Whether you are contemplating starting your natural hair journey or you are in the middle of the ride, it’s a great idea to start documenting your hair journey. It’s never too early or late! You don’t have to be a photographer or the best writer to document your journey through videos, photos, and writing. Here are the six reasons why you should document your hair journey.
Observe your growth
One reason that curlies decide to wear their hair natural is to obtain healthy, long hair. Documenting your hair growth can show how much your hair grows at a point in time. Ways to document your hair growth is to take photos and videos. A lot of curlies do length checks to measure how much their tresses have grown. How do you perform a length check? Easy, extend a cluster of strands against your body. Measure your hair and write the measurement in a journal. Make sure that you measure a variety of areas, including your crown and nape. This will also help you observe whether you are experiencing breakage.
Remember which products & hairstyles work
This is a great way to see what products work for your hair. When you try a product, you shouldn’t decide whether you like it or not based on your first experience. Try the product for at least a month and write down your experience in a journal at each use. If that product is making your hair look healthy and shiny, take photos for documentation. This gives you a chance to know which products work best so you can keep getting the results that you want. If a hair product doesn’t work, write down your experience. You may revisit it in the future and it will give you a chance to compare experiences. Also, document hairstyles and techniques in your journal. If will help you along the way to achieve the perfect twist out!
Not sure how to reuse a product after a bad first impression? Check out Oh I’m Gonna Make This Product Work!
Monitor your health
If you keep a journal of all the products and practices that you have indulged in during your journey, it gives you a resource to fall back on. You may experience health issues such as skin/scalp problems, allergic reactions, or more serious conditions. You can look back at your journal to see what products you have used or hair supplements that you have ingested. This can lead to solving a health issue which could then lead to note what products or practices you should avoid.
Observe emotional growth
When you make the decision to wear your hair natural, you should feel confident. You have decided to wear your hair in its natural state and a lot of people are not comfortable with doing that. Document all of your emotions during your journey. You may have felt insecure during the beginning when you decided to transition or big chop. The awkward stage after your big chop could have made you unsure. Once you share all of these emotions in your journal, you will see your emotional growth once you become more confident and comfortable with your hair. It will make you feel proud! Also, include snap shots of your great hair days! Look at those photos during the times where you are not so happy with your hair. It will make you smile.
Monitor your budget
Having natural hair is not expensive, your spending habits are. Although being a product junkie affords you the opportunity to try various products, keeping up with bandwagons or scratching every itch to try every new product on the market can cause you to disregard your budget. By nature, most (not all”> hair products with higher quality of ingredients tend to be more expensive, regardless of the intended consumer (e.g. relaxed, natural”>. Documenting how often you purchase products will help you determine if you should purchase larger quantities or try another brand.
For memories
You can treat your journal like a scrapbook and document your natural hair journey for memories. This should be a happy experience for you. You’re supposed to have fun with your hair. It’s great to document when you decide to straighten your hair, change your hair color, or get that sassy cut that you always wanted. Your journal will also be there to revisit those memories.
Grab your favorite journal and start writing. You have a long journey ahead of you. Don’t be nervous! Your journal, pen, and camera are there for the ride!
Does having a physical journal seem to cumbersome? Want to be eco-friendly? Check out the Luv Naturals hairLuv Diary to document all of your progress online.
Do you document your hair journey? How has it helped?
