My 2011 Hair Resolutions

Although I'm constantly adding to my list - here is what I have so far - this was also previously published on Clutch's sister mag Coco and Creme - Natural Hair Resolutions Countdown

Like I said in the article, some of these are carry-overs from last year :o)

• Try more styles - For 2011 I’m going to attempt to not have a ‘signature’ style. I’m going to try to stay away from twists or box braids in a bun, and get more creative with my styles.

• Exercise and take supplements - a carry-over from this year. I started taking hair vitamins and actually began to see results, but kept forgetting to take them for weeks at a time. I don’t even have an excuse for not exercising. For 2011, I’m planning to stay on routine with both.

• Attend more natural hair events - There are so many meet-ups and natural hair events announced over the web, next year I’m going to plan to attend more than one or two.

• Keep a hold on product junkism - I actually did pretty well with this one. I stuck to my $20 budget when visiting beauty supplies, most times spending way less. I plan to continue this in 2011 - I have to work on a budget for online shopping though.

• Stay away from the scissors (when it comes to excessive trimming) - At the beginning of the year I would routinely trim/dust my ends every two or three months whether they were split or not.

The last half of last year I only cut knots and when I noticed split ends on certain strands. I saw a big difference when it came to retaining length. For 2011, I’m planning to only trim my ends when necessary.

• Keep up with natural hair social networks/blogs, YouTube videos, etc. For 2011, I plan to stay current with the online hair community - which will give me ideas for my own products, styles, routines etc…

• Keep up with documenting my journey. I find that documenting i.e. taking pictures, blogging, etc… my own journey also helps me to come up with creative styles, and more DIY products and accessories. And it’s a way to ‘give-back’ by helping others as well.

• Continue pampering my hair. I noticed that the more pampering, the better my overall hair health . I plan to try more ayurvedic hair treatments, keep braid washing, once-a-month deep conditioning and wearing protective styles.

• Make more products at home - This will not only ensure what I’m putting on my hair is chemical-free, but help keep the product junkie in me from arousing.

• Clean out cabinets - via using up all of my products before purchasing more and seeking out product swaps. I've started doing this and having my niece who loooves hair products living in the house with me is helpful as well.