Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2023

[Chicoro]

I’ve made the following changes to my hair care this year

• Switched from curly cuts to blow out cuts I’m hoping this will be more thorough and also remove less hair each time
• Switched from alligator clips to duck bill clips to section my hair while washing. The alligator clips always snagged my hair
• Started detangling with a wide tooth comb before using my detangling brush
• Use a protein conditioner on my ends every week
• Switched from olaplex to epres as my bond repair treatment

Those are lots of changes. Have you noticed any differences, yet? I see that you said less snags with the clip change. I ask because I would love to know the shifts these small changes have created in your hair.

I can almost guarantee that you've got FAR more length right now due that small change of deciding to trim/cut on straightened hair. And, if I am not mistaken, I believe that you sought add and use a DIFFERENT person, with a different perspective to cut your hair, right? This is another example of how a small change, can be modified even though you have been doing the process (trimming) for years.

 

[Chicoro]

Wash and go's and clay rinses have a place in my regimen. They won't ever be my main practices but a wash and go is a great special occasion style on my hair, given that I wash it out quickly enough to prevent tangles, knots and my hair drying out. Clay washes are a great shampoo substitute when I am wearing back to back natural styles and don't need a deep cleanse, but want to wash my hair. It was good for me to revisit those two things and get them right. It wasn't that they didn't work on my hair. I just needed determine their best application to my hair.

Wash and gos work fine if I keep my hair elongated, hydrated, and am mindful of both gentle handling and product more suited for hair health than style, as it sets. Clay washes work fine if I keep a watery consistency and don't have heavy product build up on my hair or scalp(which I rarely do, but for example, I wouldn't use it right before or after a press).

I forgot to mention that this posts epitomizes what @Lylddlebit brings to the 'hair' table for me and that I find so valuable : Meticulous, deliberate detailed analysis. It was she who always made me think about and look into the details of process NO MATTER for how many years I'd been doing it. Then, from there I could see what about this process or activity was beneficial and what was not.

I did not discard an activity that had 'holes' in it, but did tiny shifts to optimize it. I had lots of broken hairs. So I revisited my scarf wearing. It never stays on my head so I stopped doing it. BUT I looked at it DEEPER and knew wearing a scarf made a difference from seeing the bun results @Napp had.

So I figured out a way, by looking into the details and analyzing it and giving the problem my full attention. I put a plastic bag under and pulled it farther down my forehead than my scarf. As a result to it being able to grip 'skin', there was more of an anchor and the scarf held on to plastic. The scarf stayed on my head for more nights and for most of the night.

 

[Chicoro]

@Napp had buns that were smooth, flat and laid down in places I could NEVER get to lay down and I've been wearing buns for most of my life.
Another valuable aspect in this thread was being able to SEE people's results, such as the case in point with Napp.

Not only was I able to ask her what she was doing, she so generously explained in detail and provided step by step instructions with photos of her products. Not only did that inspire me, I received practical steps and instructions. And, I had ACCESS to her and her experience and knowledge via this thread.

I took that information and applied it to myself and it helped me re-look at problems that I thought were insurmountable or that I had chocked up to, "Sorry, that's just how it is for you Chicoro."

Seeing and wanting and coveting her results made me look at the scarf situation at night in more detail and inspired me to continue to make tiny, little micro changes, over several nights and weeks, until I got it right for me and my hair. That required PAYING attention to what I did the night before and observing the result the following morning.

Talk about tedious, boring and annoying, but so worth it.

Had I not been in this thread, I would have deemed figuring out the scarf situation as it being worthless as it was such a small detail. Thank goodness that this thread re-iterated to me, through your posts, over and over that the devil is in the details.

That scarf change has provided dividends in positive shifts in my hair care regime. And like a domino effect, has touched other areas positively in my hair care regimen.

No brush to fix hair ----->less breakage to fix bun ------> hair in morning is moist, smooth ,laid----> from scarf on most of night ----> less brush

That positive feedback loop, due to the shift with the scarf, has put me into a virtuous cycle for my hair and kicked me out of a vicious cycle of breakage!

 

[Chicoro]

Speaking of Devil in the Details...this lady has an extremely detailed, great SCARF method for wrapping heat straightened hair:

Wrap It Up! | Healthy Relaxed Hair | How I Wrap My Hair​

Dolce Dawn



Her is 3x longer than this now and her hair is super beautiful! She's so elegant and pretty.

 

[Chicoro]

I came across a video short on YouTube about the Aphogee 2 Step and Moisturizing conditioner. The lady is a licensed stylist and said that the moisturizer conditioner is needed to adjust the pH after using Aphogee 2 Step.

Huh? What the...?​

So, I looked up the ingredients. Because I've been skipping this product forever because the Devil is in the details and I wanted to make sure I have not overlooked something that could do a shift in my hair results.

INGREDIENTS​

Water (Aqua, Eau), Stearalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum, Huile Minerale), Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Silk Amino Acids, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Phytantriol, Alanine, Proline, Polysorbate 60, Petrolatum, Stearyl Alcohol, Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone, Allantoin, Squalane, Tryptophan, Acetamide MEA, C11-15 Pareth-7, Collagen Amino Acids, C12-16 Pareth-9, Trideceth-12, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum).



After water , the next abundant ingredient is Stearalkonium Chloride.
This ingredient is not a for pH adjustment. It is a chemical fabric softener. I think the main purpose of this is to soften the hair fiber and the mineral oil is to lubricate the hair. The stearalkonium chloride is in SCurl, too. I do see citric adjustment at the bottom which is often used as a pH adjuster but because it is so low on the ingredients list, I am good with my decision to skip this moisturizer after an Aphogee 2 Step Treatment.

​

 

[GettingKinky]

I have made quite a few changes to my routine. While I do believe they will all be beneficial and lead to increased hair retention, what I lack is a good method for tracking my progress. This is a huge issue for me - you can’t fix what you can’t measure. My hair is only straight-ish every 12-14 weeks and the blow dry quality varies so it’s hard to see small changes in length.

BUT going forward I could use a combination of pulling and measuring my blow dried hair to track my progress. I think I will start doing this with my next blow dry.

Thank you @Chicoro for prodding me to be more conscientious about how I evaluate my hair. I’ve gotten a little lazy about pursuing my goal of longer hair and just hoping that I’m on the right path rather than verifying it with data.

 

[Chicoro]

I have made quite a few changes to my routine. While I do believe they will all be beneficial and lead to increased hair retention, what I lack is a good method for tracking my progress. This is a huge issue for me - you can’t fix what you can’t measure. My hair is only straight-ish every 12-14 weeks and the blow dry quality varies so it’s hard to see small changes in length.

BUT going forward I could use a combination of pulling and measuring my blow dried hair to track my progress. I think I will start doing this with my next blow dry.

Thank you @Chicoro for prodding me to be more conscientious about how I evaluate my hair. I’ve gotten a little lazy about pursuing my goal of longer hair and just hoping that I’m on the right path rather than verifying it with data.

The hard part is finding the answer. That's what takes the analysis, expertise and patience. But once you find it, it's like hitting the right spot and the magic happens. Keep going and looking and I am sure a good methodology for measuring will develop for you!

 

[snoop]

I've been neglecting my hair, but this is what my ends looked like before taking down my twists last night. These are the same twists that I installed back on October 17. I would like to trim my hair on Christmas, if I have time, but I might have to pick an earlier day to do it.

 

[snoop]

I'm not sure that I've made many positive changes to my hair this year. I did neglect it a lot and so maybe it thrived because I truly left it alone?

Though I wasn't able to be consistent, I think that taking up (hair) journalling/documentation and taking pictures of my progress are two things that aided in my progress. These are two things that I truly believe can help anyone on their natural hair journey.

I also, started lunar trimming and added micro trimming to my routine. Do I believe that the moon's forces are helping my hair to grow. Not really. HOWEVER, I think that the consistent and intentional manicuring of my ends have helped my hair to thrive. I've been enjoying my hair and wearing my twists down more often, but I think that the micro trim help to stave off excessive splitting of my ends.

 

[Chicoro]

I've been neglecting my hair, but this is what my ends looked like before taking down my twists last night. These are the same twists that I installed back on October 17. I would like to trim my hair on Christmas, if I have time, but I might have to pick an earlier day to do it.

View attachment 493167

Those curls at the end of your hair look really lovely !

 

[snoop]

Those curls at the end of your hair look really lovely !

Thank you!

 

[Chicoro]

Going on week four (4) of me coughing deep and wet in my chest. It leaves on the weekend and during the week it returns. I am going to try to get to the 22nd of December, take that ten (10) day holiday rest. If I can't shake it after that, then I am going to see a doctor.

All this to explain why there is no hair washing or bun dropping for me. I don't care WHAT that Sexy @MzSwift says, I don't think my bun drop would have generated any 'shock and awe' from me. Sigh...I said it with all my chest. Then...

*Cowardly looks around sheepishly in fear of a @MzSwift retort in the form of a finger pointing gif.*

So, I'm going to do a bun drop vicariously through another person who has hair that is glorious and magnificent. Call it a surrogate, bun drop because it takes the place of my own bun drop that I wanted to do.



I now present to you an incredible bun drop from SeleanaSimone from instagram:

 

[MzSwift]

Aww, @Chicoro . I can't be mad that you're sick, lovely lady.
Please take good care of yourself! I hope you get over whatever this is.
(So weird that it only hits you hard during the week!) Let's bind whatever that stressor is so that you can overcome it!

I'll be here.. waiting. Whenever you're feeling better and ready to share.

Because I KNOW that when you're ready, that bun drop is gonna be:

 

[Chicoro]

Aww, @Chicoro . I can't be mad that you're sick, lovely lady.
Please take good care of yourself! I hope you get over whatever this is.
(So weird that it only hits you hard during the week!) Let's bind whatever that stressor is so that you can overcome it!

I'll be here.. waiting. Whenever you're feeling better and ready to share.

Because I KNOW that when you're ready, that bun drop is gonna be:

Thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness, @MzSwift. I appreciate it very much.

 

[Chicoro]

Revised: What I Learned from Participating in Luscious Ends 2023

1. My aged hair, cannot support shampoo as a weekly, regular cleanser. (Changed to clay and completely eliminated my velcro ends.) Thanks @snoop!
2. Small details can create huge shifts in hair health. (Stopped brushing top of hair during week while it was in a braid and breakage decreased.) I was reminded and learned to pay attention to details, no matter how small. Thanks @Lylddlebit and @GettingKinky !
3. The importance of wearing a scarf to keep hair smoothed and protected which minimizes manipulation needed to fix it up in the morning. Upped my scarf game after seeing Napp's laid hair in her bun with NOT one hair out of place. Thanks @Napp !
4. For straightening my hair to get it clean, I applied two different kinds of shampoo. I used a clarifying and then a moisturizing. I applied the moisturizing shampoo like a relaxer in that I carefully coated it on the roots. This process was suggested and explained to me by @Lylddlebit in her detailed straightening post. Thanks @Lylddlebit !
5. I've come full circle with my bun in that I am learning to conscientiously replicate and maintain it with the least amount of damage as possible. (Verbiage taken from my post in the Grow It Long thread.)
   • Learned to use plastic cap and scarf combination to keep scarf on head through night, most nights.​
   • Because scarf is on at night, it lays hair down.​
   • In morning hair is neat and minimum manipulation is required.​
   • Hair is so neat and already in place, I use no brush which reduces mechanical breakage caused by me.​
   • In morning I use on my hands and a small toothbrush for my edges to get sleek, beautiful bun.​
   • Less hair in hairball after wash day. I have less breakage, less shedding.​
   • Sticky ends are gone so no tearing of ends when I unbraid my hair.​
   • As a result, my ends have thickened and my hair has gained length.​

Although I have not succeeded in growing my hair passed my break point/hair plateau length, my ends are much more luscious and healthy today in December 2023 than when I started in January 2023.

This challenge, thread and all of you have helped me tremendously.

I hope that you, too, have been helped or enriched in some way by this challenge.

Thank you everyone!

 

[snoop]

Please get lots of rest @Chicoro . Hair is fun, but health comes first.

We have no problem waiting for a 2024 bun drop (whenever you're able to do it.)

 

[Lylddlebit]

I've been neglecting my hair, but this is what my ends looked like before taking down my twists last night. These are the same twists that I installed back on October 17. I would like to trim my hair on Christmas, if I have time, but I might have to pick an earlier day to do it.

View attachment 493167

Perfect, moisturized coils!. Nicely put away, especially for 2 months.

 

[Lylddlebit]

I'm not sure that I've made many positive changes to my hair this year. I did neglect it a lot and so maybe it thrived because I truly left it alone?

Though I wasn't able to be consistent, I think that taking up (hair) journalling/documentation and taking pictures of my progress are two things that aided in my progress. These are two things that I truly believe can help anyone on their natural hair journey.

I also, started lunar trimming and added micro trimming to my routine. Do I believe that the moon's forces are helping my hair to grow. Not really. HOWEVER, I think that the consistent and intentional manicuring of my ends have helped my hair to thrive. I've been enjoying my hair and wearing my twists down more often, but I think that the micro trim help to stave off excessive splitting of my ends.

YES to retention during low manipulation

YES to tracing your progress, moving foward

YES to intentionally trimming

I see a ton of progress in that post!

 

[Lylddlebit]

Going on week four (4) of me coughing deep and wet in my chest. It leaves on the weekend and during the week it returns. I am going to try to get to the 22nd of December, take that ten (10) day holiday rest. If I can't shake it after that, then I am going to see a doctor.

All this to explain why there is no hair washing or bun dropping for me. I don't care WHAT that Sexy @MzSwift says, I don't think my bun drop would have generated any 'shock and awe' from me. Sigh...I said it with all my chest. Then...

*Cowardly looks around sheepishly in fear of a @MzSwift retort in the form of a finger pointing gif.*

So, I'm going to do a bun drop vicariously through another person who has hair that is glorious and magnificent. Call it a surrogate, bun drop because it takes the place of my own bun drop that I wanted to do.



I now present to you an incredible bun drop from SeleanaSimone from instagram:

She and her hair are gorgeous!

 

[Lylddlebit]

Revised: What I Learned from Participating in Luscious Ends 2023

1. My aged hair, cannot support shampoo as a weekly, regular cleanser. (Changed to clay and completely eliminated my velcro ends.) Thanks @snoop!
2. Small details can create huge shifts in hair health. (Stopped brushing top of hair during week while it was in a braid and breakage decreased.) I was reminded and learned to pay attention to details, no matter how small. Thanks @Lylddlebit and @GettingKinky !
3. The importance of wearing a scarf to keep hair smoothed and protected which minimizes manipulation needed to fix it up in the morning. Upped my scarf game after seeing Napp's laid hair in her bun with NOT one hair out of place. Thanks @Napp !
4. For straightening my hair to get it clean, I applied two different kinds of shampoo. I used a clarifying and then a moisturizing. I applied the moisturizing shampoo like a relaxer in that I carefully coated it on the roots. This process was suggested and explained to me by @Lylddlebit in her detailed straightening post. Thanks @Lylddlebit !
5. I've come full circle with my bun in that I am learning to conscientiously replicate and maintain it with the least amount of damage as possible. (Verbiage taken from my post in the Grow It Long thread.)
   • Learned to use plastic cap and scarf combination to keep scarf on head through night, most nights.​
   • Because scarf is on at night, it lays hair down.​
   • In morning hair is neat and minimum manipulation is required.​
   • Hair is so neat and already in place, I use no brush which reduces mechanical breakage caused by me.​
   • In morning I use on my hands and a small toothbrush for my edges to get sleek, beautiful bun.​
   • Less hair in hairball after wash day. I have less breakage, less shedding.​
   • Sticky ends are gone so no tearing of ends when I unbraid my hair.​
   • As a result, my ends have thickened and my hair has gained length.​

Although I have not succeeded in growing my hair passed my break point/hair plateau length, my ends are much more luscious and healthy today in December 2023 than when I started in January 2023.

This challenge, thread and all of you have helped me tremendously.

I hope that you, too, have been helped or enriched in some way by this challenge.

Thank you everyone!

Your are perfectly positioned @Chicoro! Your toolkit is complete now. Break point step aside, you are trudging through that soon!

 

[keranikki]

Does anyone have any thoughts or reflections on what they found helpful or learned about your hair, or clarified for yourself about your hair practices because of this thread?

It doesn't matter how small it may been.

The small details can often help create the biggest shifts!

My thoughts:

-I need to tailor my regimen to my level laziness. There were times that I really didn’t have the desire to do my hair, but I still wanted to retain length and improve hair health. I had to find processes that would allow me to be successful.
-I went back to shampoo, because it supports my laziness. I just switched my shampoo to a more moisturizing product (Anika). I only clarify my hair if needed.
-Microtrims are necessary if I’m wearing my hair loose ( WNG, mini-twists/braids). I can stretch out my trims if my ends are tucked in.
-My blood pressure medication has been wreaking havoc on the density of my hair. I’m now concentrating on losing weight, in hopes that I can get my blood pressure under control and will no longer need medication.
-I now have staple products that keep my hair moisturized and provide protein. No more new friends.
-Mini-twists/braids are awesome! I can wear them under a wig when they get too frizzy. The take down is a beast, but worth it.

Overall, I’m happy with the progress I made. I’m happy for the recommendations and encouraging words from the crew. I really appreciate you guys!

My progress: Jan 1st and Dec 20th

 

[Lylddlebit]

My thoughts:

-I need to tailor my regimen to my level laziness. There were times that I really didn’t have the desire to do my hair, but I still wanted to retain length and improve hair health. I had to find processes that would allow me to be successful.
-I went back to shampoo, because it supports my laziness. I just switched my shampoo to a more moisturizing product (Anika). I only clarify my hair if needed.
-Microtrims are necessary if I’m wearing my hair loose ( WNG, mini-twists/braids). I can stretch out my trims if my ends are tucked in.
-My blood pressure medication has been wreaking havoc on the density of my hair. I’m now concentrating on losing weight, in hopes that I can get my blood pressure under control and will no longer need medication.
-I now have staple products that keep my hair moisturized and provide protein. No more new friends.
-Mini-twists/braids are awesome! I can wear them under a wig when they get too frizzy. The take down is a beast, but worth it.

Overall, I’m happy with the progress I made. I’m happy for the recommendations and encouraging words from the crew. I really appreciate you guys!

My progress: Jan 1st and Dec 20th

Fantastic progress. That is a good 4 inches if not more.

 

[keranikki]

Fantastic progress. That is a good 4 inches if not more.

Thank you! I hope there is a 2024 challenge so I can maintain my accountability.

 

[Lylddlebit]

As promised: My Bun drop. Outside in natural light, so I would not have to worry about lighting or glare.



I put my camera on the rail of my wraparound porch and filmed this in my backyard. It is temporarily posted on vimeo, but it is just so you all can see it. I used two of my wash day songs, lol, hopefully it is not pulled before you can see it.

I pressed my hair and cut it on Thursday. Went back in on Friday and cut it again. I planned to cut for perfect shape but I don't have any splits or knots so I stopped here. My hair isn't styled in any of the photos or videos here. It is just pressed combed down and trimmed. I didn't even use a brush. I didn't do any ends tricks or filtering on any of the phots of videos. I didn't use any special treatments on my ends (just my regular deep conditioner all over during the wash process).

This time Last year for comparison:

Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2022

Hello Ladies. Here is my end of the year cut. I planned on cutting to mid-back to have perfect ends but I ended up cutting to waist and saw improvement so I paused here. In 2023 I am no longer calling my ends "less than luscious". I have no doubts that my ends will fully be in effect by the end...

longhaircareforum.com

I see the difference.

For 2024 I am enjoying my hair, I will still post but no challenges for me(I will still be doing personal challenges for my daughter though).
***I pressed my hair this flat on purpose, for the end of the year trim. It always gets fuller a few days later, when some of the product wears off, but it retains movement even if I am heavy on my cream leave in(used it's a 10 a small amount of chi silk infusion before pressing). In the video you can tell it is a lot fuller than it actually looks when it is laying flat and combed straight down. Both the video and final cut photo were taken today 12/23, no retouches or ends tricks. Added a photo of my September 2023 press for comparison(a softer press).

 

[yamilee21]

Love it, @Lylddlebit ! So dramatic too…like, y’all wanted to see a bun drop? Oh, you are getting a bun drop!

 

[Mapleoats]

Well excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor Miss @Lylddlebit

 

[Lylddlebit]

@yamilee21 * @Mapleoats I never post videos on the internet. You all asked and waited, so I figure, make it fun lol.

 

[CocoGlow]

@Lylddlebit

Beautiful ... and I'm loving the credits at the end of your fabulous film lol

 

[Mapleoats]

Oh and I also need your full wash day playlist @Lylddlebit

 

[MzSwift]

@Lylddlebit

The slow motion. The hair swanging. Even the relaxed, cute fit!!!