Finding a routine for your hair - an attempt at a "how-to"

[Fia]

Felt like summarizing some thoughts I've had floating around in my head for a while. I have personally made the mistake of doing all the "wrongs" listed below - maybe my listing can help some of you avoid them.

This will probably be most helpful for newbies, but maybe even some seasoned veterans might find a tip or two (or even better - add your own thoughts).

1) Look for people with your hairtype, what do they do/have they done that is successful? Is it something you could use as a starting point for your routine - products, techniques, washing frequency etc.

2) Experiment - if you haven't tried it you will not know if it's working. Don't do all experiments at the same time - limit them to one or at the most two - otherwise you won't know if they are success or failure.

3) Give any change in routine or products a decent chance of working before judging if it's successful or not. Don't expect to see miracles overnight with anything. At least a week or two is a good rule of thumb.

4) Don't fall into the trap of thinking "all natural" or "only synthetic" necessarily is a foolproof answer to having good looking hair. Every product doesn't work for everyone - you don't know unless you've tried both sides.

5) If you have found something that works for your hair, that isn't generally accepted, or up for debate (thinking primarly of the cones/oils or sulfate/non-sulfate debates) - don't let that sway you from not using it. If it works for your hair, it works.

6) Don't fall into the trap of using the latest thing "just because it's new and different". Give it some thought before - is it likely to work for you based on the experiences you already have. Silly example just to illustrate - if you know your hair hates protein and the latest thing involves doing back-to-back protein treatments for two consecutive weeks it's probably not for you.

7) Ask questions when you have to, but be prepared to accept that no one can tell you for sure how your hair will react to something. You can get likely reactions based on what people with hair similar to your's have gotten, but the only sure way to know is to try.

8) Log your changes in products, routines etc and what results you have gotten. Our memories are generally good, but short - we tend to forget quite fast and fall into trying the same things over and over again. Also useful for identifying the key components in what will evolve into your routine eventually.

9) Don't assume another persons routine is 100% right for you even if you share many characteristics in your hair. Likewise, don't assume your holy grail is the solution for everyone else.

10) Realise that there are no absolute truths when it comes to haircare. It's as individual as each one of us, parts can be learned from others, but the total solution working for you will be unique

[lapushka]

4) Don't fall into the trap of thinking "all natural" or "only synthetic" necessarily is a foolproof answer to having good looking hair. Every product doesn't work for everyone - you don't know unless you've tried both sides.

5) If you have found something that works for your hair, that isn't generally accepted, or up for debate (thinking primarly of the cones/oils or sulfate/non-sulfate debates) - don't let that sway you from not using it. If it works for your hair, it works.

I always go by the motto, "It's about what your hair/scalp wants, not about what you want for your hair/scalp." and I think it applies here perfectly. :)

And in the end it's always: YMMV!

[likelikepenny]

9) Don't assume another persons routine is 100% right for you even if you share many characteristics in your hair. Likewise, don't assume your holy grail is the solution for everyone else.


This is something that is rampant in the natural community that I had to break out of. A lot of women are so caught up in "hair typing" that we disregard what actually works for our individual and unique hair.

For instance, I'm a type 4, and many use oils to seal in moisture. My hair hates oils, however for years i used oils religiously because there's no way oils could weigh down *my* hair, I'm type 4 after all.

It was only after becoming fed up with the dry, greasy, state of my hair, I decided to search for other methods of sealing moisture, leading me to a type 3a who used aloe vera juice. I was very skeptical that it would work, but at the end of my rope, I decided to try. That single decision was the best decision I made for my hair, aside from refusing chemical treatments.

It taught me that "hair twins" can be good in the beginning, but don't be so locked into the fact that you can *only* learn from people close to your texture.

[lapushka]

This is something that is rampant in the natural community that I had to break out of. A lot of women are so caught up in "hair typing" that we disregard what actually works for our individual and unique hair.

For instance, I'm a type 4, and many use oils to seal in moisture. My hair hates oils, however for years i used oils religiously because there's no way oils could weigh down *my* hair, I'm type 4 after all.

It was only after becoming fed up with the dry, greasy, state of my hair, I decided to search for other methods of sealing moisture, leading me to a type 3a who used aloe vera juice. I was very skeptical that it would work, but at the end of my rope, I decided to try. That single decision was the best decision I made for my hair, aside from refusing chemical treatments.

It taught me that "hair twins" can be good in the beginning, but don't be so locked into the fact that you can *only* learn from people close to your texture.

I use a few techniques (of course adapted for my hair type (oily, wavy)) from the type 3s & 4s out there. And it works, even though I do have oily hair, but my lengths are drier, and I needed to find a way to keep moisture in that hair for a week.

[school of fish]

This is something that is rampant in the natural community that I had to break out of. A lot of women are so caught up in "hair typing" that we disregard what actually works for our individual and unique hair.

For instance, I'm a type 4, and many use oils to seal in moisture. My hair hates oils, however for years i used oils religiously because there's no way oils could weigh down *my* hair, I'm type 4 after all.

It was only after becoming fed up with the dry, greasy, state of my hair, I decided to search for other methods of sealing moisture, leading me to a type 3a who used aloe vera juice. I was very skeptical that it would work, but at the end of my rope, I decided to try. That single decision was the best decision I made for my hair, aside from refusing chemical treatments.

It taught me that "hair twins" can be good in the beginning, but don't be so locked into the fact that you can *only* learn from people close to your texture.

^^I can relate to this! Some of my best 'finds' have actually come from people with type 4 hair whose hair *behaves* the way mine does :) Being receptive to the concept of finding hair 'behaviour' twins rather than strictly 'hairtype' twins can yield much more effective solutions to an issue someone might be having. Just because 2 people may share a texture type, it doesn't automatically mean those 2 heads of hair respond equally to the same care routine or products.

The original points provide a great general approach to learning your hair, in my opinion. All firmly rooted in the YMMV theory, which I've found to be true :D

[saddamna]

Very helpful post fia like all your recently posts🌹
Whats YMMV means?

[Fia]

YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary; meaning that what works for you necessarily won't work for me, we're all different and need different solutions in the end.

[school of fish]

Very helpful post fia like all your recently posts��
Whats YMMV means?

It means 'your mileage may vary', meaning every head of hair has its own needs :)

[reilly0167]

I agree with #5 ( and everything else) when I first started taking more serious care of my hair and read all the sulfates this and that and cones this and that, I went and tried some washing methods like herbal washes like shikakai and others avoided cones and sulfates but my hair was not having it at all. So I went back to using them and doing just fine. As mentioned before it what the hair and scalp wants. My routine is much simplified now.

[Ophidian]

This is really great advice/reminders Fia, thanks for sharing it :flower:

#8 has been key for me. If I don't have a written record of things I've tried I can't see the patterns that often only become apparent over time.