The end of December is a natural moment to stop and look at what you've been doing. Not the routine you planned to do. The one you actually did. Most people find there's a gap between the two, and closing that gap is usually the most useful thing you can do before the new year.
Question 1: What Actually Changed This Year?
Not changes you intended. Changes you made and kept. A new shampoo. A consistent deep conditioning schedule. Protective styling more frequently. Sleeping with a bonnet every night instead of sometimes. A new detangling technique. Something you stopped doing that used to be in your routine.
List what changed. Then ask: of those changes, which ones came with visible results you liked? Which came with results you didn't like? Which ones felt neutral? You're not sure if they helped?
Question 2: What Was Your Worst Hair Month?
Every year has a worst hair period. For most people it's a season: the transition to summer humidity, the dry winter months, a stretch of high-stress weeks where the routine fell apart. Identifying your specific low point and what caused it helps you plan to handle it better next year.
If your hair was worst in February (cold, dry air, no moisture), you know to increase your sealing and deep conditioning frequency starting in January. If summer was worst (humidity, frizz, product overload), you know to simplify your product stack and adjust glycerin use before the humidity climbs.
Question 3: Which Products Did You Actually Use?
Look at your product shelf. Which ones are almost empty? Those are the ones you actually use. Which ones are still full or mostly full after a year? Those are the ones you bought and didn't use, which means they probably don't work well for your hair or you don't like working with them.
Clear out the full or mostly full products. Stop making space for products that aren't part of your real routine. The products you consistently reach for are telling you something about what works. Trust that over what you think you should be using.
Question 4: What Is Your Hair Doing That You Want to Change?
Be specific. "I want more moisture" is too broad. "My ends feel dry by day two even after sealing" is a starting point for diagnosis. "My hair breaks at the same point mid-shaft every time I detangle" tells you something about tension or protein balance or detangling technique. "My edges are thinner than they were a year ago" is urgent and should be addressed before the new year, not set as a goal for it.
Question 5: What Was Your Biggest Unresolved Hair Question This Year?
What did you spend time googling, asking about, or trying to figure out that you never got a clear answer to? That's the topic to dig into intentionally in the first quarter of next year, not reactively when the problem flares up, but proactively before it does.
Building Your Starting Routine for January
Based on your answers above, you should be able to write a simple starting routine for January: what you wash with, how often, what your deep conditioning schedule is, what products you're committing to for one month to actually evaluate them. Keep it small enough to be consistent. A four-step routine you do every week is worth more than an eight-step routine you do twice before abandoning it.