Well, you're not alone. It's called "Life," and it doesn't really respect grooming habits. If you've tried and failed -- and tried and failed again -- to adhere to a hair maintenance system, here are a few tips that might help you discover an effective routine you can easily integrate into your active lifestyle.
- Start small. Whether it's a New Year's resolution where we're going to eat clean and work out every day, or finally deciding to make self-care a priority, the bigger and more drastic the changes, the less likely we are to stick to them. This is because our family and job obligations will remain the same, but all of our mechanisms for coping with those demands might change. So, if your new hair routine involves spending six hours every Saturday gently pre-shampooing, detangling, washing, detangling again, deep conditioning, and styling your hair, you might have less time to dedicate to watching the kids, or spending time with your loved ones, or completing a work project. Over time, you're going to have to make a trade-off, and it's not going to be your family or your job! If you start small, however, you can integrate your changes into your lifestyle more effectively.
- Make sure your tools are of high quality. If your combs, brushes, hair clips, hair ties, and other items aren't helping you execute your tasks effectively, it's time to change them. Your tools should help you achieve the results you want while protecting your hair. That means combs with jagged, broken teeth, brushes that rip and snag hair, and hair clips and ties that get caught in your strands have to go. You'll be surprised by how much easier your routine becomes when your detanglers start to improve the quality of your hair!
- Have realistic expectations. Even the best, most advanced hair care routine will not give you a totally different hair texture. The goal of every hair care regimen should be to maximize the hair's health, whether it's relaxed or natural. So, no matter what your hair type is, the objective is making it stronger, fuller, softer, and more manageable so that you can style it however you like.
- Be patient. Some lifestyle changes yield immediate results. If you start working out and eating healthfully, you might notice that your clothes fit you better and you have more energy in only a few weeks. Hair, on the other hand, is a different story. No matter how beautifully you care for your hair, it's only going to grow at around a half-inch a month, so it may take up to a year to notice a significant difference in your hair's health, length, and fullness. But remember that time marches on no matter what you do, so you might as well do the right things (both for your hair and your life). Stay consistent and give your hair the love and attention it deserves, and you will eventually notice a big difference!