Self-care is surprisingly one of the hardest things to do. Despite the basis of self-love being built on treating our bodies and minds well, American work culture has taught us to always be going and to never let ourselves rest. This is especially true in the life of a college student. Our lives are packed with classes, socialization, and extracurriculars, leading to little time for much else. I’m left feeling that every time I enter my room, I’m either fixated on assignments or too tired to do anything but doomscroll.
I’m highly aware of the need for self-love. I know the need to take a walk, make myself healthy food, or even just do a hobby, but those tasks seem to require more energy than I have left at the end of the day.
But ignoring the need for self-care has its tolls, and I feel like I’ve learned that lesson more than anyone this year! My stress has gone beyond my mental health, and I have noticed more acne breakouts and hair loss than I ever have before. This has made things even worse, as it creates a cycle where the stress makes it hard to care for myself, which impacts my body, which impacts self-confidence, which causes stress. It feels impossible to escape.
The first physical symptom I saw was hair loss. Throughout my childhood, I had thick hair, but as I’ve started college, my hair has thinned out and I feel like I am losing more than I am growing. While this hair loss has started to make me self-conscious, it has forced me to discover a new form of self-love: hair care.
Before I started paying attention to my hair, I would wash and condition my hair every day. My showers felt like a chore where I would space out, as I had not quite woken up. As I have become more deliberate about my hair care routine, I have noticed that my showers feel less like a chore and more like a way to love myself. I am more conscious about how my hair and body feel in the shower.
While I’m still improving my routine, my new hair care additions have led me to be more present in the mornings. I feel more awake before attending classes and more confident in my hair and body. If you are getting stuck in the loop of avoiding self-love, a new hair care routine might just help you!
While it might seem daunting to restart your hair care routine and find something that brings you more to the present, I would like to argue that it is one of the simplest ways to implement self-care in your daily life. Even if you aren’t washing your hair every day, starting a hair care routine can be a good introduction to bringing self-care habits into your life. You already have to wash your hair, so why not use that time to slow down and be more present?
If it still feels scary, my suggestion is to start small. Find your main concern with your hair (whether that is hair loss, dandruff, oiliness, or overall softness) and find one product that might help you. It might be changing your shampoo or conditioner, adding a serum, or even just deciding to start double shampooing.
If you’re uncertain about how starting a longer hair care routine might look, let me show you what my routine currently looks like! To give context, my hair is fine and low porosity and has a medium thickness. My current struggle is volume and oiliness on a day-to-day basis. I wash my hair every other day and rarely use heat beyond a blow dryer. Below, you can find my routine and all of the products I use, with a link for more information!
Morning
- Nizoral Shampoo (1st Shampoo)
- Redken All Soft Shampoo (2nd Shampoo)
- Pantene Volume Shampoo (Once a Week Clarifying Shampoo—Used Instead of Nizoral)
- L’Oreal Paris Elvive Total Hair Repair Mask (5-Minute Hair Mask after Shampoo)
- Redken Extreme Conditioner (Hair Conditioner after Hair Mask)
- Pantene Miracle Rescue Multitasking Spray (Leave-In Conditioner and Heat Protectant)
Night
- The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum (Hair Serum for Hair Loss)
- Pantene Miracle Rescue Multitasking Spray (Leave-In Conditioner)
- Always loosely braid your hair before bed to avoid friction damage and extra tangles! This article, produced with insight from Dr. Senjeev Gulati of the Sharda Hospital’s Department of Dermatology, speaks to the benefits of braiding before bed.
If you’re interested in learning more about a drugstore routine, I would suggest looking at Abby Yung on Instagram. She gained a following by creating a method of hair care that can be customized depending on your type and uses almost entirely drugstore products. If you’re more interested in the science behind hair care products, The Skincare Bookshelf on Instagram showcases the chemistry on how products work!
I hope you feel inspired by my routine to start being more conscious of your hair care and to feel more confident in your own body.