How do you keep track of your haircare?

[Simpscone]

I’ve been wondering the different ways people may be keeping track of their haircare!

I have a note on my phone with the dates of the last time I trimmed/dyed/last bleached (over a year ago - yay!) but for my day to day routine I haven’t found something that works for me yet.

For example:
Do you use a notebook/your phone/a calendar?
Do you track how much of each product you are using and record what works well for you?
How often do you measure or check your hair length?
How often do you check for splits?

I’m just curious if there is a common theme to how people track this stuff, or if you just remember what works for you and don’t need to! Personally my memory is terrible, half the time I can’t even remember the last time I washed my hair, never mind what I used!

[Dark40]

The way I keep track of my haircare routine is on a written journal on paper, and since I have chemically straightened hair and color-treated hair I do keep it recorded on a calendar. Now, how much product I use I just do that by memory.

[AmaryllisRed]

I take a picture every time I get a haircut, so that's how I keep track of those.
I don't use products other than shampoo and conditioner and I don't keep track of anything related to that.
I trim splits whenever I notice one.
I have a hairstyle spreadsheet where I keep track of what styles I wear when, just for when I get bored.
Lots of people here track hair stuff on their blogs. :)

[lapushka]

I use the blog function on here to keep track of my wash days (products, amounts, hair loss). I weekly wash, so I fill it out every Sunday. It is a reminder for me personally, what stylers I used etc.

[miyeena]

I have started to take a photo each month, to see how much I grew hair compared to last month. I do not keep any other type of journal or so, but I thought about it. I check for splits each time I brush my hair, out of some obsession.. If I notice anything, I s&d a little.

[Zesty]

I have spreadsheets on my Google account for keeping track of various things, like dates and measurements, hairstyle options, hair toy inventory, etc. In 2019 I'm tracking my hairstyles every day, so that's the one I'm using the most. (I <3 spreadsheets.)

I also have a folder of pictures that help, and my blog and Instagram are a record as well I suppose.

I don't look for splits regularly, just when the light seems good I'll do some S&D.

[Ylva]

I log my hair washes in my LHC blog. That's pretty much the only thing I use it for. I don't keep track of amounts, I eyeball it anyway based on how my hair feels and so on. I do, however, track how many containers of product I go through per year in the Project use-it-up challenge.

I pretty much remember the dates of my hairdresser visits, and if I don't, I can check the booking confirmation email.

[cjk]

I historically documented haircuts based on barbershop and style. With a rating.

As for product, I keep it simple. And adjust based on what my hair needs, for instance I condition until it stops absorbing conditioner easily. And I shampoo when it requires it, usually no more often than quarterly.

Since it's been over 2 years since I had a haircut, even a trim, it's really not a big deal.

[Groovy Granny]

I use my google calendar to remind me of dustings (@ full moons) and trims for hemline maintenance (@ quarterly seasonal changes)
The amounts snipped are noted so I don't get too snippy ;) the lunar changes don't affect hair growth IMHO....it is just a personal natural reminder and connection.

The full moon also reminds me to use my silver S&C , and quarterly clarifying is done when the seasons change.

I don't get splits so I don't check :shrug: products are used in the measure they are needed for dryness etc but I don't keep a record of what was used.

My camera is terrible and I have hand tremors and no cell or help, so I don't keep a photographic record; just general progress/goal pics as I can manage.

Actual measurements mean nothing to me except for an idea of how long it may take to reach a goal (inches/months), or how much I determine to snip at a trim.

I have a short and shrinking torso, so my actual length always falls short of average, and my goals are measured by body landmarks ~ moles, rolls, hip and tail bones etc :lol:

[Simpscone]

Thank you for your responses! It’s so interesting to read.

I didn’t actually know there was a blog function here, I’m excited to have a look at that once I get the permissions!

Always torn between tracking every single thing or just throwing it up and ignoring it for a few months so that when you do actually check you get the nice surprise of extra length!

[Groovy Granny]

wrong thread

[meteor]

I don't really like to track, because it makes me feel like I'm watching water boil... Hair will grow regardless, so the important thing to me is to keep it at and simply leave it alone.

If I pay too much attention to hair, I'm more likely to feel antsy and to feel like trying a new haircut or new hair color or new texture or new super-complex style or something else - nothing wrong with experimentation, of course, but some experiments hinder rather than help, because they can cause damage. As for standard S&C, leave-ins, etc, I find that specific products don't matter all that much to me personally beyond some temporary styling effect. I pay attention to how my scalp and hair feel after each product and I read ingredients, but I don't really have any hard & fast rules...

[lithostoic]

I don't, lol. I have OCD so I know it's better that I don't.

[neko_kawaii]

When there is something I want to keep track of I post in my LHC blog and use tags or categories so I can look things up quickly if I need them again.

[*Wednesday*]

The only thing I do is keep track of hair growth. I take a picture every year in October to see how my hemline is doing. Other than that I don't keep track of anything else. I've been using the same products and hair routine for the past few years that work for me.

[AmaryllisRed]

Thank you for your responses! It’s so interesting to read.

I didn’t actually know there was a blog function here, I’m excited to have a look at that once I get the permissions!

Always torn between tracking every single thing or just throwing it up and ignoring it for a few months so that when you do actually check you get the nice surprise of extra length!

This is pretty much me. I go crazy when I track growth, but I love spreadsheets. (High five, Zesty!)
So I end up tracking hairstyles instead of growth, putting it up and forgetting it, and seeing growth when I'm not paying attention.

[blackgothicdoll]

I use a Google doc, so i can have it on my phone when I'm travelling.

I track products as I use them up. I make a note of products I really like, or techniques that work better with certain products. I don't track how much I use each time, I kind of figure that out as I go.

I track trims in my calender by interval between, for example my last trim was 10 weeks ago so I will trim in two more weeks. I use this method to track heat (three weeks ago) and the exact day my hair journey started (March 31, 2018).

S&D's and wash days aren't scheduled, I do those as needed and don't document them.

I also write my wash routine and regimen and update that monthly. I want to adjust it less, but I'm still trying new things.

[daisy rei]

I track my monthly growth measurement using the "Notes" function on my phone, then I transfer those numbers to a spreadsheet where I'm attempting to track my growth rate as well as the size of my toy collection. I like to keep tabs on how much I'm spending each month on my hair, but that's the most important thing. Tracking growth is so slow and aggravating that I'd almost say it's not worth it. A length check photo every few months should suffice for me instead.

[SurprisingWoman]

I used to keep track of all the stuff and try all the stuff. Now I don't need to. I use basically the same products. I use coconut oil every couple of weeks because it's dry in Utah this time of year. I am maintaining at fingertip so even trims don't matter.

[Jo Ann]

I don't keep track of things.

If my hair starts feeling like wet cardboard after I wash it, I do a DT.

If I see a lot of split ends/white dots, I get a trim.

If I see my roots when I'm styling my hair, I give it another month and get my roots touched up.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it :p

[Katsura]

I've got a week calendar on my table where I write my notes about hair and everything else. I started a blog too in lhc to gather the hair notes so I can find them more easily.
My hair notes are mostly to regulate things, I might get too choppy for example, without keeping track.

How often do you measure or check your hair length? Not very often, maybe once in two or three months.

How often do you check for splits? Weekly, especially when I'm testing a new product.

[Joules]

I don't really keep track of anything :hmm: well, I do have the date of my last henna in my signature, but that's about it.

I have very good memory when it comes to dates: I remember the date of my very last hairdresser appointment (August 30th, 2010), my first self-trim was on January 15th 2011. I remember the days of my most dramatic hair changes (or at least roughly remember). I cut in my bangs around August 25-28 2009, I made them side-swept in the middle of January 2014, the very last time I trimmed them was on October 4th 2015. My two big chops were on November 7th 2013 and March 9th 2016. I changed my hemline from straight-across to V-shaped somewhere in the second half of July 2013. My very first henna was on November 5th 2017. My latest trim was on December 18th, 2018. You get the idea. I remember everything important.

As for hair care: I have an established routine and I don't really need to keep track of it. If I liked a particular shampoo or conditioner, I'd remember and repurchase. If I really disliked something, I'd remember it too. I remember things I liked and disliked in 2009-2010 (I may not remember specific names of all the products, but I remember brands and how the packagings looked, so if I see it I'll recognize it instantly). I remember which conditioner made my hair fall out in June-July 2008, and which shampoo and conditioner I bought afterwards that stopped the hairfall. Basically I remember anything even remotely important to me, it's not even only about hair (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).

[ArabellaRose]

I don't really keep track of anything other than my hair growth, which I track in the monthly hair length photo thread, and I measure using a tape measure and mark on it with a Sharpie (I do this on or around the 11th of each month), after which I do a microtrim.

With actual hair care I don't track anything, there's no strict consistency with my wash days (usually every 2-3 days but I'm currently on day 4) and I've found a combination of products and WCC/ROO/LCO that works well for me. I do a clarifying wash followed by a deep condition every Thursday.

[Begemot]

Do you use a notebook/your phone/a calendar?
- I use the blog function here. Just logging wash days and the products and methods I use, and some random thoughts.
Do you track how much of each product you are using and record what works well for you?
- I'm part of the Use up your stash-thread. That helps to see the bigger picture of how much I use and how long my products last.
How often do you measure or check your hair length?
- Monthly.
How often do you check for splits?
- It depends a lot. Right now maybe couple of times a week.

I started doing pixel graphs about my hair care pretty recently :D it's fun to see the visual layout of my hair care.

[gingerninja]

I wash very infrequently and usually with the same products, the length i measure every 2 months or so. I barely have any split ends so i never s/d and i trim every year or whenever my hair really needs it. Benign neglect is what made my hair grow faster, i used to measure it every week when i washed which made my OCD much worse.

[Mei_Lin]

I just try to remember the last day I applied a hair mask or something like that. However my hair care routine is not too complex

[Natalia_A00]

I have a notebook in which I write reviews about hair products I use, or I want to try, recommendations, etc. I also write hair advice, recipes and information :)

[Milkchocolate]

I just mentally stick to my wash regimen 2x a week :) as weird as it may sound, I try not to “worry” or overthink my hair growth. I don’t want to keep track on paper per say, but just let it be and grow naturally. As far as measuring..I really don’t do it often. I do “eyeball” everything hahah. I just do as I do, because I know my hair will grow at its own speed :)

[spidermom]

I've tried to do some of that on my blog here and my calendar at home, but I never keep up with it. I can't keep track of keeping track!

[Hailey]

i write it down or make a mental note of it

[MusicalSpoons]

When I was experimenting, I documented successes/failures on relevant threads here ... not the most organised way to do it, for sure! Now I don't experiment very often, and when I do I'll still post about it in the relevant thread, and/or post to my blog here if it's a breakthrough or something I feel I'll likely want to refer back to for whatever reason.

I check for length whenever I feel like it; my milestones are called in the relevant threads and with photos stored in Google Photos so I just search if I need to know (again, not efficient but I don't often need to know!) I know my growth rate is decidedly average, and I tend now to trim in between challenges so it's really easy to keep track of that mentally (or check the thread, if I can't remember!)

Ugh, split ends I see every time I look at my hair, pretty much. I'll snip a few off here and there if I have time and enough brainpower, but sometimes I'm so fatigued I can't focus my eyes or I can't concentrate long enough to get the scissors out, so then I just don't bother. They're throughout my hair and I don't have the energy to stress about it!

[Luna Starsetta]

Do you use a notebook/your phone/a calendar? i tend to wash on my only free morning day which just so happens to be saturday.
Do you track how much of each product you are using and record what works well for you? i used to but after awhile you start to see what your hair responds to and what it needs.
How often do you measure or check your hair length? i measure on the 1st of every month and take length shots on the 20th of that month
How often do you check for splits? i try not to but if my ends don't look right or are not cooperating i tend to notice then s/d soon after.

hope this helps!

[drummer]

Good question! I do track growth via the LHC Excel, and for everything else, my mobil calendar. I just started a new hair-nails vitamin, good results -> keep on going. I think it helps me when ‘troubleshooting’ problems 😊

[poli]

I do "use it up" 2019 challenge to see how much product I'm able to actually use and I put my length measurements in the excel chart to have estimate time for next milestones. I used to plan my micro-trims but decided to skip it and just do a dusting when I feel I need it.

[Simsy]

The only part I track is washing frequency. I have used the same product range for the last 10 years or so, I only have one kind of oil I use on any regular basis; and my hair is fairly forgiving about products, handling and general neglect. Washing frequency is a different story.

I can’t sleep on, or go to work with wet hair; it won’t dry and will start to smell musty after a few hours. Wash day is Saturday morning when I’m not working. If I’m working on a Saturday, I skip that week and just wash the following week. If I’m anticipating 2 working weekends in a row, I need to find an alternative day to wash. Thankfully the laws in my country mean that I need a certain number of days off in any 2 week period; so I will usually have a chance a day or 2 before the first weekend, and then wash again on the next day off following the 2nd weekend.

Which is why my hair got washed twice in 3 days last week (Thursday and Saturday), will be getting washed tomorrow (Saturday), and won’t be getting washed next weekend (Interstate drive for at least 7 days).

[lapushka]

I keep track of my wash days in the blog here. But my mom keeps her "notes" with her hair dye. She dyes every 3/4 months or so, and washes about the same frequency these days (it's been busy). So she writes what products she used, whether or not she dyed it that day, and the date with it. It's just the inside of a piece of cardboard (from a dye box) that she uses for this. And she keeps it with the dye (it's all in a bigger box).

[RottenMango]

I have a note on my iPhone with all of the details of my hair care routine, but it is simple enough that I know what I have to do extinctively each day without having to consult with my notes.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I use my blog here to keep track of things. It's nice because I can reference it when needed.

[LittleHealthy]

I started off using the blog function here, but as I’m usually using my mobile phone for the internet I found it tedious.
So I started an Instagram account purely for my hair. I didn’t use any social media before that. I really enjoy using the Instagram as I can upload all my measurement photos, write long captions underneath, and know that if I ever lose my phone it is all there.
I understand those who prefer not to track their hair growth, but if I hadn’t have started measuring and recording how/when/what for Haircare, I’d likely still be in the mess I was 2yrs ago when my hair was growing and snapping off!

Initially I kept my Instagram account to myself, but now I follow a few others who are also using Instagram to document their hair growth. I do remain anonymous though, that is important to me!