Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2023

What would you like to address and improve as it relates to having luscious, healthy ends?

  • Breakage

    Votes: 36 54.5%

  • Thinness

    Votes: 30 45.5%

  • Unevenness

    Votes: 18 27.3%

  • Split Ends

    Votes: 36 54.5%

  • Dryness

    Votes: 32 48.5%

  • Roughness

    Votes: 14 21.2%

  • Knots

    Votes: 31 47.0%

  • Dullness

    Votes: 9 13.6%
  • Total voters
    66
I opted for a hot oil treatment and allowed my hair to air dry. I applied red palm oil with few drops of a rosemary, chamomile and lavender essential oil blend to my scalp and strands. I use enough oil to coat my strands but not so much that I would be able to see the color of the oil on my hair. Once the oil was applied, I sat under the steamer in 6 bantu knots then cowashed the oil out. I used AG boost to wash it out, applied Sedal ceramides cream and applied The Doux C.R.E.A.M to the last 4 inches. I love how supple my hair feels. I attached a photo of one braid(the other braids look the same. My ends are completely dry today but my roots are still damp.

I need to incorporate the way my hair air dries in braids/twists with the last 4 inches loose to my WnG attempts. If my WnG ends stay supple and tangle free as the loose ends of my air dried braids, that will be great. If my roots and length of my strands stay as defined as my deep conditioned hair, I will get the best WnGs ever. I will get there. My hair has all the potential for the WnGs I want. I just have to practice more. LO's WnGs are on point now but mine still need work lol. On my next WnG I am going to apply my leave-in they way I would if I was just air drying, then the topper gel, and I am going to soft freeze my ends to see if I can get the results I am aiming for.
 

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GettingKinky said:
I did my weekly routine today. Washing my hair was a bit more time consuming than normal because my stylist dyed my grays yesterday and then it dried with no product so it was more tangly than typically.
Alos I forgot to do my olaplex today but I did use my protein conditioner on my ends.
Click to expand...
Did she trim your ends after the color? How are the ends of your hair looking and feeling?
 
Napp said:
View attachment 487811

Here are my 5 month results. I had severe breakage due to transitioning but I was able to keep my length which is ok for me right now. i didnt trim because i dont have my proper at home cutting tools right now. I will push it off until my June length check. i decided not to go so long between straightening so i can monitor my progress better. I will straighten quarterly and trim 2x a year. I think my ends look pretty good and i just about reached APL.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on your fabulous progress!

The way your hair is hanging in March 2023 is very typical of hair that is well cared for. What I mean is, I've noticed that when people start to gain length, the hair hangs 'heavier'. It tends to be straighter and look like it is more weighty. In contrast, the hair ends in the October 2022 photo look lighter and fluffier.

I can see that you are SOLIDLY on track. It looks like you have retained your about 4 inches of growth. That's only about five (5) months of time because we are just getting started in the month of March. Therefore, I would estimate that you are getting an average of 3/4 inches of growth minimum EACH month, if not more.

So 3/4 inches per month x 5 months is ~ approximately 3.72 inches grown and retained which is pretty close to my eyeballed estimate of 4 inches of growth I see in the photo.

Are you taking any vitamins? Are you doing massages? Because your growth and retention are fabulous, per usual!
 
Lylddlebit said:
I opted for a hot oil treatment and allowed my hair to air dry. I applied red palm oil with few drops of a rosemary, chamomile and lavender essential oil blend to my scalp and strands. I use enough oil to coat my strands but not so much that I would be able to see the color of the oil on my hair. Once the oil was applied, I sat under the steamer in 6 bantu knots then cowashed the oil out. I used AG boost to wash it out, applied Sedal ceramides cream and applied The Doux C.R.E.A.M to the last 4 inches. I love how supple my hair feels. I attached a photo of one braid(the other braids look the same. My ends are completely dry today but my roots are still damp.

I need to incorporate the way my hair air dries in braids/twists with the last 4 inches loose to my WnG attempts. If my WnG ends stay supple and tangle free as the loose ends of my air dried braids, that will be great. If my roots and length of my strands stay as defined as my deep conditioned hair, I will get the best WnGs ever. I will get there. My hair has all the potential for the WnGs I want. I just have to practice more. LO's WnGs are on point now but mine still need work lol. On my next WnG I am going to apply my leave-in they way I would if I was just air drying, then the topper gel, and I am going to soft freeze my ends to see if I can get the results I am aiming for.
Click to expand...
That braid and the gorgeous curl at the end look so comfortable, safe and happy. That's some well cared for and some well loved hair! The analysis of where you are at and where you want to go is great and detailed. I am excited to see the application of the knowledge. I KNOW you are going to get the washing go of your dreams. I hope when you do, you will come here and show us.

What's LO's mean, please?
 
Luscious Healthy Hair Ends March Thought

Focusing on hair to the point of analysis and documenting the information may seem obsessive. In some ways I think that it is. BUT, whenever you need to dive deeply into a process or idea you have to focus on it. Why should hair be any different?

The thing about hair though, is that it is organic. That means, it responds to the interior environment and the exterior environment based on many components and changes. Those internally things could be food, hormones, health, stress and age, to name a few. Those external components could be air quality, water hardness, chlorine, sun and clothing and friction.

The quantity, the time of exposure and quality of some internal inputs are all CONSTANTLY shifting. Theoretically, your hair, that organic fiber on your head, is constantly trying to maintain an equilibrium and balance with the internal and external environment as it continues to grow healthily. That's a hard job!
That's an ever changing job.

The next time you think you are obsessed and have been so for years, remember this balancing act your fabulous hair has to maintain. It's no easy task. The life cycle of your hair is the REAL Never Ending Story! Hop on and continue to enjoy the journey and ride with joy into the sunset!






Lovingly,
Chicoro the Mink​
 


Me, all up in everybody's business.

Pushing through twigs and bushes so I can see and hear.​





How your ends coming along? Where's @Tangles ? March is a month where people start to fall off their processes. Don't do it! Try to stay with it if you can, ladies.
 
My hair ends are doing pretty well. I like the schedule of washing every two (2) weeks. I wear a baggy to keep the greasy ends of my hair off my furry back and off my clothes. I of course use the baggy for its benefits to my ends as well.

I'm still mesmerized by the fact that my hair is laying down with plain old Eco Styler gel, something I can find relatively easily and cheaply. Also, I mentioned before that my hair is 'puffier'. It's like my poor hair has been freed from the bondage of shampoo. Talk about having a paradigm shift in my hair care processes.

The REAL proof in the pudding will be if I gain noticeable health and length from this new process of using clay. Thus far, my hair has stabilized. That in itself is a tremendous accomplishment because the breakage I was having was no joke. Hamster size and weighted hair balls are disconcerting to say the least. Upward and onward!
 
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Chicoro said:
That braid and the gorgeous curl at the end look so comfortable, safe and happy. That's some well cared for and some well loved hair! The analysis of where you are at and where you want to go is great and detailed. I am excited to see the application of the knowledge. I KNOW you are going to get the washing go of your dreams. I hope when you do, you will come here and show us.

What's LO's mean, please?
Click to expand...
LO stands for little one. That is for my little girl's progress that I track on the children's hair forum. She has some challenges with pulling her hair out and she does it more when she is pulling out a barrette or rubber band. So, this year I am applying more WnGs for her. Since I am not applying rubber brands, hair ties/ponytail holders or accessories beyond a headband she is pulling her hair less. My goal is to stop the hair pulling so that she will retain the growth she naturally has. Her WnGs are 6-7 days of popping curls and dries soft once the cast breaks. She also doesn't get single strands knots and I don't need to do anything special to her ends to cause that. So, I need her hair health to get on my level and I need my Wng styling outcomes on hers lols. We will get there.
 
Chicoro said:
Did she trim your ends after the color? How are the ends of your hair looking and feeling?
Click to expand...
She didn’t trim my hair. My ends are still doing OK but I have noticed that the ends in the back left quadrant if my hair feel rougher than the rest of my hair. I’m not sure what would cause that area to wear faster. I assume it’s from sleeping. I wear a slap cap when I sleep, but the left side of my hair always gets frizzy faster than the right side.
I’m not sure what I can do about that.
 
Chicoro said:
@snoop, do you have some photographic results of your lovely hair after the detangle process you were working on? I'd love to see it!
Click to expand...

I'm here. Taking things slow this weekend because I'm feeling a bit "off" and a bit overwhelmed with things to do.

I'm currently making another batch of moisturizer to replace the last batch. The protein batch worked well when I used it earlier this week as a rinse out -- I added more protein to it.

Today's recipe is based on a previous successful recipe. I'm hoping that this will be just as good, if not better.


LHCF_March_Lotion.jpg

In my oils, I'm using some DIY ayurvedic infused oil, babassu, cocoa butter, capaucu butter, and castor oil. I'm testing cetrimonium chloride and d-panthenol in this leave in recipe. I've previously used them in my clay masks.

I'm going to do a mask and hopefully be lotioned, oiled, and greased up by tonight.
 
Chicoro said:
Congratulations on your fabulous progress!

The way your hair is hanging in March 2023 is very typical of hair that is well cared for. What I mean is, I've noticed that when people start to gain length, the hair hangs 'heavier'. It tends to be straighter and look like it is more weighty. In contrast, the hair ends in the October 2022 photo look lighter and fluffier.

I can see that you are SOLIDLY on track. It looks like you have retained your about 4 inches of growth. That's only about five (5) months of time because we are just getting started in the month of March. Therefore, I would estimate that you are getting an average of 3/4 inches of growth minimum EACH month, if not more.

So 3/4 inches per month x 5 months is ~ approximately 3.72 inches grown and retained which is pretty close to my eyeballed estimate of 4 inches of growth I see in the photo.

Are you taking any vitamins? Are you doing massages? Because your growth and retention are fabulous, per usual!
Click to expand...
I’ve almost perfected my straightening technique too which is why I think it looks better too. I don’t do anything special. Just take a generic multivitamin and I drink plenty of water. I was surprised about the growth too. It looks like more than 3 inches too which is surprising. If this growth is the case then perhaps if I stick to my guns I can reach BSL + by the end of the year. I’m going to stick to moisturizing, greasing baggying and bunning. I think my ends look pretty good considering I have not trimmed in almost a year
 
Napp said:
I’ve almost perfected my straightening technique too which is why I think it looks better too. I don’t do anything special. Just take a generic multivitamin and I drink plenty of water. I was surprised about the growth too. It looks like more than 3 inches too which is surprising. If this growth is the case then perhaps if I stick to my guns I can reach BSL + by the end of the year. I’m going to stick to moisturizing, greasing baggying and bunning. I think my ends look pretty good considering I have not trimmed in almost a year
Click to expand...
You are doing an INCREDIBLE job with your hair. Add to this that you’ve sold a house, got a new relationship, was in transitional housing, got a new job and bought a new house and moved. And you still kept your hair healthy and retaining length. I hope you commend yourself and your amazing accomplishments!!!!
 
Chicoro said:


Me, all up in everybody's business.

Pushing through twigs and bushes so I can see and hear.​





How your ends coming along? Where's @Tangles ? March is a month where people start to fall off their processes. Don't do it! Try to stay with it if you can, ladies.
Click to expand...

You are so right! I have fallen off only because I had the flu, so my hair has been neglected. But, plans are in motion to correct all this dryness. Thanks.
 
I'm going to take a cue from @Chicoro and post more pictures.

This is the second part of Sunday's hair washing adventures. Let me preface it by saying that I 1. forgot to take the final picture of the hair mask and 2. forgot to post on Sunday. So here we are...

After taking the oil and water phases off of the stove, I combined them and let them cool. While that was happening, I went back to the stove to try something new. I measured out my ayurvedic herbs (top left). While that was happening, I opened a can of coconut milk and heated it with a double boiler. After that was under way, I added the herbs to the coconut milk (top left). I let that warm for about 20 minutes, but only because I didn't have time to wait longer (bottom left). Just before taking it off of the stove, I added some honey.


LHCF_March_CoconutAyurveda.png


After that, I strained the mix well, then added some kaolin clay, goat's milk powder, and a bit of water to get it to my desired consistency.

So, onto my ends...but first: I wasn't too keen on the consistency of my lotion. It turned out to be more of a hair milk. But this is where I get low key annoyed when people say things like avoid x ingredients if it's in the first whatever on the list. It doesn't mean anything. I used less water in this recipe, which means that the recipe should be thicker, however, there is something about either the D-panthenol or the cetrimonium chloride that makes the recipe more viscous. I noticed this the last time I tried using them as well. The viscosity and slick feeling of this lotion gives the illusion that it is less "oily" or "buttery" than it really is. In both cases I used the same percentage of oils and butters. Also, the kinds of oils and the kinds of butters will also change the consistency of a product. In both cases, oil would appear as the third or fourth ingredient (depending on the recipe).

But I digress...

I had such a great experience doing my hair last night. My hair stayed fairly detangled after I detangling and washing it twice. But then the lotion, plus the tallow made my hair feel soo soft and buttery. I can see it in the picture, below.

I stayed up late to get my hair done because I wanted to try cutting for the full moon which officially occurred this morning. I decided that I won't be using Morrocco's calendar until I can figure out how he came to figure out the days the way that he did. I will, however, try micro trimming between major trims for maintenance. I don't think that my hair looked like it needed a big trim, but there were some knots that needed to go (the kind that look like SSKs but aren't).

LHCF_March_Ends.png


These twists are too big to have done a proper trim, since my hair has layers, but I think the micro trims will help me to care for the shorter layers as the year goes on.
 
snoop said:
I'm going to take a cue from @Chicoro and post more pictures.

This is the second part of Sunday's hair washing adventures. Let me preface it by saying that I 1. forgot to take the final picture of the hair mask and 2. forgot to post on Sunday. So here we are...

After taking the oil and water phases off of the stove, I combined them and let them cool. While that was happening, I went back to the stove to try something new. I measured out my ayurvedic herbs (top left). While that was happening, I opened a can of coconut milk and heated it with a double boiler. After that was under way, I added the herbs to the coconut milk (top left). I let that warm for about 20 minutes, but only because I didn't have time to wait longer (bottom left). Just before taking it off of the stove, I added some honey.


View attachment 487849


After that, I strained the mix well, then added some kaolin clay, goat's milk powder, and a bit of water to get it to my desired consistency.

So, onto my ends...but first: I wasn't too keen on the consistency of my lotion. It turned out to be more of a hair milk. But this is where I get low key annoyed when people say things like avoid x ingredients if it's in the first whatever on the list. It doesn't mean anything. I used less water in this recipe, which means that the recipe should be thicker, however, there is something about either the D-panthenol or the cetrimonium chloride that makes the recipe more viscous. I noticed this the last time I tried using them as well. The viscosity and slick feeling of this lotion gives the illusion that it is less "oily" or "buttery" than it really is. In both cases I used the same percentage of oils and butters. Also, the kinds of oils and the kinds of butters will also change the consistency of a product. In both cases, oil would appear as the third or fourth ingredient (depending on the recipe).

But I digress...

I had such a great experience doing my hair last night. My hair stayed fairly detangled after I detangling and washing it twice. But then the lotion, plus the tallow made my hair feel soo soft and buttery. I can see it in the picture, below.

I stayed up late to get my hair done because I wanted to try cutting for the full moon which officially occurred this morning. I decided that I won't be using Morrocco's calendar until I can figure out how he came to figure out the days the way that he did. I will, however, try micro trimming between major trims for maintenance. I don't think that my hair looked like it needed a big trim, but there were some knots that needed to go (the kind that look like SSKs but aren't).

View attachment 487851


These twists are too big to have done a proper trim, since my hair has layers, but I think the micro trims will help me to care for the shorter layers as the year goes on.
Click to expand...
I would love to make concoctions for my hair but sadly , being gray, so many things will stain my hair:cry3:. Your mixture looks very moisturizing.
 
*Peeks in thread* to read and respond to @snoop's post:

snoop said:
While that was happening, I went back to the stove to try something new. I measured out my ayurvedic herbs (top left). While that was happening, I opened a can of coconut milk and heated it with a double boiler. After that was under way, I added the herbs to the coconut milk (top left). I let that warm for about 20 minutes, but only because I didn't have time to wait longer (bottom left). Just before taking it off of the stove, I added some honey. After that, I strained the mix well, then added some kaolin clay, goat's milk powder, and a bit of water to get it to my desired consistency.
Click to expand...
I love the idea of mixing coconut milk and honey with ayurvedic masks! I may try this. I won't be doing the whole clay and goat's milk powder thing but I have coconut milk in the cabinet and I always keep honey on my countertop.
snoop said:
So, onto my ends...but first: I wasn't too keen on the consistency of my lotion. It turned out to be more of a hair milk. But this is where I get low key annoyed when people say things like avoid x ingredients if it's in the first whatever on the list. It doesn't mean anything.
Click to expand...
I'm glad you said the bolded. I did the whole "avoid X in the first 5 ingredients" thing for a little while and honestly didn't notice much difference in my hair so after that I didn't really care and went back to using whatever I wanted on my hair lol.
snoop said:
I stayed up late to get my hair done because I wanted to try cutting for the full moon which officially occurred this morning. I decided that I won't be using Morrocco's calendar until I can figure out how he came to figure out the days the way that he did. I will, however, try micro trimming between major trims for maintenance. I don't think that my hair looked like it needed a big trim, but there were some knots that needed to go (the kind that look like SSKs but aren't).
Click to expand...
I also decided that I wasn't going to use his calendar anymore. I've only used it twice for "lengthening" and didn't notice much lengthening but beyond that his calendar confuses me for the most part. How did he come up with these dates for those particular hair phases (lenthening, thickening etc)? His dates/moon phases for hair are different from everything else I've seen on cutting hair by the moon but I guess that's why he dubbed it the "Morrocco Method."

I decided that going forward I will be using the Almanac's calendar because it aligns with other things I've read that tells you when to cut hair to encourage growth. I do like Morrocco's method of actually trimming/cutting the hair though as I've watched several of his videos on that.

snoop said:
These twists are too big to have done a proper trim, since my hair has layers, but I think the micro trims will help me to care for the shorter layers as the year goes on.
Click to expand...
I like the results of the micro trim. That's what I plan to do smaller "micro" trims as needed instead of one or two big trims.
 
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snoop said:
I'm going to take a cue from @Chicoro and post more pictures.

This is the second part of Sunday's hair washing adventures. Let me preface it by saying that I 1. forgot to take the final picture of the hair mask and 2. forgot to post on Sunday. So here we are...

After taking the oil and water phases off of the stove, I combined them and let them cool. While that was happening, I went back to the stove to try something new. I measured out my ayurvedic herbs (top left). While that was happening, I opened a can of coconut milk and heated it with a double boiler. After that was under way, I added the herbs to the coconut milk (top left). I let that warm for about 20 minutes, but only because I didn't have time to wait longer (bottom left). Just before taking it off of the stove, I added some honey.


View attachment 487849


After that, I strained the mix well, then added some kaolin clay, goat's milk powder, and a bit of water to get it to my desired consistency.

So, onto my ends...but first: I wasn't too keen on the consistency of my lotion. It turned out to be more of a hair milk. But this is where I get low key annoyed when people say things like avoid x ingredients if it's in the first whatever on the list. It doesn't mean anything. I used less water in this recipe, which means that the recipe should be thicker, however, there is something about either the D-panthenol or the cetrimonium chloride that makes the recipe more viscous. I noticed this the last time I tried using them as well. The viscosity and slick feeling of this lotion gives the illusion that it is less "oily" or "buttery" than it really is. In both cases I used the same percentage of oils and butters. Also, the kinds of oils and the kinds of butters will also change the consistency of a product. In both cases, oil would appear as the third or fourth ingredient (depending on the recipe).

But I digress...

I had such a great experience doing my hair last night. My hair stayed fairly detangled after I detangling and washing it twice. But then the lotion, plus the tallow made my hair feel soo soft and buttery. I can see it in the picture, below.

I stayed up late to get my hair done because I wanted to try cutting for the full moon which officially occurred this morning. I decided that I won't be using Morrocco's calendar until I can figure out how he came to figure out the days the way that he did. I will, however, try micro trimming between major trims for maintenance. I don't think that my hair looked like it needed a big trim, but there were some knots that needed to go (the kind that look like SSKs but aren't).

View attachment 487851


These twists are too big to have done a proper trim, since my hair has layers, but I think the micro trims will help me to care for the shorter layers as the year goes on.
Click to expand...
Those twists look to be 10+ inches long! If so, they are SUPER long, thick and healthy looking.
 
I completed my Week 1 wash day this past Monday. I’m a bit behind, but I believe this month has 5 weeks, so I should be fine.
Upon looking for my essential oils for wash day, I found a Rhassoul and Bentonite clay shampoo bar from Bask and Bloom. I decided to try it instead of making my clay mix.
It worked pretty well! It wasn’t as moisturizing as the mix from @Chicoro or @snoop, but it served a purpose. I may alternate between the bar and my clay mix or just use the bar when I’m pressed for time. I’m undecided.
I styled my hair into a WNG. This time I used UFD and Jelloshot in the shower, while the water was running. The process went well, but my technique took too long. I felt like I was draining the local river, but I needed the steam to spread the products more easily. The style came out great wet, but drying it was cumbersome. My soft bonnet dryer mashed my curls in some parts and didn’t dry the back at all. I will have to invest in a standing dryer if I want a WNG to work for me using these products. The definition was amazing when wet. My current drying technique ruined it, unfortunately.
 

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  • 092A53C7-608D-4E11-9234-34DE8AF3251D.jpeg
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keranikki said:
I completed my Week 1 wash day this past Monday. I’m a bit behind, but I believe this month has 5 weeks, so I should be fine.
Upon looking for my essential oils for wash day, I found a Rhassoul and Bentonite clay shampoo bar from Bask and Bloom. I decided to try it instead of making my clay mix.
It worked pretty well! It wasn’t as moisturizing as the mix from @Chicoro or @snoop, but it served a purpose. I may alternate between the bar and my clay mix or just use the bar when I’m pressed for time. I’m undecided.
I styled my hair into a WNG. This time I used UFD and Jelloshot in the shower, while the water was running. The process went well, but my technique took too long. I felt like I was draining the local river, but I needed the steam to spread the products more easily. The style came out great wet, but drying it was cumbersome. My soft bonnet dryer mashed my curls in some parts and didn’t dry the back at all. I will have to invest in a standing dryer if I want a WNG to work for me using these products. The definition was amazing when wet. My current drying technique ruined it, unfortunately.
Click to expand...
What's pictured here, wet or dry hair?
 
I'm in the house all day. I remember when I first went natural, I would put my hair into a pony and then tuck the ends in. Now that my hair is long enough, I tuck the ends in on themselves (no elastics). I like this method because there is no tension for headaches, but also, I hope that I'm avoiding any tension along the length by doing so.

I moisturized this morning and I'm going to try to be good about moisturizing daily like I did back in the day. I'm not sure it is necessary, since my hair doesn't feel dry as quickly, but maybe the step is need to reach my max retention potential. My hair is now tucked and under a satin lined hat, but some days I just wear a satin or silk scarf.

Maybe tucking in the ends + scarf or hat (I wear Slap Caps around the house, too) is the way to go.
 
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