland ones I mean :D

gracenotes
February 5th, 2017, 09:59 AM
I have spreads in my bullet journal to keep track of length measurements, my routine, things to try, henna mixes, washing, products etc. I used to have a separate notebook but I find it more helpful to keep everything in one place. I find it really helpful to track this information! I can answer questions like... What did I put in that henna mix? How long is too long to stretch washes? When was my last SMT? What was that conditioner called? Besides, I just like writing everything down!

MoonRabbit
February 5th, 2017, 10:03 AM
I use an app called HairBook. It keeps track of my length, trims and overall actual and predicted growth. It has a hair care section with a barcode scanner so you can put any products you have used or want to use and note if you like it or not. It also has a calendar and picture feature.

Totty
February 5th, 2017, 10:35 AM
I use an app called HairBook. It keeps track of my length, trims and overall actual and predicted growth. It has a hair care section with a barcode scanner so you can put any products you have used or want to use and note if you like it or not. It also has a calendar and picture feature.

There are 2 other apps which can be used to. I like them but I'm not a consistent writer.

Nymphe
February 5th, 2017, 10:51 AM
I keep track of what I do, results, and any plans on a MS Word document.

mayfaring
February 5th, 2017, 11:28 AM
I use a Google sheets spreadsheet to keep track of my routine. I did it based on Ursula's standard newbie advice. I track washes, other treatments, what products I use, the results after trying anything new, trims, and length once a month. I also include some progress pictures and ideas for things or products to try next.

Ophidian
February 5th, 2017, 11:51 AM
I blog here too. I keep track of washes incl. techniques, products used, ingredients, etc.

lapushka
February 5th, 2017, 02:27 PM
Part of the reason why I started a dairy is that I have a feeling that my HG conditioners would be the cheap ones from Lidl and Kaufland :D I want to find out if it's just wishful thinking since they are so cheap :D In theory, my hair should do better with richer conditioners for damaged hair, since I have damage, but in reality I feel like the cheap ones and occasionally maybe something with protein work best. They are just the right amount of coney, the lidl and kaufland ones I mean :D

Ooh yes the blue Lidl one (is for dry & damaged hair), is a great one. As close to a first C HG conditioner I've ever gotten. I'm still looking for something to beat that.

The pink (and yellow) Aldi one is great too (but that's not available in all countries):
http://nl.aldi.be/aldi_conditioner_809_426_733_9366.html

FennFire911
February 5th, 2017, 06:14 PM
I use a spiral notebook and my fave type of pen. It's pretty funny actually, because I have a very nice diary for my life in general that I seldom write in, meanwhile I'm keeping a hair journal so detailed it's like a doctor's notes on a lab experiment.
Day 6,842---Subject seems to respond well to almond oil. Must investigate further.

FennFire911
February 5th, 2017, 06:15 PM
I use an app called HairBook. It keeps track of my length, trims and overall actual and predicted growth. It has a hair care section with a barcode scanner so you can put any products you have used or want to use and note if you like it or not. It also has a calendar and picture feature.

Omg I'm going to go look this up right now!

Kae612
February 5th, 2017, 08:31 PM
I basically try to keep track of all my hair washes/experiments/thoughts/experiences in the blog here. I figure that's kinda what it's for lol. I am a bit sporadic, sometimes I post more when I'm thinking about my hair/trying more new things, and sometimes I don't keep track of everything. But I'm still a real noob at all the hair things, so I need to keep track so I remember how things work on my hair & ideas of what to do next.

Sarahlabyrinth
February 5th, 2017, 10:43 PM
I have a little green notebook where I make a note every month of my hair length. Also if I get a hair compliment I really like I make a note of it so that when I am having a "meh" hair day I can cheer myself up. I also keep monthly length photos in another little book but I don't keep records of products/washes/deep treatments or anything like that.

lapushka
February 6th, 2017, 04:28 AM
I have a little green notebook where I make a note every month of my hair length. Also if I get a hair compliment I really like I make a note of it so that when I am having a "meh" hair day I can cheer myself up. I also keep monthly length photos in another little book but I don't keep records of products/washes/deep treatments or anything like that.

To me that's the essential part of keeping a blog, maybe because I'm still on the hunt for a good first C HG. The Lidl blue one isn't bad for a first C, but I still have so many in my stash, there has bound to be another good one in there as well. :)

Hay_jules
February 6th, 2017, 10:05 AM
I try to keep track amd want ro keep track amd have made a few blog posts but i just forget. Or life gets busy and I struggle to make the time. Partly it's that excessive typing on my phone is a pain...and I don't have a pc. I'm thinking maybe the handwritten journal idea might be more for me.

mellsss91
February 6th, 2017, 10:08 AM
I'm so busy with my fulltime job, my house and sport. I cant seem to find time to track my hair journey.
People say that my hair is growing fast lately, so i noticed :)

LadyCelestina
February 6th, 2017, 10:42 AM
I'm so busy with my fulltime job, my house and sport. I cant seem to find time to track my hair journey.
People say that my hair is growing fast lately, so i noticed :)

Just a suggestion, I know it's hard to start new habits when you are busy :) But I put down my hair stuff when I write down other daily tasks.

H o n є y ❤
February 6th, 2017, 03:20 PM
I just use a phone app specifically created for journaling about hair

Dark40
February 6th, 2017, 04:46 PM
I keep my hair diary on here. All of the products I use, and my routine.

pili
February 6th, 2017, 09:33 PM
I use my Bullet Journal for notations and to track measurements, but I do more detailed blog posts here to keep myself motivated.

irisa2005
February 9th, 2017, 02:22 PM
I found this topic really interesting!! Everybody here recommend to have a journal, so I started with a notebook, but I found more practical for my lifestyle a Google spreadsheet which I can access wherever I have internet connection, so it works for me, I can save my hair status throughout the day and it's helping me a lot.

So reading this thread I have a question:

There's really an app?? why I never heard of it before? Any good recommendations of an app to try?

irisa2005
February 9th, 2017, 02:30 PM
I use an app called HairBook. It keeps track of my length, trims and overall actual and predicted growth. It has a hair care section with a barcode scanner so you can put any products you have used or want to use and note if you like it or not. It also has a calendar and picture feature.

I never thought that there's an app like that, I'm gonna try it for sure!

pandabarrier
February 12th, 2017, 01:50 PM
I keep a hair diary and it's specially useful to track down the results after the trying new products or doing hair growth experiments, or to check how long I can stretch washes.

Fallensnowwhite
February 12th, 2017, 03:01 PM
I am interested!! I think I might find some way to have a diary , I saw some of you do it through blogging, writing in a notebook and someone mentioned a phone app... I think I'm going to start myself a diary! I know I will kick myself when Years from now I finally reach a super long length and I wish I had kept track 😝 lol OP are you going to do a daily diary or just when you do treatments and experiments?

Ophidian
February 12th, 2017, 03:02 PM
Hair journaling for the win: I've been recording all washes for a month noting how it felt since last wash, products used, extras (herbs, oils, honey, etc...), any pre-wash treatment, the wash itself, drying technique, and final results. I have been a weekly washer for a long time, and this hasn't changed through different wash method/product experiments. I always felt like my scalp needed something that I hadn't caught on to yet. Well, after a month of journaling I noticed that without fail, I would mention that I noticed some flakes around day four. No itching/burning/redness/hair falling out, just build up. Scritching and BBB-ing is a partial solution, but having realized that there is a definite pattern I am going to add in a mid-week wash (probably just WO) and see if that makes a difference. Writing down every tiny detail might feel silly, but for troubleshooting it is unbelievably helpful to have a record.

Anyway, I already mentioned this on another thread so apologies for redundancy, but I thought I'd share it here as a hair-diary success story :)

pandabarrier
February 13th, 2017, 06:54 PM
I didn't want to obsess with how much hair I shed after a wash or daily handling, but when I went back to my notes I saw a pattern of losing more hair after scalp oiling, or trying to stretch washes too much. So scalp oiling no more!

Garnetgem
February 13th, 2017, 08:29 PM
I started my hair diary a year ago i find it useful as i now know what to avoid,as it is easy to forget what used and when so this way no more mistakes!

i have discovered what my hair and scalp likes and dislikes so i can eliminate the things it don't like..

i even keep a record of the temp of the water and have discovered anything over 37c makes me shed..so cooler from now on..hair and scalp has improved as a result of the diary :)

BJD
February 15th, 2017, 06:26 PM
What a wonderful idea, a hair diary! I keep track of other things, but aside from my hair length, I haven't written anything down. Time to get started!

Now to decide -- spreadsheet, paper or blog... ;)

TheCurlyMermaid
November 27th, 2017, 04:40 PM
This is a great idea! I've been using an app called Hair Journal, but I might enjoy it more if I find a pretty book to log my hair progress/thoughts in, and save the Hair Journal app for photo records. Or maybe tumblr?

victorian girl
November 28th, 2017, 12:11 AM
I've started taking notes in a cute notebook, but I would also like to start a blog here (and to read all your blogs too - I'm sure they are very interesting!)

leayellena
November 28th, 2017, 12:15 AM
I keep it in my blog.leayellena.blogspot.com/

TatsuOni
November 29th, 2017, 02:29 AM
I use a notebook as a hair journal and have been doing that since the beginning of the year :) I've also made a hair growth chart to follow the growth recently :)

PixiePuff
December 12th, 2017, 10:15 PM
I just recently started a hair journal after reading the newbie advice here.

I'm using a binder so that once I had more information in it I can organize it neatly. So far I have a section on what different herbs do, different recipes for hair oil, tips for henna use, products I want to try and my hair diary log that I started with my first homemade herbal oil.

I logged how I made the oil, when I put it in, when I washed it, what products I used during the wash and the dry method. My hair was still oily the next day so I logged That, my next wash, my cold rinse and how awesome my hair felt after. Then I measured and logged that.

I plan on adding a graph on hair length and thickness. I also want to add sections on ingredients in shampoo and conditioner and other products I want to try.