Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2025

[keranikki]

I finally finished my twists, OMG! I’m tired. They should not have taken this long, but my cycle started and just slowed me down. I still need to dip them. I promise to take pictures tomorrow.

 

[Chicoro]

Length = 43 inches (I think it is about 45 but she didn't stretch it out)

 

[MzSwift]

I finally finished my twists, OMG! I’m tired. They should not have taken this long, but my cycle started and just slowed me down. I still need to dip them. I promise to take pictures tomorrow.

"Tomorrow" has come and gone...

 

[Chicoro]

"Tomorrow" has come and gone...

That's right, @MzSwift !

We may be generous with our compliments, but we are equally hard when it comes to fulfilling promises. We ALL waiting.

 

[Chicoro]

I didn't know about the two different braid pattens.

 

[Chicoro]

For the braid and cornrow challenged among us:

 

[Chicoro]

For those of us planning to be going beachside or pool side this summer and you want to swim in your natural hair and have a sleek style for a formal evening, all the while protecting those ends:

 

[Chicoro]

If you have thick hair and want to wear your wig for a change up without risking the health of those luscious ends in progress:

 

[Chicoro]

If you like twisting, you can do this style under your wig, to go from the pool to a palatial dinner.
This woman is so stunning. I love this wig on her. This would look so gorgeous seaside, under candle light with your significant other. Imagine a warm Caribbean breeze gently lifts a light curl off your face and floats the hair in the air only to have it land again on your sun-kissed melaninated (sp?) skin.

 

[Chicoro]

Those luscious healthy Ends still just a 'bun in the proverbial oven' and aren't just ready for summer, yet? Wigs, weaves and braids will work, too.

After all, you are Goddesses. And WHAT, pray tell, does NOT look good on a Goddess?

Absolutely, nothing!

 

[keranikki]

"Tomorrow" has come and gone...

My bad! I just kept singing the song “tomorrow”.

 

[Chicoro]

My bad! I just kept singing the song “tomorrow”.
View attachment 504092View attachment 504094

Your braids always look so professionally done! They are really cute. How do you get the color variation to start in the same place for every braid? Amazing!
Thank you for sharing.

I can go and shut down and turn off that 'No pictures provided as promised' warning alert.

We good now.

 

[MzSwift]

Looking good, @keranikki !!

Did you ever figure out what gave you those little SSKs from the last set?
I can see you getting great retention rocking these sets of twists!

Don't be holding out no mo'!

j/k

 

[keranikki]

Your braids always look so professionally done! They are really cute. How do you get the color variation to start in the same place for every braid? Amazing!
Thank you for sharing.

I can go and shut down and turn off that 'No pictures provided as promised' warning alert.

We good now.

The extension hair I use is pre-mixed for convenience. The color is called T1B27, which is 1B hair mixed with 27. The 1B colored hair is shorter than the 27 colored hair, so that the tips of the hair are just #27.
I hope this makes sense.

Also, thank you

 

[keranikki]

Looking good, @keranikki !!

Did you ever figure out what gave you those little SSKs from the last set?
I can see you getting great retention rocking these sets of twists!

Don't be holding out no mo'!

j/k

I won’t hold out anymore, scouts honor, lol.

I believe the SSKs came from incorrect trimming. I trimmed my ends doing a point cut versus a blunt cut. It was a trend that I was seeing on Instagram, but I don’t recall why I thought I should do it. I corrected my ends while completing this latest install, basically an S&D. I will never make that mistake again. Point cutting seems to be strictly for straight hair. I had no business trimming my ends in this fashion.

I didn’t loose too much length. I’m hovering around CBL (longest layer). Before the trim, I was roughly 1/4-1/2” past CBL.

On another note, I also realized that my detangling brush was chewing my hair up. I’m talking short hairs half the length of the longer hairs, which made sense based on how I brush my hair. I’m no longer using a detangling brush on wet hair. I only use it on dry stretched hair. My current goal is to just finger detangle on dry, stretched hair.

 

[Angel of the North]

I didn't know about the two different braid pattens.

I always have the straight back, there's been a couple of instances when it's been plaited in a spiral, I hated that, so always requested the straight back. I stopped leaving out some hair and used closures so that all of my hair was completely tucked away.

 

[Angel of the North]

If you have thick hair and want to wear your wig for a change up without risking the health of those luscious ends in progress:

That technique is similar to a protective style I'm planning to wear between WAGs and other protective styles, a ponytail with the length twisted

I think I used to cornrow my hair back and lay the length back in between the partings and hold down with pins, I always achieved a flat look. I have a feeling if I tried this method for wigs, that bun would be bigger and protruding through the wig. I kind of like the concept as a protective style though, especially with the ends tucked away.

 

[Angel of the North]

@keranikki Your braids look gorgeous, I love the colour blend. The hair I used for my braids I've found very heavy and the curls were completely gone by day 2. The hair I would normally use has been discontinued, there are a few packets of 27 floating around, I usually use 613 and 27 together, and was wondering how 27 would look with my 2 hair, I think it would definitely work

 

[ScorpioLove]

I invested in a sharpener to sharpen my hair scissors.

If you s&d, how often are you sharpening your scissors?

It’s been almost 2 months since my hair cut and overall it looks it same but I’m more worried about individual splits / ssks that start up.

 

[keranikki]

I invested in a sharpener to sharpen my hair scissors.

If you s&d, how often are you sharpening your scissors?

It’s been almost 2 months since my hair cut and overall it looks it same but I’m more worried about individual splits / ssks that start up.

I haven’t sharpened my scissors since I got them. I’ve had them for two years.

 

[GettingKinky]

I’ve been bunning every day for 34 weeks. Most days I feel like I could keep going indefinitely, but I’m also looking forward to my next blow out trim so I can see my progress. That’s 8 loooong weeks away.

Maybe I’ll work on a new way to style my edges. They are still too short to reach the base of my bun so I’ve been smoothing them down with botanical gel and using hair colored barrettes to hold them in place. Maybe I should let them curl up and see how they look, but I think the curls will end up sticking straight up in the air. But I have a long weekend to experiment, so I’ll see what happens.

 

[Chicoro]

The fur on this dog. Talk about some luscious hair er...ahm...I mean some luscious fur. And no, she is not wearing a weave or a wig.






I stand corrected:

Cocker's coat have hair instead of fur. Their hair grows continuously and only falls out occasionally which reduces the amount of shedding and makes them a good choice for people with allergies. However, this also means that their hair requires proper grooming to prevent it from becoming too long and tangled.4 Sept 2024


Hattie is a what? About a 2a? Perhaps a 1c? By the way, she's heat-straightened in the thumbnail of the video. And the auburn color, or perhaps it's chestnut, even though it is two-toned and streaked, is natural.


This puts a whole new meaning on the phrase:

"She has gorgeous hair but has the face of a dog."

I NEVER thought that could ever be stated in a kind way. But never has a statement ever been more true as it applies to Hattie. And, it's not even an insult at all!

 

[Chicoro]

Can you believe it? We are headed into the last week of May 2025. In eight (9) days, we will be staring the sixth month of 2025!

 

[Chicoro]

So, here we go for the month of May, 2025: How was May for your Luscious Healthy Ends?

Monthly Update Series of Questions added Sunday, March 23, 2025: (Send out 1 week before the end of the month!)

Alright, we are heading into the last week of May 2025.

How are you progressing? What are those ends looking like?

Have you had any epiphanies?

Have you set bolder goals?

Have you pulled back on some goals?

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?

How is your consistency?

Extending grace to you?

 

[GettingKinky]

How are you progressing? What are those ends looking like?

I think my ends are still doing well after my self trim in April.

Have you had any epiphanies?

I’ve been seeing occasional broken hairs and that didn’t happen a few months ago. I think it’s because I’ve reduced the frequency of using protein, so I’m going back to mixing in my protein DC every week.

Have you set bolder goals? Have you pulled back on some goals?

I haven’t made any changes to my goals. I originally said I was going to bun for 3 months. Now it’s been 7 and I’m not sure when I will stop.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?

Just the one about protein.

How is your consistency?

Still excellent. I’m washing/cowashing 2x a week and bunning every day.

Extending grace to you?

I’ve taken this notion of extending grace to myself and applied it to my weight loss journey. It helped me shift my mindset from being disappointed at my slow progress to making positive changes to get out of my plateau.

 

[Chicoro]

Luscious Healthy Ends Update: May 2025

Alright, we are heading into the last week of May 2025.

How are you progressing?
I am doing well in that I keep my ends protected. I haven't been consistent with my fenugreek oil and I have not been consistent with putting my scarf on at night. I don continue with my Scurl and Shea butter on the ends and gel on the roots of my hair. I put in some protein about 4 times a month and I use clays when I wash my hair and deep condition after my washes.

What are those ends looking like?
I just trimmed my hair in April. I did notice a long stand of hair and it had three knots in succession on the end of the strand. I didn't trim it. I can't even remember where it was in my hair. In general, my hair ends look pretty good.

Have you had any epiphanies?
I haven't had any epiphanies regarding my own hair. Oh wait! I realized that I cannot pin back my braid because it breaks my hair off in that section. So, no more bobby pins in my head. I just let all my braids fall freely.

Have you set bolder goals?
I thought my hair would be longer, closer to hanging over my behind by now. When I pull my hair, it still looks like it is where it was in September. I'm not complaining. I am so glad my hair is no longer breaking off.

Have you pulled back on some goals?
I am letting my hair do what it wants to do. I had expectations and hopes of a certain length by June 2025 and by December 2025 but I don't think those will transpire. That's okay because I love being out of the Break Zone and Break Cycle, which in itself is a blessing.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
I like to continue to remind myself to not just put just anything on my hair. Nothing is totally harmless and nothing is totally safe and anything can potential break my hair. So, I am not open to trying new products. I used to just put something all over my head to try it. I catch myself even now about to put something new and untied in my hair without thought. I got to stay vigilant.

How is your consistency?
I am consistent with keeping my ends protected. That is about as much consistency as I can muster for now.

Extending grace to you?
Yes I am. It feels really nice, too.

 

[Chicoro]

How are you progressing? What are those ends looking like?

I think my ends are still doing well after my self trim in April.

Have you had any epiphanies?

I’ve been seeing occasional broken hairs and that didn’t happen a few months ago. I think it’s because I’ve reduced the frequency of using protein, so I’m going back to mixing in my protein DC every week.

Have you set bolder goals? Have you pulled back on some goals?

I haven’t made any changes to my goals. I originally said I was going to bun for 3 months. Now it’s been 7 and I’m not sure when I will stop.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?

Just the one about protein.

How is your consistency?

Still excellent. I’m washing/cowashing 2x a week and bunning every day.

Extending grace to you?

I’ve taken this notion of extending grace to myself and applied it to my weight loss journey. It helped me shift my mindset from being disappointed at my slow progress to making positive changes to get out of my plateau.

@GettingKinky said:

"Extending grace to you?

I’ve taken this notion of extending grace to myself and applied it to my weight loss journey. It helped me shift my mindset from being disappointed at my slow progress to making positive changes to get out of my plateau."

I love to see this for you @GettingKinky !!!!!

 

[GettingKinky]

I tried leaving my short edges out and curly. It looks okay, but not even because the short parts are more on the sides than in the center.

They are still wet in the picture below but they look the same after they dried.

Tomorrow I will try making a purposeful part and see how that looks.

 

[GettingKinky]

Maybe I should try something more like this

 

[Chicoro]

I tried leaving my short edges out and curly. It looks okay, but not even because the short parts are more on the sides than in the center.

They are still wet in the picture below but they look the same after they dried.

Tomorrow I will try making a purposeful part and see how that looks.


View attachment 504364

Look at those delicate, soft, pretty tendrils of hair around your hair line! I love the shine and waves in your hair. That bun looks thick, full and so touchable. What a lovely picture of you and your bun!