Hey precious darling’s it is that awesome time of the week again– Natural Hair Friday! Don’t we just love Friday’s! Today is all about hair goals, what they are, how to set them, and finally how to reach them.

What are Hair Goals?

Despite the confused look on our lovely model’s face, we don’t really need to define this thoroughly because it is pretty self- explanatory. In the same sphere as fitness goals, health goals, and life goals, hair goals are where or what you want your hair to be. It is the desired state of your precious locks. Having hair goals is the perfect way to bring your hair dreams into reality. Remember, your hair can be whatever you want it to be, no matter what!

How to Set Hair Goals

This may sound like a no- brainer but the first step in setting your hair goals is to figure out exactly what you want. Specificity is key here and to create it, you must first visualize it. The best way to do this is through inspiration.

Many of you already know my hair journey story so I won’t waste your time in repeating it, but I will say that what enabled me to have a hair breakthrough was an instagram page called Curly Beautys. My my, the hair on the heads of those beauties were (and still are) something to see and once I decided to let my natural curls fly, I screenshotted my favorite beauty’s and even printed out a few photos and pinned them to my bulletin board. My hair was far from any of my favorites and though I did not always believe that I could ever come close to matching any of their locks, I had something to aim for.

Find one or more heads of hair that truly inspires you and make sure an image of said person’s hair is available for you to access regularly. Map out what you like most about their hair. Whether it be the volume, shape, curl pattern, cut, length, color, density or whatever else. You need to have specific goals in mind for them to ultimately manifest.

Study the ladies whose hair you admire. If it is a friend or a coworker, ask them what they specifically do, inquire about their hair journey, and consider adopting some of their techniques. If it is a celebrity or social media guru, research them, watch videos, notate what they say works well for them. Your own hair journey will differ, of course, because it is your own, but studying those who inspire you will help you to create an action plan.

Determine what you think needs to be done to transition from your current state to your desired one and make a commitment to change up your routine to get to where you want to be. What do you need to get to your goal? For me, I wanted to have defined, bouncy, voluminous, soft curls without any need for heat tools. To set my goals I knew I had to eliminate heat tools, let my straight/damaged ends grow out, and learn how to manage my natural hair. Figure out where you want to go and map out what steps you must take to get there.

How to Achieve Hair Goals

May 2016 is when I decided to wear my hair all natural and was also when I first set my hair goals. One thing that has really helped me since then has been to NOT place stringent time constraints on my progress. My hair has improved 100 times since May but I still have not fully achieved my desired state. That’s ok! The important thing is to keep working towards it and to document the progress that I am steadily making.

You can document by taking photos once a month or even by keeping a hair journal to keep track of where you are, where you’ve come from and where you are going. The most important way to achieve your hair goals is to give it time. I do not believe “4 inches in a month” “thicker hair by your birthday” or “defined curls overnight” are good goals to set. Instead, having a clear goal in mind and taking the steps to get you there is all you really need. You don’t need to worry about when it will happen, just know that it will!

Last Thoughts

Hair goals are real! And unless you already have the perfect mop atop your head, you need them to encourage your hair to be as you truly want it. So set them goals and step into making them happen!

• Tell me your hair goals (and any other thoughts on this post) by commenting below
• Have you already reached your goal? What obstacles have you run into along your journey?
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• Come back next NHF for the Shea Moisture review + tutorial and check out the other posts in the Handbook 🙂
• Have a fab day!