Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2024

[Chicoro]

Yes! If I use shampoo and then allow my hair to dry with no heat, then my hair feels hard and rough and my fine strands seem more fly away. Even if I use my regular condish afterwards. It feels almost similar to using too much protein. My baseline hair is very soft and cloudy when I airdry, whether natural or texlaxed. But it's also usually coated in something due to my powder mixes. I do prefer the squeaky clean before I flat iron bc, in my mind, I don't want to bake anything into my strands when I flat iron. So I'm hoping the liquid black soap will remove enough residue to be able to use heat. I only flat iron once a year anyway so I have been tolerating the shampoo for that. But sometimes, I want to increase my blow dry use and I want to find a cleanser to make that easier.

And when you described your hair appearing flatter/having less volume, that's exactly what I experience as well. So most of my HHJ, I've not used shampoo bc I prefer fuller hair. I have primarily used my (Ayurvedic) powder cleanser mix.

Thank you! Yes, yes, yes. Your hair description sounds exactly how mine feels, too.

It took me until just the last 2 years to come to this realization.

 

[snoop]

So, I think DH bought me a RevAir for Christmas. (I say, think, but he told me back in Sept/Oct that he wanted to get it as a Christmas gift for me, so I told him to wait until Black Friday if he's really going to do it. Then I told him about the BF sale at which point he was like, OK. Then I saw the box at the door...but we don't talk about Bruno.) It's an expensive toy and I'll probably use it on the kids more than myself? I don't know. I think I've had heat in my hair twice in 12 years. I wouldn't even know where to start, but I want to see what my hair looks like stretched out.

This talk of shampoos vs clays and straightening. I'mma need y'all's help to figure out what I need to do. I have no idea what to do in terms of protectants. None of it. I'll loop back in about 2 or three weeks with my notepad. I don't want to have dry hair unnecessarily.

 

[Chicoro]

So, I think DH bought me a RevAir for Christmas. (I say, think, but he told me back in Sept/Oct that he wanted to get it as a Christmas gift for me, so I told him to wait until Black Friday if he's really going to do it. Then I told him about the BF sale at which point he was like, OK. Then I saw the box at the door...but we don't talk about Bruno.) It's an expensive toy and I'll probably use it on the kids more than myself? I don't know. I think I've had heat in my hair twice in 12 years. I wouldn't even know where to start, but I want to see what my hair looks like stretched out.

This talk of shampoos vs clays and straightening. I'mma need y'all's help to figure out what I need to do. I have no idea what to do in terms of protectants. None of it. I'll loop back in about 2 or three weeks with my notepad. I don't want to have dry hair unnecessarily.

YOU want to see your hair stretched out?! Forget that. Ain’t nobody thinking about what you want I, me, I, me, me, I…have been fiending for years wanting to see that hair stretched.

If your man didn’t get you a RevAir this year, he needs to know that he has let down more than just you. He doesn’t have to know me to love me or disappoint me. So he betta not be playin’ with my feelings. He got a few more days, including a whole weekend, to remedy and rectify the situation.

I want to see your hair stretched, ideally with that RevAir that he is supposed to have bought you for Christmas.

 

[newgrowth15]

YOU want to see your hair stretched out?! Forget that. Ain’t nobody thinking about what you want I, me, I, me, me, I…have been fiending for years wanting to see that hair stretched.

If your man didn’t get you a RevAir this year, he needs to know that he has let down more than just you. He doesn’t have to know me to love me or disappoint me. So he betta not be playin’ with my feelings. He got a few more days, including a whole weekend, to remedy and rectify the situation.

I want to see your hair stretched, ideally with that RevAir that he is supposed to have bought you for Christmas.

Ooh, I wanna see it, too.

 

[Chicoro]

@snoop the main thing I have found is that the cleaner (more stripped by shampoo) the hair is, the straighter I can get it and the more body and glassy shine it can potentially have.

Oils and butters left in the hair, and non shampoo cleansers tend to not be able to remove the coated product build up on hair. As a result, when one attempts to have a heat straightened style, the hair poofs up and looks puffy as if you didn’t straighten it. That’s been my experience with my hair.

I personally am not a big heat protectant fan. Those products tend to weigh my hair down. I use Aphogee 2 Step immediately after sporting or wearing a heat straightened style. That Aphogee 2 Step fortifies my hair as it pertains to heat, better than any heat protectant could ever do.

 

[Chicoro]

Ooh, I wanna see it, too.

That’s right. So now @snoop man will be disappointing three women if he fails to give the gift that gives [stretched hair], which is that RevAir.

We dedicating that Bob Marley song about them three little birds….us three birds.

“Don’t worry, about a thing. Because every little thing gonna be be alright [ONLY if he bought that RevAir].”

 

[Chicoro]

Softening Shampoo (put oil in shampoo to lessen quantity of activity surfactants in shampoo, ie -making shampoo less harsh on afro hair)

Years ago I used to 'soften' my shampoo.

I would put OIL in my shampoo to minimize the amount of active surfactants in the shampoo. Surfactants are active and they are attracted to oil and dirt. But they can over do it and pull out the natural oils on your precious, afro-textured hair. Yes, by putting oil in your shampoo you are messing with the formulation, but many of us doctor up our products and processes with tremendous success. This allowed me to make almost any shampoo 'work' for my hair.

I had completely forgotten about this until this morning when I woke up. I was meditating in preparation of my day and this popped up! I used to do this ALL the time and my hair was flourishing. But over time I forgot about it.

I still love my @snoop clay mix more, but can reinstate this 'softening my shampoo' modification of putting oil in my shampoo like I used to do. I can't believe I forgot about this.

So, this another option if you are working with shampoo and it's all that you have to cleanse.

 

[Chicoro]

Yes! If I use shampoo and then allow my hair to dry with no heat, then my hair feels hard and rough and my fine strands seem more fly away. Even if I use my regular condish afterwards. It feels almost similar to using too much protein. My baseline hair is very soft and cloudy when I airdry, whether natural or texlaxed. But it's also usually coated in something due to my powder mixes. I do prefer the squeaky clean before I flat iron bc, in my mind, I don't want to bake anything into my strands when I flat iron. So I'm hoping the liquid black soap will remove enough residue to be able to use heat. I only flat iron once a year anyway so I have been tolerating the shampoo for that. But sometimes, I want to increase my blow dry use and I want to find a cleanser to make that easier.

And when you described your hair appearing flatter/having less volume, that's exactly what I experience as well. So most of my HHJ, I've not used shampoo bc I prefer fuller hair. I have primarily used my (Ayurvedic) powder cleanser mix.

This is another thing that jumped out at me this morning. @MzSwift said,
"[...] my hair feels hard and rough [...] Even if I use my regular condish afterward."
Exactly. Not even conditioner can fix what the shampoo just did.​

I find if I go back to my non-shampoo washing process that my hair tends to return to its 'normal' feeling right after the very first wash. How about you @MzSwift? Does your hair return to its normal look and feel immediately after one wash with your standard washing products and processes? Or does it require several washes and more time for your hair to return to normal?




I found these two points. One was in the first article and the second point was in the second article respectively:

1. Curly/coily hair has many disulfide bonds. Whereas wavy hair has an intermediate number of disulfide bonds and straight hair has few if any disulfide bonds. (Chicoro insert: It's possible to have hair strands with NO disulfide bonds? I don't know if I agree with that part)

• source: Department of Chemistry
• https://chemistry.as.virginia.edu/news/story/8681

2. If the pH of shampoo is too high, the sulfide bridges (another name for disulfide bonds) in keratin can break, weakening or damaging your hair. ​

• source: Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D
• https://www.thoughtco.com/how-shampoo-works-607853

​

What I (me Chicoro) concluded about shampoo on afro-textured hair from these two articles:​

Shampoo that has too high of a pH [basic/alkaline, above 7 on pH scale] can break disulfide bonds in hair. I know that companies test the pH of their products. But, afro textured hair is not the STANDARD hair type for which many shampoos are formulated. And in addition to this, each head of hair can in theory have lower thresholds or lower tolerances for 'standard pH levels. Afro-textured has more disulfide bonds than wavy or straight hair. So, our afro textured hair can possibly have a more immediate, visible response and tactile difference response to shampoo after just ONE use of the shampoo because there are far more disulfide bonds that can be impacted in our afro-textured hair.​

​

Interesting. I thought the only things that could break a disulfide bond were a depilator and a relaxer or perm and hair dye.​

​

And guess what? Hair dye is basic/alkaline and above 7 on the pH scale between 9.0 and 11.0....so I guess it is quite possible that a too high of a pH from shampoo can break disulfide bonds.​

​

​

 

[Chicoro]

When I am handling my loosened hair, I am noticing that near the roots of my hair it feels thicker and denser, not just poofier. The older hair down the hair shaft or at the end of the pony is noticeably thinner. This is a permanent difference, not one that I can wash again and have it go back to normal. The good part is that my healthy hair is coming back from the damage wreaked upon by bonding products such as Olaplex 0 and 3. I don't think Olaplex is a bad product. It just simply doesn't work for my particular head of hair and that is okay. Everything does not work for everybody. Unfortunately, the damage and breakage was another setback for me and required another round in my hair breakage 12 year cycle.

The bright side is that my hair is so thick and full at the roots, including an additional 6 inches from the roots. This is great. I have learned some super hard to swallow lessons regarding my hair in the last 12 years and it HAS NOT been fun.

I thought I knew everything about my own hair. My hair said, " HAH! "

And proceeded to show me for 12 years that I did NOT know my own hair.



But that's okay, though. I am learning. I won't be saying that again. Hair is organic like our bodies and it can switch up on you at any moment. Products can change, too of course. I am cautiously optimistic about my hair in the future. I hope that if the needs or texture of my hair changes in the future that I will be knowledgeable enough to keep it flourishing.

Until then, please, please no more decade + hair break cycles for me. I hope.

 

[Chicoro]

Lastly, for my ends, I have come full circle. I am doing what used to work for me at the beginning of successful hair journey.

• In January 2024 I started using Aphogee 2 Step every 12 weeks.
• In January or March maybe, 2024, I started covering my head at night consistently.
• In September 2024, I started greasing up the ends of my hair and rolling them up and securing them with a coated rubberband. Just last week, around December 13th, I started putting more panthenol, oils etc back in my water bottle and making it more of a concoction instead of just having plain water, when I remoisturize my hair like I did when I first began my hair journey.

These tweaks seem simple and the question may be why did I ever change. But when there are an innumerable amount of permatations to combine with an unlimited and uncontrollable amount of variables, sometimes the way is muddled and it's just difficult to find your clarity.

Hence, this is why I believe the hair journey for women with afro-textured hair can be strewn and wrought with so many pitfalls.

For the hair that I got on my head today, I think I have finally identified and weeded out everything that is not serving my hair. We will see.

 

[MzSwift]

This is another thing that jumped out at me this morning. @MzSwift said,
"[...] my hair feels hard and rough [...] Even if I use my regular condish afterward."
Exactly. Not even conditioner can fix what the shampoo just did.​

I find if I go back to my non-shampoo washing process that my hair tends to return to its 'normal' feeling right after the very first wash. How about you @MzSwift? Does your hair return to its normal look and feel immediately after one wash with your standard washing products and processes? Or does it require several washes and more time for your hair to return to normal?




I found these two points. One was in the first article and the second point was in the second article respectively:

1. Curly/coily hair has many disulfide bonds. Whereas wavy hair has an intermediate number of disulfide bonds and straight hair has few if any disulfide bonds. (Chicoro insert: It's possible to have hair strands with NO disulfide bonds? I don't know if I agree with that part)

• source: Department of Chemistry
• https://chemistry.as.virginia.edu/news/story/8681

2. If the pH of shampoo is too high, the sulfide bridges (another name for disulfide bonds) in keratin can break, weakening or damaging your hair. ​

• source: Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D
• https://www.thoughtco.com/how-shampoo-works-607853

​

What I (me Chicoro) concluded about shampoo on afro-textured hair from these two articles:​

Shampoo that has too high of a pH [basic/alkaline, above 7 on pH scale] can break disulfide bonds in hair. I know that companies test the pH of their products. But, afro textured hair is not the STANDARD hair type for which many shampoos are formulated. And in addition to this, each head of hair can in theory have lower thresholds or lower tolerances for 'standard pH levels. Afro-textured has more disulfide bonds than wavy or straight hair. So, our afro textured hair can possibly have a more immediate, visible response and tactile difference response to shampoo after just ONE use of the shampoo because there are far more disulfide bonds that can be impacted in our afro-textured hair.​

​

Interesting. I thought the only things that could break a disulfide bond were a depilator and a relaxer or perm and hair dye.​

​

And guess what? Hair dye is basic/alkaline and above 7 on the pH scale between 9.0 and 11.0....so I guess it is quite possible that a too high of a pH from shampoo can break disulfide bonds.​

​

​

OMG, you are PREACHING this morning! Yes! And I love it when you talk all science-y!!

First, yes, my hair does return close to baseline after my first "normal" cleansing routine but it tends to fully settle back into the groove a few days after that first cleanse from doing my usual M&Sing.

So when I started my HHJ in 2009 with a newly clipper-shaved head. I watched a lot of the long-haired ladies to see what practices and techniques were consistent among them. I was convinced that incorporating their practices (not products) would also lead to me having long hair, which was proven true for me as well. There was one on YT, I can't remember her name, I think it was Kimmaytube or something like that, she had a lot of success growing her hair to WL. She attributed her success to incorporating Aloe Vera into her HHJ. She made several videos on understanding the physical structure of hair and on pH. She mentioned that her hair thrives when she keeps her hair products pH at or slightly more acidic than normal hair pH, which is 4.5 - 5.5. What she said made sense! I tried Aloe Vera but my hair hated it. So I decided to stick with using Ayurvedic powders for their benefits as well as using them to keep my mixes at or slightly more acidic than standard hair pH. Once mixed with water (pH around 7) via the shower or a spray bottle, I am able to maintain my hair around hair's normal pH. I haven't experienced any ill effects from doing that over the years.

I can maintain hair around APL hair now without the powders (which feels short to me), but my hair has only thrived when I stay consistent with my slightly acidic Ayurvedic mixes. And by thrive, I mean hair that I maintain around MBL-WL, that has a natural shine when naked, it's bouncy and has a lot of movement (happy hair), it's strong and doesn't break when being handled, and I don't experience extraordinary shedding. I'm seeing my hair return back to that now that I've gone back to my mixes and I'm excited to get my maintained hair length back in the next year or so. I love coming in here and being affirmed or learning something new to help with that journey!

 

[Chicoro]

OMG, you are PREACHING this morning! Yes! And I love it when you talk all science-y!!

First, yes, my hair does return close to baseline after my first "normal" cleansing routine but it tends to fully settle back into the groove a few days after that first cleanse from doing my usual M&Sing.

So when I started my HHJ in 2009 with a newly clipper-shaved head. I watched a lot of the long-haired ladies to see what practices and techniques were consistent among them. I was convinced that incorporating their practices (not products) would also lead to me having long hair, which was proven true for me as well. There was one on YT, I can't remember her name, I think it was Kimmaytube or something like that, she had a lot of success growing her hair to WL. She attributed her success to incorporating Aloe Vera into her HHJ. She made several videos on understanding the physical structure of hair and on pH. She mentioned that her hair thrives when she keeps her hair products pH at or slightly more acidic than normal hair pH, which is 4.5 - 5.5. What she said made sense! I tried Aloe Vera but my hair hated it. So I decided to stick with using Ayurvedic powders for their benefits as well as using them to keep my mixes at or slightly more acidic than standard hair pH. Once mixed with water (pH around 7) via the shower or a spray bottle, I am able to maintain my hair around hair's normal pH. I haven't experienced any ill effects from doing that over the years.

I can maintain hair around APL hair now without the powders (which feels short to me), but my hair has only thrived when I stay consistent with my slightly acidic Ayurvedic mixes. And by thrive, I mean hair that I maintain around MBL-WL, that has a natural shine when naked, it's bouncy and has a lot of movement (happy hair), it's strong and doesn't break when being handled, and I don't experience extraordinary shedding. I'm seeing my hair return back to that now that I've gone back to my mixes and I'm excited to get my maintained hair length back in the next year or so. I love coming in here and being affirmed or learning something new to help with that journey!

YES!

To all of this. So we up in here looking forward to seeing pictures of your long hair!!!!!

 

[snoop]

@snoop the main thing I have found is that the cleaner (more stripped by shampoo) the hair is, the straighter I can get it and the more body and glassy shine it can potentially have.

Oils and butters left in the hair, and non shampoo cleansers tend to not be able to remove the coated product build up on hair. As a result, when one attempts to have a heat straightened style, the hair poofs up and looks puffy as if you didn’t straighten it. That’s been my experience with my hair.

I personally am not a big heat protectant fan. Those products tend to weigh my hair down. I use Aphogee 2 Step immediately after sporting or wearing a heat straightened style. That Aphogee 2 Step fortifies my hair as it pertains to heat, better than any heat protectant could ever do.

So my blow out is gon' look like an afro, is what you're telling me...

 

[newgrowth15]

So my blow out is gon' look like an afro, is what you're telling me...

@snoop, if you deep condition before and apply a lightweight heat protectant, your hair should turn out beautifully. Check out @dontspeakdefeat's YouTube channel, Simply Tamika. She has several tutorials on how to use the RevAir for best results.

I can't wait to see your long and beautiful hair.

 

[MzSwift]

@snoop, if you deep condition before and apply a lightweight heat protectant, your hair should turn out beautifully. Check out @dontspeakdefeat's YouTube channel, Simply Tamika. She has several tutorials on how to use the RevAir for best results.

I can't wait to see your long and beautiful hair.

Me three, @snoop !!

 

[Chicoro]

So my blow out is gon' look like an afro, is what you're telling me...

IF, you don't prepare the hair well enough so that it can better take on a good blow dry result.

 

[Chicoro]

Participating in these Luscious Healthy Ends Challenges is what helped finally eliminate my velcro ends. I tried to make sure to list the names of people who provided information to me when I made changes that gave me significant results.


In July 2012 I left the US and came to France. In Fall of 2012 I gave myself a trim. Over a few days, I trimmed and re-trimmed and tried to fix my hair until my 'longer than tailbone length' hair barely reached my bra-strap. Years and years of care and growth gone in a matter of 2 to 4 days, cut by my own hand.

Sick hair is a real thing. Heartbroken hair is a real thing. New baby hair is a real thing. Hair is organic and is impacted by what is going during the days of our lives. Acknowledge your pain, sadness, stress, joy and or happiness and give yourself grace.

It has taken me twelve (12) years to get back on track. Within those (12) years I have had about three (3) cycles, that were about four (4) years long, where my hair stayed at a certain length or it continued to break to a shorter length, but not grow longer than that break length. From 2012 to 2024 my hair broke up to shoulder/armpit length. Got stalled at chest or bra-strap length. Broke off and got stalled between bra strap and waist length. And for the last four years, kept breaking and stalling just above waist length and breaking at hip length.

In 2024, I had just about given up. But, when I blow dried and trimmed my hair in September 2024, I was astonished to see that my hair almost completely covered my entire lower back, signifying that I was solidly back at hip length hair, moving toward tail-bone length.

But the MOST amazing thing of all is that my Velcro, tangled, breaking , sticky, rough, have to tear apart Brillo, hard ends are GONE!

• 2012-2016 - First 4 year cycle of breakage and very little length gain that started with an over trim and I lost interest in my hair. Hair stayed around armpits.
• 2017-2020 -Second 4 year cycle of breakage between waist length and hip length . Due to infrequent trims.
• 2021-2024- Third 4 year cycle of breakage due to using Olaplex Bonding Products. Hair broke back to above waist length. In June 2024 is when I started to notice I was leaving this break cycle.

I am documenting this for myself. And, I am sharing in the event something might help YOU to identify your hair challenges and get you and your hair permanently on the path on which you want to be.

The state of my hair in December 2024 will be the final determinant of whether I am truly out of this 12 year break cycle or not.



Below are the changes I made once I began to focus on my hair again in 2016.

Change No.	Ingredient/Product/Process	Time Frame	Added /Removed	Source	Result
1	Shea Butter	December 2016	Added	@ThatJerseyGirl	Stopped losing whole curls. Hair was less frizzy and was gaining some length. Quality of hair changed for the better as in fewer splits and knots on hair strand.
2	No Comb or Finger Styling (combed only when blowing out hair)	October 2017	Added	Women with 4C natural hair.	Less breakage and less hair lost during washing and re-doing hair.
3	Ends Routine (castor oil)	October 2017	Added	Me	Ends not as crispy the next day.
4	Olaplex 0 and 3	December 2021	Added	Me	Hair seemed to feel normal.
5	Olaplex 0 and 3	April 2022	Removed	Me	Heavy balls of broken hair came out after wash day. To be fair I was using a henna infused oil for the first time, too. That henna may have also contributed to the problem.
	Hair was gaining length	then it broke	back up	to my waist	BREAKAGE/Velcro Ends
6	Stopped Using Shampoo	January 2023	Removed	Me	Hair was stripped, sticky, velcro and crunchy after shampoo.
7	Started Using Clay Mix	January 2023	Added	@snoop	Hair felt less wiry and less traumatized after clay cleansing (Clay/Charcoal/Honey/Goat Milk)
8	Started Using Sprouted Fenugreek Oil	January 2024	Added	@newgrowth15	Softened hair to the touch.
9	Started Covering Hair at Night with Plastic Cap and Scarf	January 2024	Added	Me	Hair soft and moist in morning and not as crunchy or wiry at roots.
10	Started trimming hair every 3 Months	January 2024	Added	@keranikki	Empowered me to get over fear of overtiming. Now I feel totally autonomous and independent. Trimming was the last thing I felt dependent on hair stylist to do. I am FREE now and do this for myself. Hair hemline started to look even and more attractive.
11	Started applying clarifying shampoo on dry, dirty hair before blowdrying process. Followed up harsh clarifying shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo. Let sit on hair before washing, conditioning and blowdrying.	March 2024	Added	@Lylddlebit	Hair is thoroughly cleansed and not too stripped. A light conditioner can be used effectively and the subsequent blowdrying results are shiny, silky with body and all residue is removed . Hair is super clean.
12	Started blowdrying hair every 3 Months with comb attachment on dryer	January 2024	Added	Me	Changed my blow drying process by using a blowdryer with a comb attachment with high heat and high are and hair comes out silkier. Spray hair with water before blowdrying and do tiny, tiny sections from 12 to 25 sections.
13	Started back using Apogee 2 Step Every 3 Months	January 2024	Added	Me	Hair is not breaking as much and hair is gaining length.
14	Alerted about hard water in my area and why my ends continued to suffer and be dryer after wetting them with water.	June 2024	Added	@GettingKinky	@snoop found a map for France. So, I am conscious that my area has very hard water and need to keep this in mind. I wet my roots more than my ends now.
15	Oil and roll up ends of braids up to shoulders and secure with coated rubber bands.	September 2024	Added	Me	Hair no longer sticks together and has to be torn apart and broke on ends to unbraid. Sticky, velcro Brillo ends are completely eliminated. I cannot leave my ends loosened. They must be rolled up and protected.
16	Understand Shampoo Impact	December 2024	Confirmed	@MzSwift	Found that another person hair responds like my hair to shampoo. Thank goodness both our heads of hair return to normal after the next wash. pH of shampoo could be a problem but still do not no why shampoo is so problematic from a science standpoint, for some afro-textured hair.
17	Softening Up Shampoo	December 2024	Confirmed	Me	I forgot how I used to put oil in my shampoo to soften it up and remove some of the active surfactants to make the formulation less harsh. Will reinstate and use if I need to use shampoo but not plan to straighten.
18	Spray bottle Concoction	December 2024	Reinstated	Me	I usually just have water in my spray water when undoing my braids at night. I plan to add back water, aloe vera, pathenol, glycerine, Scurl, cheap shampoo, oil, essential oil

Added Lines 16, 17 and 18 to my chart!

 

[Chicoro]

December 20th, 2024 Luscious Ends Photo Update for Chicoro:


I did it!!!!!


I escaped my 12 Year Break Cycle!


In December I STILL continued to gain length.


Pictures from left to right both were taken on Friday, December 20th, 2024. Depending on how I hold my head and body and brush the ends of the hair, the hair is either just above my pants waistline or touching my pants waistline. I tried to take these photos as consistently as possible.

Hair is blowdried, flat-ironed on the side of the picture with arm on waist. I flat ironed half because I was tired and I don't like flat hair on me. But, it is good I did flat iron the very bottom at the nape, from ear to ear. That is because you can see how soft and silky my ends look.

My velcro and Brillo ends are completely GONE!!!!




Comparisons: Can see length gain at bottom left of corner. Hair dropped about 1 to 1.5 inches in length.

December 20th 2024 vs Sept 22nd. 2024. This is not an apples to apples comparison because the hair in
December is blow-dried and somewhat flat ironed. The hair on the right in September is only blowdried.




Comparison:

December 20th, 2024 to March 2024
You can see the length difference and gain in the December photos.







I am so grateful that I FINALLY got out of the break cycle of 12 Years. I know EXACTLY what I did to get here. It is working. December was my month to solidly confirm if I got it or not.

My hair is silky and soft from root to tip.

My velcro ends, the bane of the ENTIRE life of my hair journey, have been eradicated and eliminated!!!!!!


Now and Onward Goals :

1. Continue to gain and retain length.
2. Address the broken hairs all over my head.
3. Work to thicken my thin, wispy hair. (It's been breaking for so long, poor thing)
4. Continue to BEAUTIFY my hair and get it healthy now that I have finally STOPPED the BREAKAGE!
5. Continue to protect and avoid ever getting velcro ends again!
6. Extend trim cycle from every three (3) months to every four (4) months with first trim done at end of April 2025. Changing trim cycle from quarterly to trimesterly.

 

[Chicoro]

Now that I have finally stopped the breakage and identified and eliminated the source of my velcro ends, I can concentrate on cultivating luscious healthy ends. Understand, stopping the breakage and stopping velcro ends were ALL part of moving toward the luscious healthy ends journey. Focusing on my ends forced me to really see and understand my hair. And, I had a whole gallery and bevy of beauties to help me analyze and see what I could not.

Thank you, Ladies! I appreciate you all so very much!

 

[GettingKinky]

Congratulations @Chicoro you hair is beautiful! Your research, observations, persistence and dedication have paid off with amazing dividends.

 

[Napp]

I see the difference @Chicoro you have my dream length! I’m still in hair purgatory but hopefully I can reach some length

 

[Chicoro]

Congratulations @Chicoro you hair is beautiful! Your research, observations, persistence and dedication have paid off with amazing dividends.

Thank you, @GettingKinky . You helped me on my journey with your astute observation about hard water. And then @snoop found a chart regarding hard water in France. All of that helped me put the puzzle together.

Thank you for the compliments. I appreciate all the support and encouragement you have provided me.

 

[Chicoro]

I see the difference @Chicoro you have my dream length! I’m still in hair purgatory but hopefully I can reach some length

@Napp it is so good to hear from you and see you on the board.


Thank you for the confirmation and communicating that you see the difference. I honestly believe that you too can attain this length. I was in purgatory for 12 Years of Breakage, myself.

I have a chart in post #814 of this thread where I wrote down what I have been doing, implementing and adding and removing from my hair regimen and process. The chart didn't necessarily get out of my 12 Year Breakage Cycle but it helped me see what I was doing and helped to pinpoint what may have been some issues.

Maybe it can help you find your way. We all have our own way of doing things. I think putting everything on paper helped me to get some clarity. I could better see what actions and processes and products were making a difference and helping me stop the breakage.

Here is a copy for you:

 

[Napp]

@Napp it is so good to hear from you and see you on the board.


Thank you for the confirmation and communicating that you see the difference. I honestly believe that you too can attain this length. I was in purgatory for 12 Years of Breakage, myself.

I have a chart in post #814 of this thread where I wrote down what I have been doing, implementing and adding and removing from my hair regimen and process. The chart didn't necessarily get out of my 12 Year Breakage Cycle but it helped me see what I was doing and helped to pinpoint what may have been some issues.

Maybe it can help you find your way. We all have our own way of doing things. I think putting everything on paper helped me to get some clarity. I could better see what actions and processes and products were making a difference and helping me stop the breakage.

Here is a copy for you:


View attachment 500118

Thank you for the list. I am looking into what was working in the past for me too. When I had hair Botox I noticed I had much less breakage when I kept it up vs doing it once and growing it out. Same thing when I was relaxed too but I don’t like texturizer inconsistency over time.

I had decided to take a break from the hair community and was very close to giving up until I did a last ditch effort of getting a hair Botox and cutting my hair in a blunt style. (Between SL and APL) I can grow to apl but never longer. I would be happy with a full BSL at this point

Also I am using this gel that acts like original wetline and I love it. It gives me all the hold and little to no flakes. It’s called Xiomara gel and it’s a Latin American gel. But I’m so scared it will get like wetline changing formula and end up becoming crap

I also try to dc with heat more and I feel like it makes a difference

 

[MzSwift]

@Chicoro

OMG, what a fantastic update to read!! I'm so happy you were able to break your streak!! So uplifting and encouraging to read!! Woohoo!!

Your hair is looking fabulous!!

I'm so honored to be able to bear witness to your journey in real time! It's been so enlightening reading your posts as you do your self-reflection and analyses. And I'm super excited for your future updates! Time to start sitting on your hair!!


On another note: Dang! I was hoping to get my lil update in before the Rapunzels in here did!! lol

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro

OMG, what a fantastic update to read!! I'm so happy you were able to break your streak!! So uplifting and encouraging to read!! Woohoo!!

Your hair is looking fabulous!!

I'm so honored to be able to bear witness to your journey in real time! It's been so enlightening reading your posts as you do your self-reflection and analyses. And I'm super excited for your future updates! Time to start sitting on your hair!!


On another note: Dang! I was hoping to get my lil update in before the Rapunzels in here did!! lol

I am so looking forward to your hair update posting with photos. Please don't deny us the wonderful gift of seeing your gorgeous hair.

 

[Chicoro]

@Napp

I know you like phony ponytails to protect your ends. Look at this gorgeous updo to protect the ends:

 

[IDareT'sHair]

@Chicoro
Sis. Chicoro, Thank you for ALWAYS taking us to School. ,,,,
YOU BETTA' TEACH!

I feel like we are working on our Ph.D.'s in Hairology.

My Thanks to you and all the Ladies for the very detailed posts throughout the Healthy Ends Challenge

Lastly....Thank you for the Eye Candy and Congrats on achieving your Personal Hair Goals

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro
Sis. Chicoro, Thank you for ALWAYS taking us to School. ,,,,
YOU BETTA' TEACH!

I feel like we are working on our Ph.D.'s in Hairology.

My Thanks to you and all the Ladies for the very detailed posts throughout the Healthy Ends Challenge

Lastly....Thank you for the Eye Candy and Congrats on achieving your Personal Hair Goals

Thank you so much!

 

[Chicoro]

Okay, my last post of the evening.

I have already washed my hair. I put conditioner in it, rinsed it out and did an Aphogee 2 Step Treatment then conditioned again. The photos are naked hair with no styling products, just freshly washed and conditioned hair.

No matter how long my hair gets, or how long it hangs when heat straightened, my natural hair, free of products, NEVER hangs longer than my shoulders.

It's the magic of Afro-Textured hair!