Regimen Building

Creating an Ideal Regimen
Regimen: reg·i·men (rӗj’ ᵊ-mᵊn, -mӗn’)  
 n.

Creating an Ideal Regimen
Regimen: reg·i·men (rӗj’ ᵊ-mᵊn, -mӗn’)  
 n.

1. The systematic procedure of a natural phenomenon or process.

2. A regulated system, as of diet, therapy, or exercise, intended to promote health 
or achieve another beneficial effect.

 
     Building a regimen can be quite a task. You have to think about what to use, how much to use, and when to use; all while trying to balance other priorities in your oh-so-hectic schedule. Some people get to this point of their hair journey—figuring out that they need an organized schedule, and realizing that a successful journey takes more effort than they had planned; and stop cold turkey, never fully realizing their healthy hair growth potential.

A healthy hair regimen is one that consists of simple, yet organized steps and/or procedures done routinely over a certain period of time (or forever), to achieve optimum results. Though, do not let the word schedule discourage or distract you. Scheduling or organizing anything in life promotes and ensures a consistent outcome, thus providing us with visible results we can count on—month after month, year after year.

Here are a few things you should consider before devising the perfect regimen:

 · Listen To Your Hair:
    In other words, observe (through styling and day-to-day maintenance) what type of care your hair needs. Does it need more moisture or protein? Are your strands low or high porosity? “Listen” and stay alert for matters like excessive dryness or breakage so you can assess these issues when they arise, with the proper solution.  

· Avoid Product Junkie-ism
    Try not to give in to every gimmick and every line--‘this product does this,’ or ‘this product does that.’ If you’re not careful, you could end up habitually buying and adding new products to your collection, never to see or use them for months, even years at a time. To avoid this, practice control. Stocking up on excessive amounts of products can cause clutter and of course, be quite expensive. Limit one product per hair need, finish it, then purchase a new one.

· Keep It Simple:
     Have you ever heard of the phrase, ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid?’  It means just that, Keep It Simple! KISS for short. You don’t want to overdo it with extra, unnecessary products and nitpicking. Let’s not stress ourselves out.

    
Okay, now that you’ve gotten the gist of basic regimen building, let’s try putting one together. For the most part, a healthy hair regimen will include these key components:


 · Cleanser
    A cleanser is typically a shampoo of some kind. This will help to remove any dirt and build up you may incur from excessive or non-excessive product usage; and the accumulation of sweat, particles from the environment and your hair’s natural oils. For a less drying effect, look for sulfate free cleansers, or cleansers not containing sulfate as an ingredient.

 · Rinse-Out Conditioner
    Rinse-Out conditioners would typically follow the use of a cleanser. The purpose of a rinse-out conditioner is to put back in what the shampoo cleansed or stripped off. Often times, rinse-out conditioners can be used in place of a cleanser, for a more moisturizing wash. This method of cleaning your hair with a rinse-out conditioner instead of a shampoo is called, co-washing or conditioner washing.
 
· Leave-In Conditioner
    A leave-in conditioner is one that is not rinsed out. Its purpose is to further moisturize your hair, and depending on what you use, provide shine, body, luster, gold, diamonds, blah blah blah and all the other things a leave-in will promise. This part of the regimen is where most would give in to product junkie-ism. Remember, one product per need! 

· Sealant
    The purpose of a sealant is to literally, seal in the moisture from the leave-in conditioner, prohibiting the moisture from quickly drying out into the atmosphere, thus leaving your hair staying moisturized, longer. Ideal sealants will include, but are not limited to, natural butters like shea, mango, and cocoa; and natural oils like coconut, olive, castor, and jojoba. Luckily, we’ve come up with a great sealant (if we do say so ourselves) that will provide just what your hair and skin needs,right here.

 · Holding/Styling Product
    This part of your regimen is for those individuals who enjoy certain styling options, and is entirely optional. If you don’t want your styles to hold in place then nix this part of the regimen. The purpose of a styling/holding product is to tame flyaways, hold styles like flexirod sets, braidouts, or twist outs in place; or to just have a more sleek look. Depending on your styling needs, one to two holding products like gels, pomades, or setting lotions should suffice.

    Now get out there and build that regimen! Use what you’ve learned and show us what you’ve got! Snap a pic or two of the products in your regimen and send your pictures to blackhairguru@gmail.com. We’ll post ‘em on the site to showcase what you learned, and help others construct their own regimen.

 Good luck, and as always, happy growing!


-The BHG


Click here for an idea of what your regimen should look like.