Fall Journal Prompts to Reflect On Your Natural Hair Journey

There’s something about the change of seasons that makes you want to pause, take stock, and start fresh. Living in New York, I get to experience it 4 times a year. Yay! And while spring usually gets all the attention when it comes to fresh starts, I’ve found that a little self-reflection with fall journaling can help you take stock of your natural hair care and prepare for the season ahead.

I’ve started looking at fall as its own kind of reset for my natural hair journey. Spring gives us an opportunity to be a little more playful with our hairstyling as the weather warms up, while fall is more about preparation and protection. It’s a good time to think about the habits that will help protect your hair during the cooler months and ultimately support length retention.

But that doesn’t mean you need to immediately change the hair products you use or overhaul your entire regimen.

First, just take a little time to check in with your hair. Below you’ll find some fall journaling prompts to help you do just that. These prompts make great hair journal ideas if you’re looking to get more in tune with your natural hair.

Grab your journal, make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and spend some time with these 10 prompts.

10 Fall Journaling Prompts to Reflect on Your Natural Hair

1. How would I describe the current condition of my hair?
2. What did I learn about my hair this summer?
3. Which of my current hair routines work that I want to continue?
4. What hair habit, product or practice am I ready to ditch?
5. What does the way I’ve been caring for my hair lately reveal about how I’ve been caring for myself?
6. Where could I use more patience with myself and my hair this season?
7. Have I been enjoying my natural hair, or has caring for it started to feel like another responsibility on my list? Why or why not?
8. What expectations about my hair am I carrying that I no longer need?
9. How can I make the time I spend caring for my hair feel more like time I’m also caring for myself?
10. At the end of fall, what do I hope has changed in both my relationship with my hair and the way I care for myself?

You can journal through all 10 prompts at once, choose a few at a time, or journal through them throughout the fall season. There’s no particular way you have to approach them. The idea is simply to give yourself some space to reflect on your hair, your routines, and what may serve you better in the season ahead.

For more on where faith and hair come together, visit my Faith & Hair Reflections.

Now, let’s dig a little deeper into what each of these prompts can help you uncover.

Start With Where Your Hair Is Right Now

Prompt #1: How would I describe the current condition of my hair?

Start with what you see and feel today.

Think about your hair overall, but also pay attention to your scalp and ends. Maybe your hair feels moisturized and manageable, but your ends are starting to feel rough. Perhaps you’ve noticed more tangling or breakage than usual. Or maybe your hair is doing really well right now.

There doesn’t have to be a problem with your hair. This is simply a chance to take notice of where your hair is right now before deciding what, if anything, you want to change for the fall season.

Transitioning Your Summer Learnings Into Fall

Prompt #2: What did I learn about my hair this summer?
Prompt #3: Which of my current hair routines work that I want to continue?

Summer may have changed the way you cared for or styled your hair. Heat, humidity, vacations, outdoor activities, and changes in your schedule can all affect your usual routines.

As you journal, think back over the past couple of months. Consider the hairstyle you wore, the products you consistently used, how your hair responded, and the routines you followed.

There may be something you discovered about your hair that you want to keep front and center as you move into the cooler season.

Maybe a simpler routine worked better. Perhaps you found a style your hair seemed to thrive in. Or maybe even just being consistent with one particular part of your regimen made a noticeable difference.

A seasonal reset doesn’t mean everything needs to change. Some things should just stay the same.

Decide What You’re Ready to Ditch

Prompt #4: What hair habit, product or practice am I ready to ditch?

Maybe there’s a product taking up space that you know you don’t like. Maybe there’s a technique you keep using even though your hair doesn’t respond well to it. Or perhaps part of your routine takes far more time and effort than the results are worth.

You may even recognize you have a habit that has been working against the goals you have for your hair. Whatever comes to mind, consider whether it still deserves a place in your hair regimen this fall.

What Is Your Hair Care Telling You About Your Self-Care?

Prompt #5: What does the way I’ve been caring for my hair lately reveal about how I’ve been caring for myself?

Now we’re going to take the reflection a little deeper.

Think about what your recent hair care might be telling you about everything else that has been going on in your life.

Maybe you’ve been rushing through your routines because you’ve been rushing through everything lately. Maybe your hair care keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list because you’ve been putting your entire self at the bottom of the list too.

Sometimes something as ordinary as a wash day can make you realize just how much, or how little, space you’ve been making for yourself. It’s worth paying attention to so that you can make adjustments because my dear sister, you matter.

Give Yourself and Your Hair a Little More Patience

Prompt #6: Where could I use more patience with myself and my hair this season?

Natural hair requires patience in more ways than one.

There’s patience that’s needed for the simple act of detangling. You need patience when your hair doesn’t turn out exactly the way you expected. When you’re working toward a length goal and progress seems slow, patience!

But there’s also patience with yourself overall.

Every week won’t go according to plan. You may not always be able to attend to your hair the way you intend to. A style may not turn out the way you like. It’s OK. It’s all part of the process called living. It’s a small part but nonetheless a part.

Think about where a little more patience could make caring for your hair, and yourself, feel different this fall.

Are You Still Enjoying Your Natural Hair?

Prompt #7: Have I been enjoying my natural hair, or has caring for it started to feel like another responsibility on my list? Why or why not?

This journal prompt is worth thinking about more deeply because somewhere between wash days, treatments, detangling, styling, and trying to keep our hair healthy, natural hair care can feel burdensome.

However, you shouldn’t feel like your hair is something you just “have” to do. You should be able to enjoy it too.

Think about the last few months. Have you enjoyed styling your hair? Wearing it out? Trying something different? Seeing the progress you’ve made?

If caring for your hair has started to feel more like an obligation, your journal is a good place to explore why.

Let Go of Hair Expectations You Don’t Need

Prompt #8: What expectations about my hair am I carrying that I no longer need?

Natural hair comes with no shortage of expectations.

There are ideas about how long our hair should be, how defined our curls should look, how often we should wash it. Don’t even get me started on which products we should use and what a “good” natural hair routine is supposed to include.

Then there are the expectations we create for ourselves.

As you journal, think about whether there’s something you’ve been expecting from your hair that is creating more pressure than necessary.

Your hair doesn’t have to look or behave like anyone else’s.

Make the Time You Spend on Your Hair Count for You Too

Prompt #9: How can I make the time I spend caring for my hair feel more like time I’m also caring for myself?

You already have to make time to wash, condition, detangle, and style your hair. So think about how some of that time can pour back into you too.

That doesn’t mean turning every wash day into a production.

It could be as simple as not rushing. Put on some praise and worship music. Listen to a podcast. Pray while you detangle. When you sit under the dryer or steamer, read a book instead of spending the time scrolling.

Hair care is already taking up some of your time. Think about what could make that time feel good for you too.

Think About How You Want to Leave the Season

Prompt #10: At the end of fall, what do I hope has changed in both my relationship with my hair and the way I care for myself?

This final prompt can tie everything together.

You may want healthier ends, less breakage or a routine that feels easier to maintain. But think beyond what you want to see when you look at your hair.

That may look like:

• Becoming more patient as you care for your hair
• You stop stressing when your styles don’t come out perfectly
• Being more consistent with your hair care without the need to be perfect at it.

Or maybe you want to reach the end of the fall season knowing that you made a little more room for yourself along the way.

Whatever comes up, let it give you some direction for the season ahead.

A Special Fall Check-In for Fine Natural Hair

While these fall journaling prompts can be used by anyone with natural hair, there are a few things those of us with fine natural hair may want to pay closer attention to as we head into fall.

Fine strands can be more vulnerable to breakage, so this is a good time to take a closer look at how much you’re manipulating your hair, the condition of your ends, and whether the styles you’re wearing are helping you protect the length you’ve worked hard to retain.

Think back over what came up as you journaled.
Were there signs of breakage you’ve been overlooking?
Are you handling your hair more often than necessary?
Are some of your favorite styles putting too much tension on your strands?

Recognize any patterns that came up while you were journaling and use them to help you think more specifically about what your fine strands may need going into fall and winter.

From there, you can move into a more intentional fall routine that focuses on protecting your strands, minimizing unnecessary manipulation, and supporting length retention.

Ready to Turn Your Reflections Into a Fall Hair Reset?

After spending some time with these 10 fall journaling prompts, you may have a much clearer picture of what is working, what isn’t, and what you’d like to change.

Now you can take those reflections and turn them into action.

If you have fine natural hair, my 3 Step Fall Reset for Fine Natural Hair will help you take what you’ve discovered here and put it into practice.

In that reset, we’ll look at your goals and routines, go through your hair products, think about the styles you’ll rely on during the season, and create a practical plan for moving forward.

For now, you can prep for your natural hair journey reset with the fall journal prompts I just shared.