what is habit stacking and how can it help your hair?

Does forming a new habit feel completely impossible? Trust us, you’re not alone in feeling that way. There are so many aspects of a beauty routine that require consistency to see results—from skincare to haircare—and it can often feel overwhelming to start anything. 

The short answer: Habit stacking is an easy tactic to help you start a new routine by stacking a new habit with an existing routine. Think: applying your FutureIQ™ biomimetic hair longevity serum while you read in bed every night. 

This way you know when you pick up your book, it’s time to start reversing hair age. Approaching your routine this way can help you incorporate a new product (or any new habit) into your life in a way that feels less daunting to keep up with. 

Think of the FutureIQ™ longevity journey as a marathon, not a sprint. It promotes long-term scalp health through specific biological processes that take time. It’s only through consistent use that longer-lasting results come through. 

Building a lasting habit isn’t about unflappable discipline or figuring out the secret to endless motivation, it’s more about making a new behavior easy to remember and easy to keep up with, even when the chaos of life tries to get in the way. Let's break down the science of habit-forming, why it can feel so difficult at first and how you can tackle it moving forward.

why are new habits difficult to establish? 

It’s not just you, habit formation is an extensively studied area of behavioral psychology and it turns out, many people find new habits tough to establish. New behaviors and habits require more conscious attention, focus and planning. Existing ones, however, feel more like autopilot since they’re activated by a familiar environment or established behavioral cue. 

Unsurprisingly, your brain automatically gravitates toward habits that require less brain power (like your already established night routine). When you’re initially trying to add something new to your lineup, it can feel like an extra chore. 

“The brain naturally favors behaviors that minimize cognitive load,” says K18 senior hair + skin biologist Dr. Rachael Williams. “Consequently, newly introduced routines often compete unsuccessfully with long-established behaviors, particularly during periods of stress, fatigue, or competing priorities.” Because of this, Williams says that if you find it difficult to maintain a new routine, it’s totally normal! What you shouldn’t do is consider it a failure of motivation or self-discipline.

We all rely on neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout our lives) in moments we are trying something new. Remember: repeated action strengthens your neural pathways, this is how a habit goes from feeling hard to feeling easy. And habit stacking can help! 

what exactly is habit stacking and how can you use it to be consistent with FutureIQ™?

Habit stacking is the perfect strategy for those who struggle to add something new to their routine. It’s the practice of attaching a new behavior to an existing automatic one so you can trick your brain into thinking it’s an already-established habit. The established routine acts as the cue to trigger the new action. This is an easy way to reduce the cognitive effort associated with remembering to perform an entirely new task. 

“Environmental cues are similarly important,” adds Williams. “Objects that remain visible within the environment increase the likelihood of recall, whereas behaviors requiring additional searching or preparation are performed less consistently.” 

By keeping FutureIQ™ right next to the other hair products you already use or somewhere familiar like your night stand, you’ll be much more likely to remember to use it. Basically, the more visible FutureIQ™ is in your living space, the easier it will be to establish using it as a new habit. As an example, try placing FutureIQ™ right next to the magnesium supplement you always take before bed. By removing barriers (opening drawers, getting up out of bed to go back to the bathroom, etc) you are more likely to stay consistent.

why does FutureIQ™ require consistent use?

Most new habits drop off at around the 3-week mark. There are a million reasons why this happens but one that there’s been a great deal of psychological research on is: delayed results. When starting a new routine, you might want immediate results or a visible transformation, but just like it’s impossible to achieve an overnight transformation in the gym, we have to remember that hair biology operates on its own timeline. 

FutureIQ™ isn’t a quick fix. Instead, it supports key processes within the scalp and hair follicle that establish true longevity. “The scalp barrier, follicular environment and pigmentary system all undergo continuous renewal and adaptation,” Williams explains. “Consequently, improvements in scalp health, reductions in premature shedding and support for the maintenance of natural hair color all develop progressively through consistent, repeated support. Unlike cosmetic benefits that appear immediately after application, these biological processes require time before they translate into visible improvements.”

Because it supports these living biological systems within the hair, the effects are more cumulative, meaning you’ll see results over weeks and months rather than a few days. Even if you’re not seeing a difference right away, trust that there is so much work happening under the surface.