Simplicity is becoming somewhat of a buzzword in the personal development world. It’s important to many people to pare their hectic lives down to the key pieces that matter most. As it relates to hair care, the value of simplicity in your regimen is immense. Having a simple hair care routine does the following:
- Avoids Overwhelm
- Avoids Burnout
- Allows You to See What Works (or doesn’t)
- Creates Space in Your Life
- Avoids Overwhelm & Procrastination
Avoids Burnout & Setbacks
All of the options you have for building your hair care regimen can burn you out as well. This can then lead to a setback due to damage. I’ve gotten many emails from women asking for help because they’ve suffered a set back after stopping their hair regimen. When I inquire about what their regimen was, they recite to me a laundry list of steps, that would likely take an entire weekend to finish. It’s mind boggling. No wonder they stopped doing it! The easier your routine is, the less steps it has, the more likely you will continue to do it for the long haul, and continue to reap the benefits over time. Why set your self up for a set back?
Allows You to See What Works (or not)
If you are using several products at once, and using multiple techniques each day (or each wash day) it will be harder for you to know what product or technique is helping or hindering your progress. Is it your prepoo making your hair dry or your cowash or deep conditioner? If you keep your routine simple, and adding, removing or replacing one product at a time, you’ll be able to accurately pinpoint the ones that work best, or don’t work at all for you. This will minimize any negative effects of improper product use.
Creates Space in Your Life
Spending your nights and weekends at home doing your hair may be some people’s preferred use of their free time, but for most women, a full, rich life consists of more than just hair care. A simple routine takes less time out of your life, and frees you up to spend time with family and friends or on hobbies that enrich your life. What would you like to have more free time for? What un-needed steps can you cut from your regimen to make more space in your life?
I urge you to take a look at your hair care routine and see if it truly serves you. Simplifying your regimen can help you avoid setbacks (via burnout or using improper products unknowingly) and create space and time for things you value. Good luck!
I have been natural for almost 4 years, and I have just began a regime that Iike. I wash every week and I apply a good leave-in condish (garnier fructis leave in) and coconut oil. I use a deep condish on alternating weeks. I have been wearing my hair in chunky twists outs for two weeks. I twist every other night, making abot 15 twists.
I agree completely I've been procrastinating on actually making a hair regimen simply because I'm a PJ 🙁
Me too. Just tweeking a little with the weather change with products and more updos.
Same here!
Good article, just wish I had these great tips years ago before trying to implement every "awesome" product and routine someone else was raving about back in the day. Listen to your hair. It likes what it likes and will definitely let you know when it doesn't. Another suggestion, stop layering so many products because it makes it difficult to figure out which product you hair really likes and if one or two products could do the job alone.
I cringe when I see folks routines that are over 5 steps and using more than 3-4 products from start to finish. Ooowee, I don't have time for all that! Family.Work.StuffToDo…
Bless those who have long regimens. I've read the lists of what some naturals do and thought, how can I keep it simple? There's almost always something going on in my family – I need to be out the door quick! I pre-poo overnight, wash the next day or co-wash mid week and keep it moving. The most time I take is putting my hair in twists. Later during the week, I'll make smaller (mini) twists from those, (re twist sections each night) and have another week or two of mini twists.
Thank you Danielle for the post! I think my regimen is simple, it's just each part of my regimen takes a while. Example this past weekend was wash day and put in mini-twists because I knew I wouldn't be able to do it the following weekends and I don't like doing much to my hair during the week. I like to detangle/pre-poo the night before so when I come back from my run in the morning, I can go straight to washing my hair. I was too tired to do that so I did it after my run. The process was quick since I tried a new technique of detangle and put my hair in twists while doing so. Washing and DC was also quick because I didn't undo my twists during the shampoo and I DC'd for 3 minutes as per the directions. I also used an ACV rinse for the first time and rinsed that out. Dried my hair with a t-shirt, then applied my kimmaytube leave-in and blow-dried my hair to prepare for twisting. But no lie, I was tired and did not want to spend hours putting in mini-twists. But I did and thank God it only took me 3 hours!!! Praise the Lord!!!
My hair is in the in-between length. It's too short to be a TWA and it's barely long enough to bun. Lately I've been wearing a bun because I work out often. I think once my hair gets long enough, I will likely wear it in twists, which I can then bun. When I had a TWA, I didn't do much, but the in-between phase is kinda tricky.
I think I've fallen on simple routine by accident. I've had intentions on experimenting more with my hair, but fell on the wng in most cases due to lack of time and laziness. But what I've found out that my hiar does amazing with just that simple process alone. WNG. My hair was growing consistently ever month.
Great posts, great tips! I am an HUGE advocate for simple regimens. I learned my lesson the hard and try to share what I learned whenever I am asked. Complicated regimens never gave me the results I have now.
Totally agree!
I am transitioning and I definitely keep it simple so that I can see what products are making my hair a mess. The PJ syndrome that I have wants to come out so bad but I want to wait until I'm fully natural to try new products. I'm still learning my hair.
I bc'd almost two months ago but I have already decided to stick to the basics when it comes to routine. I'm still experimenting with products but I can definitely keep up with this routine.
Great message
I have appreciated the simple things in life. I love all the techniques and products that are spoken of by many others and of course the regimen that has worked for them. I am not as patient to do multiple steps to get my hair done and have appreciated the simple regimen that I now have. I recently recognized that indeed my hair loves protein and I attribute finding this out to the simple, no fuss routine that I now enjoy and my hair shows the effect of the simplicity.
Thanks again and love your hair!!!!!!
I've tried to keep it simple as possible. I know I need to cause my husband always tells me that I'm borderline obsessed with my hair….I concur! LOL…less is more. I agree!!
Thanks Miss Anne! I too change up my regi with the season changes, but I always try to maintain a simple regimen.
Despite being a little PJ… I've learned to keep my regimen simple and results are happening! My hair is retaining moisture fiiinally and stays soft for more than 2 days… who knew right!
Autumn is upon us so I have to tweak my regimen slightly and use thicker moisturizers and also gonna be doing a lot of protective styling to minimize manipulation and help with length retention. #TransitioningTales
Great tips Danielle! now I'm off to check out your blog! 🙂