A good way to monitor your hair and scalp health is to keep a natural hair journal. You can do this by a daily or weekly journal. Just choose one based on your lifestyle and changes you do to your hair.

The Importance of Keeping a Hair Journal…

Women who are transitioning to natural hair like to often keep track of their progress. It’s a great way for them to stay aware of the changes throughout the transformation. In addition, keeping a hair journal is a good way to help stay motivated and on track with goals. Sometimes changes are subtle and not very obvious. Therefore, it’s helpful to know where you started in the beginning. Looking back at old photos or notes can allow you to see the progress that has actually been made, which may help you to stay motivated.

If you are experimenting with different hair regimens a journal can help you review and compare the results from each one. It also can help you remember the hair regimen you used at a future date. If it’s in your journal you’ll know what steps you made, the results, and how you felt about it.

How to Create a Journal

You can begin logging your hair journey with a basic journal book from Target, Wal-Mart or a local office supply store. If you’re a crafty person, you may want to purchase a plain white cover journal album and decorate it however you like.

If you love photos and creating scrapbooks, you can start by creating a natural hair journal scrapbook. Simply glue your photos to scrapbook paper, create notes and glue them next to the photos, then slide them into an album.  This method is great for individuals who are visual and may have trouble explaining their changes.

Alternatively, you can make a journal out of videos. Most computers have built-in cameras now days. If you do not have a video camera already on your computer, you should be able to purchase one for as low as $20 online, at an electronic store or office supply store. You can mount your camera onto a tripod and record yourself every day or every other day. Create the video in the same area with the same lighting so that you capture the identical quality each time. You don’t want to mistake changes in the lighting with changes in the texture of your hair. Overall, a video journal will give you the best descriptive log of your natural hair journey.

Information You Should Include….

You will want to record the health of your locks and your scalp as part of your natural hair diary. For instance, if you start your journey with dandruff or split ends you definitely want to make note of this. You also should keep track of any products you use over the process. Keep note of the dates that you did certain procedures to your hair i.e henna treatment or trimming your ends. You also should keep track of any individuals who have styled your hair and the process they used. Every little thing is important, from the frequency of your washes right down to the climate outdoors, so remember to keep an eye on everything!

A video clip journal is not just helpful for you for many years to come, but it can benefit other naturals on his or her hair journey as well! So share your story on YouTube or send us a video so we can share it for you!