Online hair forums allow people from all over the world access to information and tips about caring for and styling their hair. Frequenting online forums provides a sense of community and lets you see what others are doing to take care of their hair. Forums offer lots of advice which can sometimes become overwhelming. As frequenter of many hair care boards myself, following some simple tips has helped me to get the most out of online hair forums.
Do upload photos to track your hair growth
Photos are a great way to keep track of the progress of your hair. Not only do they help for comparison purposes to see how far you have come but they also allow you to show others your hair if you have any questions or concerns about what you are doing. If you are worried about security, you can always opt to keep your face out of the picture
Don’t follow every single piece of advice that you read
Most of the people frequenting hair boards are not experts or trained in hair care. It is important to understand that the advice given is most likely from personal experience or someone is repeating something that they heard. Take caution and always consult a doctor before beginning any supplements or routines that could affect your health in any way. Understand that no product will work the same for every person. What works for one person may or may not work for you. Trying the product for yourself is the only way to know for sure if the product will work for your hair.
Do get involved in the online discussions
The point of online forums is to have open discussion. Do not shy away from posting your opinions and personal experiences. You will most likely find useful the information that someone else has put forth for you to read and the information that you offer could help someone else.
Don’t try every product you read about
Online hair forums will often talk about a hair care “journey”. With this journey comes finding products that will work to keep your hair healthy and manageable. There are hundreds of products on the market all claiming to do similar things. What works on one person however will not always work on you. A person’s hair texture often times dictates what products will be effective and which products will not. Do not fall into the habit of trying every single product because it worked for another person’s hair. Choose the products that you decide to spend money on wisely. After all, if it doesn’t work, you will be stuck with a full bottle of something that you can’t take back
Do read through previous threads before you ask a question
Nothing is more annoying than answering the same question over and over. One of the great things about hair forums (or any forum really) is that old posts are saved and archived. Doing a simple search can often times lead you to the answers you need. Sometimes you may have to sift through a few pages before you find what you are looking for but chances are someone else had the same question as you so always search before threading a new question.
Don’t try every challenge
Some hair forums and websites will institute different challenges to its members. The point of these challenges is to make it easier for members to make a new habit with the support of other who are trying to achieve a similar goal. It may be tempting to try everything in hopes of meeting all of your hair goals. It is important though not to take on too much at a time. Many have noticed that doing too much to their hair at any given time can actually have negative effects. Instead, it’s best to focus on one goal at a time and to be reasonable about the commitments you will make to achieve that goal.