Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2026

[Angel of the North]

How are you progressing? What are those ends looking like?
My ends are looking good, less has definitely been more.

Have you had any epiphanies?
No

Have you set bolder goals?
No still hoping for a minimum of HL by the end of the year.

Have you pulled back on some goals?
No

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
It's just dawned on me that I've been using water as the first to styling my hair for my whole life. Never really thought about it, just do it automatically, my hair is thankful for this step.

How is your consistency?
It's been terrible but this week I'm getting back on track.

Extending grace to you?
Definitely! I haven't beaten myself up for not being able to take care of my hair in the ways I would have liked. As always, my hair has remained kind to me, I feel my ends have improved, they actually seem like they've gone back to normal and I feel like my hair has grown.

 

[i4ani]

Hola ladies, I'm peeking out from the lurker's curtain because I have questions about root/mid/end care and long hair care philosophies in general, and I think y'all are the ones to ask.

If you're anticipating a haircut or trim, how does that impact how you care for your mids? Have you already mentally "let go" of your current ends and started to pay extra attention to the mids which will soon become your ends? Or something else?

Is end damage is inevitable over time? Why or why not?

I've seen people in the natural haircare space say that the energy/intention/attitude you give to your hair is what you get out of it. Has this been your experience?

Long shot and kinda unrelated, but does anyone have a philosophy of not cutting their hair (outside of trims for health)? I know that there are some cultures which consider the hair to be an integral part of the body/the body's expression and don't believe in removing it for that reason. Wondering if anyone here is in that boat.

 

[Angel of the North]

If you're anticipating a haircut or trim, how does that impact how you care for your mids? Have you already mentally "let go" of your current ends and started to pay extra attention to the mids which will soon become your ends? Or something else?

I would definitely say that by the time I'm ready to trim, it would be necessary and I would have already mentally let go of what needs to go. I don't pay any particular attention to my mid strands, I might check for any mid shaft splits though.

Is end damage is inevitable over time? Why or why not?

I think it depends on the individual head of hair. The ends are usually the weakest part of the shaft and often the part that takes the brunt of we put our heads through. It's the oldest hair on our heads, and like a lot of things, quality will lesson over time. This could be due to the types of styles worn, mechanical damage, rubbing on clothing, someone could just have a problem that presents itself through their hair.

From my understanding, finger Detangling is one of the methods that has helped some ladies to retain length and healthy ends.

I've seen people in the natural haircare space say that the energy/intention/attitude you give to your hair is what you get out of it. Has this been your experience?

I think this is true for the most part. I also know that for myself, it doesn't make a difference to my growth. By taking particular care of my hair, I get the optimal version of my hair, if I neglect/do less, it still grows, thickens up, looks good. I would still have people compliment my hair, I just know it's not at its best. A stranger would appreciate it at face value, my mind might think my hair has been in better condition when I've actively given it TLC.

I know once my hair is in the its best condition, I don't need to trim as regularly and I don't need to take as much off. I definitely think my hair retains moisture better when cared for regularly. I'll never forget that properly moisturised feeling, that is cool to the touch but not greasy on the hands.

Long shot and kinda unrelated, but does anyone have a philosophy of not cutting their hair (outside of trims for health)?

I've heard many stylists say there's no such thing as a trim, it's just a cut. The phrase trim is not part of the professional vocabulary. For me, anything under a cm is dusting the ends, anything under two inches is a trim and anything over is a cut. That's how I make sense of it.

There are lots of no trim ladies over socials, some of them have the fullest, healthiest heads of hair, I don't think this this can work for everybody. Personally, I usually trim more than is needed, I've always felt that trims help my growth cycle and helps to keep my shafts healthier. I'm planing on only doing light dusting instead of trims to see my progress when I take off the minimum.

I know that there are some cultures which consider the hair to be an integral part of the body/the body's expression and don't believe in removing it for that reason. Wondering if anyone here is in that boat.

I'd be interested to know if any members across the board have hair as an integral part of their culture, and what has that meant for them throughout their hair journey.

 

[snoop]

Hola ladies, I'm peeking out from the lurker's curtain because I have questions about root/mid/end care and long hair care philosophies in general, and I think y'all are the ones to ask.

If you're anticipating a haircut or trim, how does that impact how you care for your mids? Have you already mentally "let go" of your current ends and started to pay extra attention to the mids which will soon become your ends? Or something else?

For me, I think that as I approach a trim day, I'm stay concerned about my ends. During the rest of the cycle, I go back and forth being concerned about my mids and my roots. I think I probably pay more attention to my ends and roots than my mids.

Is end damage is inevitable over time? Why or why not?

I think yes, because it's the oldest part of your hair and it's one of the most unprotected parts of your hair. Like, I feel as though the part of my hair that you can see is probably more damaged than the layers under it. That said, I don't believe that a LOT of damage is inevitable, at least not in a short amount of time. There are some people who will experience a lot of damage on their ends in a short amount of time, based on how they care for their hair, while other people will experience that same amount of damage in a year or more.

I've seen people in the natural haircare space say that the energy/intention/attitude you give to your hair is what you get out of it. Has this been your experience?

Yes. But I don't think it's mystical. It's more about intention. Same could be said about how you dress or how you prepare your food or even how you cultivate relationships. If you spend more time and energy or are intentional, then you will get that back -- for the good or the bad. If you think of your hair as something that you want to improve or have pride in, you'll take steps towards making your hair something that you can be proud out. If you think of your hair as a chore or that it's difficult then you're either going to spend less time on it or will look for ways to sabotage your progress.

Long shot and kinda unrelated, but does anyone have a philosophy of not cutting their hair (outside of trims for health)? I know that there are some cultures which consider the hair to be an integral part of the body/the body's expression and don't believe in removing it for that reason. Wondering if anyone here is in that boat.

Personally, no, but I'm intrigued by the idea. I feel like it would be something that I would take up sometime in the future.

 

[i4ani]

@Angel of the North and @snoop, thank you for such in depth responses. I don't have my own thoughts on these topics formed yet, but I'm sure that will change as I go further in my hhj. For now, I'll just keep on poking around and reading

 

[Angel of the North]

@Angel of the North and @snoop, thank you for such in depth responses. I don't have my own thoughts on these topics formed yet, but I'm sure that will change as I go further in my hhj. For now, I'll just keep on poking around and reading

That's what I did when I started back on my HHJ. Two days ago, I realised it's only documented till August. There are some threads that I've posted in that I should be able to find the routines and products I used and when I did/used them. I need to get my journal back on track as I really do understand how helpful it is to have detailed accounts of products, processes and tools.

 

[Yvette 2.0]

Greetings!

Here's my update for the month of February.

I have been constantly trimming my hair, trying to even it up. It's just not properly shaped, I'm realizing. The hair dresser that gave me the shape tried to tell me that she needed to do . . . basically, a STAGE 2 shaping . . . and I'm not feeling it. So I have an appointment with my former stylist to even things up. I miss being able to ponytail my hair, but I like the cut (long in front and shorter in back), so it's fine.

I feel like the dye in my hair has a drying effect and that I experienced some light breakage in the crown from this. HOWEVER, I am excited to report that switching up shampoos seems to be helping tremendously with my moisture levels. I'm using AG Haircare Curlfresh sulfate-free shampoo, and I love it.

I am still detangling with the UnBrush Plus with minimal breakage from detangling.

I'll let you know how the trim goes. Godspeed!

 

[Angel of the North]

So while thinking about what I could do differently to improve my ends, I remembered reading a post last year by @Chicoro in which she detailed the process she uses to tie her ends. The two things that jumped to mind was that she coats her bands in oil, and she rolls the ends into balls.

After thinking about what else I could do to assist my ends, I decided that I could protect them better when tying hair bands to the ends of a plait. I used to flip the ends back and then band up the plait till the ends were completely covered. I didn't do this for protection, I just preferred the way it looked. I haven't done this for at least 4 - 5 years and this could explain why my ends don't seem as great as they have been in the past.

I've decided to go back to my former way of tieing my ends and to start adding the step of soaking my bands in oil. I don't use rubber bands but have various types that are material and I intend to soak them moving forward. Today was day 1, I used oil soaked bands to tie up both ends, I went over the bottom band with a silk band, I kind of feel like I've given a little extra protection from rubbing against my clothing.

I'm hoping these couple of tweaks will reap big rewards, I'm at a stage length wise where retention is very important. I'm thinking about weaving throughout winters as a protective style, my hair thrives when weaved, it could be the extra push I need to get back to HL and beyond. I'm so close to my first goal, I want to consciously protect my length, and protecting my ends are fundamental to achieving the goal.

Next wash day, I'm going to go back to moisturising my hair properly, the moisture retention is way better when I do it properly, the problem is it's much more time consuming, but I'll suck that up for better hair condition. My hair will also stay moisturised for longer too so I suspect that won't be a bad thing.

 

[Chicoro]

@Angel of the North

I think your plan is good.

I will add that when we are close to an important length goal, that’s a huge danger point.

Meaning, it’s when we may start to experiment to get even closer to our goal as fast as possible.

I mention this because this is my mistake and the reason for so many of my setbacks.

I implemented processes and/or products that I thought would get me just a little more extra length, just a little bit faster.

The great thing about the process you are reinstating is that it is tried , true and tested for you.

So, hold the course. As your current processes have produced your great length and health.

I hope you post a photo of your ends wrapped in the oiled rubber bands and cloth!

 

[Angel of the North]

@Angel of the North

I think your plan is good.

Thank you, I truly think that this will make some positive difference.

I will add that when we are close to an important length goal, that’s a huge danger point.
Meaning, it’s when we may start to experiment to get even closer to our goal as fast as possible.

Agreed! We've seen it happen so many times over the years. Thankfully I'm not in too much danger with that, I have no plans to experiment, tbh sticking to a simple regimen is difficult enough so I don't want to add any unnecessary steps or risk any setbacks.

I mention this because this is my mistake and the reason for so many of my setbacks.

I implemented processes and/or products that I thought would get me just a little more extra length, just a little bit faster.

The only new step for me is the soaking of the bands in oil. Retention is key for me to reach my next milestone, I'm not wanting to do anything too outlandish. I have a shampoo, a couple of leave ins and a few conditioners I want to try, I'm hoping they don't cause any problems, other than that.

The great thing about the process you are reinstating is that it is tried , true and tested for you.

So, hold the course. As your current processes have produced your great length and health.

Thank you. That's my plan, I'm bringing in things that I know have worked well for me in yhe past, and hoping the results will be the same or similar. I'm pleased with where I'm at, considering the setback I had with my ends, I feel as if I'm on track to hit the target.

I hope you post a photo of your ends wrapped in the oiled rubber bands and cloth!

I was meant to do that earlier and got sidetracked, I'll try and drop one over the weekend on wash day.

 

[Chicoro]

This is what I posted in the classic length thread:

Starting Photos!

Okay, here is my starting picture which is a montage. From left to right:
June 2024 (left photo) vs December 2024 (middle) vs April 2025 (right photo in gray shorts).





This is when I realized I was FINALLY out of my 12-Year-Grow-Break Cycle.

What is my process?

• I identify and trim at a goal length point. That is in the first picture. That is my goal length point and that is why my hair is even. I try to keep my hair trimmed at my goal length until the hair starts to get fuller at the ends. That is picture number 1, or the June 2024 picture that is to the left.
• Next, when I get a certain thickness at the ends, I let my hair drop to the NEXT goal length point. That is picture number 2, or the December 2024 picture in the middle. It looks like I gained about 2 to 3 inches from June to December (5 Month Time Frame).
• After that, my hair likes to thicken up at this new length. BUT, the thickness is NOT on the ends, the thickness starts to happen at the bulk of the hair. The hair is super puffy right above the bra strap area. The length of the hair is also starting to cover more of my back and covering over my waist and lower back. It's getting denser on the ends. This is where my hair SLOWS down in terms of length gains. This is also usually where my hair starts to break off. It rarely gets longer than this. That is picture number 3, or the April 2025 photo on the right in the gray shorts. I gained about 2 inches from December to April (4 Month Time Frame).

I am open to, I welcome, I encourage any observations, comments, suggestions and/or thoughts!

Unfortunately, I have not straightened or trimmed my hair since April 2025. So, will have been one year in April 2026. I plan to straighten and trim in April 2026.

 

[Angel of the North]

Your hair is so lovely, it definitely looks like it's thickened up in the length and at the ends. I hope this will be one of the rare occasions for you that your hair decides to grow beyond that point.