Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2025

[Chicoro]

I've relegated any type of length checks to the end of each quarter. I'm pretty sure I'm retaining something but right now I can't tell whether I am making progress with my lower layers. And I really don't want to get obsessive about it. Instead of doing length checks, I've decided to measure progress in other ways, like being able to do 2 Bantu Knots in the back instead of the 4 I currently do. This makes more sense, because what I really ant is to be able to do certain styles with my hair.

I don't do much with my hair once I put it up for the week. I put on my cap at night and take it off in the morning. That is about it. But if I wear a barrette or banana clip to hold my twists, I may or may not take it out in the evening.

Last night I took out my barrette while sitting on the coach watching television. I was just playing around with the twist and thought, hmm, let me braid these all together. So I have 10 or so twists that I braided together and then was able to tuck the ends under. That is definitely progress because I know 6 months ago I could not do that. The braid is about 4 inches long.

I wouldn't wear it out or anything but it was nice to see that I can do that.

I don't know if I will make it this year but my 2 goals are
1. To be to just put in 2 strand twist and pull them all up into a bun. If I can get to even just the majority of the twist in a bun with leaving the front that would be a good milestone as well. But this would allow me the opportunity to rinse in twist.

2. Styling my flat twist all towards the back and then able to pull them together whether into a twist or braid or barrette and tuck them under.

Looking forward to what my hair achieves in the next 5 months.

Congratulations on your four inch long braid and your well earned progress! I am looking forward to the end of the quarter so I see that four (4) inch braid showing itself cute, healthy and long.

 

[Chicoro]

I’m hanging in there. Times and people are trying to the spirit and I’m trying not to be affected.
I’m currently still at CBL and my ends are still breaking off in little bits. I thought it was the Skala DCs that were adding too much protein to my hair, but it was my Aloe Hibiscus Rinse that is the culprit. The hibiscus is drying my hair out. I stopped using the DCs and used the rinse as a daily refresher, which is how I was able to finally deduce that it was the rinse not the DC.
I have now stopped using the rinse and I’m back to using diluted Infusium 23. My hair looks healthier with my new black hair, but I know I’m going to have to cut my hair at some point. For now I’m babying my ends and will keep my hair hidden in protective styles for the rest of the year. I’m not going to participate in silk press season this year.

I'm sorry that you are experiencing dryness and breakage. I am glad to hear that you have identified the culprit product. Now that you have eliminated it you, you can give your complete focus to nurturing and protecting your precious hair. One thing about you is that you know how to gain all-around- full, longer lengths. You have those processes down pat and can pull them out whenever you need to. Looking forward to seeing your updates.

 

[Chicoro]

@faithVA Life has certainly been lifing, but I give it to the LORD. I just been keeping it simple.

I hear you!

 

[Chicoro]

For those of you that wear WAGs, are you doing anything specific to take care of your ends? I never really focused on my ends while wearing WAGs, I used to baggy my ponytail, which meant that the length and ends were extremely moisturised everyday. Now I am no longer doing this, I'm thinking about ways to take care of my ends while in WAG.

Although I have had this current WAG in for 6 days, no refresh, my hair still feels moisturised. I do think that I was a little slap dash when I applied my leave in, so I'm definitely going to ensure I do it properly on my next wash day. This should increase the moisture levels throughout the next week.

I'm due a trim at the end of this month, I'm planing to just dust, hopefully I don't need to take off much. I've found a gel that gives me great definition, virtually frizz free, that lasts all week (The Doux Big Poppa), so this will mean minimal manipulation going forward as I will only have to do my hair once per week, without needing to refresh it anymore.

ETA: I am currently using silk bonnets and silk/satin Pillowcases, so ends are somewhat protected at night. I have tied my ponytail higher to keep my hair off my shoulders and stop it from rubbing against any fabric. Healthy ends = Better length retention so I'm trying to do whatever I can to help that along.

Sorry to hear about the breakage. Glad to hear that you could count the pieces that did break. That in itself is a good thing. I love the name of your hair gel!

 

[Angel of the North]

Affirm huh? Where do you get it? I could use some protein.

I'm in the UK, it's available at BSS, eBay and Amazon.

 

[Angel of the North]

My fasts are getting longer, I'm fasting between 18 - 22 hours, I'm hoping to see the gains of this on Monday.

I'm very mindful of portion sizes, and nutritional values. Although I do still snack on crap occasionally, it's in no way as often as I used to.

 

[faithVA]

I'm in the UK, it's available at BSS, eBay and Amazon.

Thanks you I think i have seen it but just couldn't remember whete

 

[Chicoro]

Alright ya'll. So, I was in Lisbon, Portugal yesterday. I went to the bathroom at the airport and re-braided my hair in a sunny bathroom. I did not visit Lisbon, I only transited through Portugal from France to Los Angeles. This Portuguese police woman kicked me out the bathroom and told me I needed to be in the bathroom 1 minute tops, get in and get out. She yelled that I did not have the right to stay in the bathroom. Thank goodness I had finished my hair by then.

I have left France for good, for now. I've been in France 13 years.

I am back in Los Angeles. My mother needs help and I decided to come home to become her caregiver. So, I made the decision to quit my job and started my transition process in April until today. Thank goodness my mother was cared for by my cousin and husband for the last three months until I could get home.

I helped re-train the person taking my place at my job. He teared up and told me no one had ever taken time before to help him transition into a new job. He said he was always just thrown into a job with no support and no training. I only spent 4 hours with him but I guess it's something if all you've ever had was nothing.

I had to have the fridge, the stove, the cook top and the washing machine removed from the apartment and have the walls repainted where the stove was. It's a long story as to why.

Had to find a reputable, reasonably priced international shipper.

I packed and shipped 20 boxes and emptied and cleaned my apartment and surrendered the keys to my apartment. I had to turn off the water, the gas and the telephone and the internet. I gave stuff to Emmaus, the French equivalent of Goodwill, about 4, trunk loads full. And had people take things to the junkyard for me. I gave away six shopping bags of food. I threw out 15 bags of papers and documents.

I had lots of help and even more blessings all along the way.

I didn't want to burden you all with the details or the situation.

Now, a new journey begins.



@MzSwift

 

[Angel of the North]

Alright ya'll. So, I was in Lisbon, Portugal yesterday. I went to the bathroom at the airport and re-braided my hair in a sunny bathroom. I did not visit Lisbon, I only transited through Portugal from France to Los Angeles. This Portuguese police woman kicked me out the bathroom and told me I needed to be in the bathroom 1 minute tops, get in and get out. She yelled that I did not have the right to stay in the bathroom. Thank goodness I had finished my hair by then.

I have left France for good, for now. I've been in France 13 years.

I am back in Los Angeles. My mother needs help and I decided to come home to become her caregiver. So, I made the decision to quit my job and started my transition process in April until today. Thank goodness my mother was cared for by my cousin and husband for the last three months until I could get home.

I helped re-train the person taking my place at my job. He teared up and told me no one had ever taken time before to help him transition into a new job. He said he was always just thrown into a job with no support and no training. I only spent 4 hours with him but I guess it's something if all you've ever had was nothing.

I had to have the fridge, the stove, the cook top and the washing machine removed from the apartment and have the walls repainted where the stove was. It's a long story as to why.

Had to find a reputable, reasonably priced international shipper.

I packed and shipped 20 boxes and emptied and cleaned my apartment and surrendered the keys to my apartment. I had to turn off the water, the gas and the telephone and the internet. I gave stuff to Emmaus, the French equivalent of Goodwill, about 4, trunk loads full. And had people take things to the junkyard for me. I gave away six shopping bags of food. I threw out 15 bags of papers and documents.

I had lots of help and even more blessings all along the way.

I didn't want to burden you all with the details or the situation.

Now, a new journey begins.


@MzSwift

Wow, that's a lot! I can see how it was difficult to prioritise your hair care routine during all of that. I hope you get settled back in quickly, and effortlessly.

Bless your heart for taking care of your mum, being a care giver is not easy. Not everyone is willing to give up their life on the other side of the world to take care of an ailing parent. Wishing you all the best in this new chapter of your life.

As for that police woman, there wasn't any need for that! I would have thought she could find something better to do with her time. I'm flying to Lisbon next month, let's hope I don't encounter the same officer.

 

[yamilee21]

Oh wow, @Chicoro - I haven’t been able to follow this thread lately, so I had no idea all this was going on with you.

I hope everything goes okay with resettling in L.A., and that you will be able to find time to take care of yourself while caring for your mom.

 

[Chicoro]

Wow, that's a lot! I can see how it was difficult to prioritise your hair care routine during all of that. I hope you get settled back in quickly, and effortlessly.

Bless your heart for taking care of your mum, being a care giver is not easy. Not everyone is willing to give up their life on the other side of the world to take care of an ailing parent. Wishing you all the best in this new chapter of your life.

As for that police woman, there wasn't any need for that! I would have thought she could find something better to do with her time. I'm flying to Lisbon next month, let's hope I don't encounter the same officer.

Thank you!

I think you will enjoy Lisbon.

I was in the security area for a US bound flight. I had gotten there early and my stay in the bathroom extended into the time to use the area for boarding. So, they were clearing the area to get ready to prepare for the US flight. I understand.

 

[Chicoro]

Oh wow, @Chicoro - I haven’t been able to follow this thread lately, so I had no idea all this was going on with you.

I hope everything goes okay with resettling in L.A., and that you will be able to find time to take care of yourself while caring for your mom.

Thank you. You didn't miss me mention it before. Today is the first time I provided details. Thank you for the well wishes!

 

[Angel of the North]

Thank you!

I think you will enjoy Lisbon.

I was in the security area for a US bound flight. I had gotten there early and my stay in the bathroom extended into the time to use the area for boarding. So, they were clearing the area to get ready to prepare for the US flight. I understand.

I'm only planing to spend one night in Lisbon before moving onto Meda de Mouros, which is where I'll be based in Portugal for my vacation. The last time I went to Meda de Mouros, I flew into Porto, I think it's pretty equidistant from either airport.

All the other times I've been to Portugal, I've stayed in the south. I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of Lisbon, looking forward to the sunshine too

 

[Yvette 2.0]

Alright ya'll. So, I was in Lisbon, Portugal yesterday. I went to the bathroom at the airport and re-braided my hair in a sunny bathroom. I did not visit Lisbon, I only transited through Portugal from France to Los Angeles. This Portuguese police woman kicked me out the bathroom and told me I needed to be in the bathroom 1 minute tops, get in and get out. She yelled that I did not have the right to stay in the bathroom. Thank goodness I had finished my hair by then.

I have left France for good, for now. I've been in France 13 years.

I am back in Los Angeles. My mother needs help and I decided to come home to become her caregiver. So, I made the decision to quit my job and started my transition process in April until today. Thank goodness my mother was cared for by my cousin and husband for the last three months until I could get home.

I helped re-train the person taking my place at my job. He teared up and told me no one had ever taken time before to help him transition into a new job. He said he was always just thrown into a job with no support and no training. I only spent 4 hours with him but I guess it's something if all you've ever had was nothing.

I had to have the fridge, the stove, the cook top and the washing machine removed from the apartment and have the walls repainted where the stove was. It's a long story as to why.

Had to find a reputable, reasonably priced international shipper.

I packed and shipped 20 boxes and emptied and cleaned my apartment and surrendered the keys to my apartment. I had to turn off the water, the gas and the telephone and the internet. I gave stuff to Emmaus, the French equivalent of Goodwill, about 4, trunk loads full. And had people take things to the junkyard for me. I gave away six shopping bags of food. I threw out 15 bags of papers and documents.

I had lots of help and even more blessings all along the way.

I didn't want to burden you all with the details or the situation.

Now, a new journey begins.


@MzSwift

It's beautiful of you to care for your mother this way. May God be with you! Requesting support and love and wisdom and joy and growth for you as you enter this new phase. Don't forget to rest and recreate yourself all the time as you care for others and live life! Many blessings!

 

[keranikki]

I know it has been said before, but I will repeat it again; we have a great community in here!

@Chicoro Blessings to you and your support system. I can only imagine the strength, patience, and ponderous nights it took to make the decision to relocate and become a caregiver. May the Creator and your Ancestors continue to watch over and protect you and yours.

 

[Chicoro]

I'm only planing to spend one night in Lisbon before moving onto Meda de Mouros, which is where I'll be based in Portugal for my vacation. The last time I went to Meda de Mouros, I flew into Porto, I think it's pretty equidistant from either airport.

All the other times I've been to Portugal, I've stayed in the south. I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of Lisbon, looking forward to the sunshine too

You will enjoy! It was sunny, warm and beautiful during the little time I was there.

 

[Chicoro]

It's beautiful of you to care for your mother this way. May God be with you! Requesting support and love and wisdom and joy and growth for you as you enter this new phase. Don't forget to rest and recreate yourself all the time as you care for others and live life! Many blessings!

Thank you so much! I feel like I have been riding on a wave of blessings since I made the decision. A way continues to be made for me. Thank you for the well wishes and the blessings.

 

[Chicoro]

I know it has been said before, but I will repeat it again; we have a great community in here!

@Chicoro Blessings to you and your support system. I can only imagine the strength, patience, and ponderous nights it took to make the decision to relocate and become a caregiver. May the Creator and your Ancestors continue to watch over and protect you and yours.

Thank you so much! I'll take all those well wishes!

 

[Chicoro]

A Luscious Treat of Tailbone Length Hair with Gorgeous Ends to start off the month of August 2025!

 

[faithVA]

Alright ya'll. So, I was in Lisbon, Portugal yesterday. I went to the bathroom at the airport and re-braided my hair in a sunny bathroom. I did not visit Lisbon, I only transited through Portugal from France to Los Angeles. This Portuguese police woman kicked me out the bathroom and told me I needed to be in the bathroom 1 minute tops, get in and get out. She yelled that I did not have the right to stay in the bathroom. Thank goodness I had finished my hair by then.

I have left France for good, for now. I've been in France 13 years.

I am back in Los Angeles. My mother needs help and I decided to come home to become her caregiver. So, I made the decision to quit my job and started my transition process in April until today. Thank goodness my mother was cared for by my cousin and husband for the last three months until I could get home.

I helped re-train the person taking my place at my job. He teared up and told me no one had ever taken time before to help him transition into a new job. He said he was always just thrown into a job with no support and no training. I only spent 4 hours with him but I guess it's something if all you've ever had was nothing.

I had to have the fridge, the stove, the cook top and the washing machine removed from the apartment and have the walls repainted where the stove was. It's a long story as to why.

Had to find a reputable, reasonably priced international shipper.

I packed and shipped 20 boxes and emptied and cleaned my apartment and surrendered the keys to my apartment. I had to turn off the water, the gas and the telephone and the internet. I gave stuff to Emmaus, the French equivalent of Goodwill, about 4, trunk loads full. And had people take things to the junkyard for me. I gave away six shopping bags of food. I threw out 15 bags of papers and documents.

I had lots of help and even more blessings all along the way.

I didn't want to burden you all with the details or the situation.

Now, a new journey begins.



@MzSwift

Sorry, I'm just getting to replying to your post. I'm behind in a few things.

Thank you for sharing your journey and feeling trusting enough to share. I'm so glad that you were clear in your decision and that all of the different steps fell into place. Even in this transition I see you blessing people (the person you retrained). I am glad you also had so much help and support and I'm guessing because that is how you show up for everyone everyday.

Glad you are able to spend time with your family and that you have a wonderful journey ahead of you.

 

[faithVA]

Since we are talking about Portugal, for those of you who like jazz, the Algarve Jazz Festival is a wonderful experience. It is at the Pine Cliffs resort which is has beautiful accommodations. I didn't think I would enjoy it so much but it was definitely a great memory and one that I think I will do again soon. I also don't drink much but the Portuguese wine and food is fabulous. I drank 4 glasses of wine at the vineyard and then had a Limoncello spritzer with dinner Yeah I was have a good old time (lol)

 

[Lylddlebit]

Alright ya'll. So, I was in Lisbon, Portugal yesterday. I went to the bathroom at the airport and re-braided my hair in a sunny bathroom. I did not visit Lisbon, I only transited through Portugal from France to Los Angeles. This Portuguese police woman kicked me out the bathroom and told me I needed to be in the bathroom 1 minute tops, get in and get out. She yelled that I did not have the right to stay in the bathroom. Thank goodness I had finished my hair by then.

I have left France for good, for now. I've been in France 13 years.

I am back in Los Angeles. My mother needs help and I decided to come home to become her caregiver. So, I made the decision to quit my job and started my transition process in April until today. Thank goodness my mother was cared for by my cousin and husband for the last three months until I could get home.

I helped re-train the person taking my place at my job. He teared up and told me no one had ever taken time before to help him transition into a new job. He said he was always just thrown into a job with no support and no training. I only spent 4 hours with him but I guess it's something if all you've ever had was nothing.

I had to have the fridge, the stove, the cook top and the washing machine removed from the apartment and have the walls repainted where the stove was. It's a long story as to why.

Had to find a reputable, reasonably priced international shipper.

I packed and shipped 20 boxes and emptied and cleaned my apartment and surrendered the keys to my apartment. I had to turn off the water, the gas and the telephone and the internet. I gave stuff to Emmaus, the French equivalent of Goodwill, about 4, trunk loads full. And had people take things to the junkyard for me. I gave away six shopping bags of food. I threw out 15 bags of papers and documents.

I had lots of help and even more blessings all along the way.

I didn't want to burden you all with the details or the situation.

Now, a new journey begins.



@MzSwift

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother @Chicoro. I was in Fresno for a few weeks in June after my grandmother had a health emergency, so I definitely understand how stressful it can be to care for a loved one and need to shift on a dime to respond to an urgent need. I wish you all the best in caring for her.

As for the hair portion of this new journey...Girl you have a lot of access to US products that may not have been avaialble in France, you can build up new and better. Be sure to take cae of yourself.

 

[GettingKinky]

I’ve been away from LHCF for a few weeks and I’m guessing that in the near future I won’t be spending as much time here as I have in the past, but I love this thread and this community so I’ll be checking in as much as possible.

@Chicoro it’s so wonderful that you are able to care for your mother, but I can only imagine all the stress associated with uprooting your life. My thoughts are with you during your transition.

 

[Angel of the North]

I dusted my ends today after a protein treatment and moisturising DC. I found it a little more difficult to dust on wet hair, I prefer to dust on dry hair and do full trims on wet or damp hair.

My ends feel rough from about the last inch, I think there was too much manipulation while I was perfecting my WAG process. I'm glad that I have a way to make the last for upto 2 weeks with no mechanical manipulation involved after I've completed day one styling.

I'm wondering if it could be the tangle teezer hair brush that could have caused it. I've heard people say that it has damaged their hair, I've also heard people say that it hasn't caused any damage to their hair. I hope it's not the case as I really like the ease that it glides through my hair.

I will be moving over to roller sets/buns next month, hopefully I'll be able to properly assess the ends of my hair, at which point I will remove anything that needs to be gone.

Although it's likely that this will become a minor setback, I'm not disappointed as I would have gained knowledge on what doesn't work for me, I've got my WAG routine locked down, and I would have noticed any issues before they got too out of hand.

 

[VarieYvette]

I haven't been active for a bit due to winter not being my favourite season, but the end is in sight now. I am almost due for my final trim of the year. My ends are not bad after the trim I got in April although I do have a few SSKs here and there. However, my ends look good, and honestly I am pretty happy with my hair health at the moment. As we are going into spring here, I am about to increase my wash and DC frequency and this should help with my hair health.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

@Chicoro I'm not that great at words of condolences, but I'm working on it. I pray that you experience Jesus peace in this time of transition, and I pray that what is (had to edit, cause it doesn't seem challenging, it IS challenging) like a challenging time in your life will spark something beautiful in Jesus name Amen.

 

[Lylddlebit]

@Chicoro I'm not that great at words of condolences, but I'm working on it. I pray that you experience Jesus peace in this time of transition, and I pray that what is (had to edit, cause it doesn't seem challenging, it IS challenging) like a challenging time in your life will spark something beautiful in Jesus name Amen.

@ItsMeLilLucky that was great to me. Gon' head and call on the Lord.

 

[faithVA]

This week tried something new. I put in larger twists in 3/4 of my head starting from the back. I put smaller twist in the front to frame my face. When I took them done, I noticed that my ends did much better with the larger twist than the smaller ones. All of them are larger than what I usually do.

Not sure how I will proceed from here. Maybe I will do a flat twist in the front and larger twist for the rest to see how that works.

I hope to have enough length to do larger twist all over by year-end.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

@ItsMeLilLucky that was great to me. Gon' head and call on the Lord.

Thank you, Sis. That's all I can do.

 

[Chicoro]

This week tried something new. I put in larger twists in 3/4 of my head starting from the back. I put smaller twist in the front to frame my face. When I took them done, I noticed that my ends did much better with the larger twist than the smaller ones. All of them are larger than what I usually do.

Not sure how I will proceed from here. Maybe I will do a flat twist in the front and larger twist for the rest to see how that works.

I hope to have enough length to do larger twist all over by year-end.

Congratulations!