Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2024

[keranikki]

Congratulations @Chicoro on your milestone! Also, thank you for always sharing your knowledge! Your hair is beautiful!

 

[GettingKinky]

@Chicoro I love your curls!!’

 

[keranikki]

I still have a weave in my hair, so I will post my end of year photos around the second week of January. My goal is to keep my hair hidden for the rest of the winter.

Before I had the weave installed my hair reached collarbone length. My stylist trimmed my hair just above collarbone length, so I think I will be back there after I take this weave out.

I have learned that my hair is just too fine for a lot of protective styles, so wigs and partial weaves are my best options. I heard that the price of hair is set to increase due to tariffs placed on China, so I may just have to bun on blow-dried hair as a protective style.

I have my staple products and I’m not interested in any new products at this time. I just want to be consistent for a year with my staples.

I really enjoyed you guys and always looked forward to reading your posts. I don’t know if there will be a 2025 thread, but I’m interested.

I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season. May the Creator and your ancestors continue to watch over you and may blessings abound in your life always.

 

[Chicoro]

Congratulations @Chicoro on your milestone! Also, thank you for always sharing your knowledge! Your hair is beautiful!

Thank you so much!

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro I love your curls!!’

Thank you!

 

[Chicoro]

I still have a weave in my hair, so I will post my end of year photos around the second week of January. My goal is to keep my hair hidden for the rest of the winter.

Before I had the weave installed my hair reached collarbone length. My stylist trimmed my hair just above collarbone length, so I think I will be back there after I take this weave out.

I have learned that my hair is just too fine for a lot of protective styles, so wigs and partial weaves are my best options. I heard that the price of hair is set to increase due to tariffs placed on China, so I may just have to bun on blow-dried hair as a protective style.

I have my staple products and I’m not interested in any new products at this time. I just want to be consistent for a year with my staples.

I really enjoyed you guys and always looked forward to reading your posts. I don’t know if there will be a 2025 thread, but I’m interested.

I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season. May the Creator and your ancestors continue to watch over you and may blessings abound in your life always.

Looking forward to seeing your photos in January!

 

[Chicoro]

@newgrowth15

Did you notice a change in your hair texture from the fenugreek/rosemay/clove oil?

I ask because I am starting to notice a change at the roots of my hair. It feels like I have 'new growth' coming in thick and coarser, as if I am growing out a relaxer. It's not just puffiness, it is thickness because I can't squeeze it down flat. It's a real, new thickness.

The hair around this area is maybe 4 inches if I stretch and pull it hard and if I am generous with giving it length of 4 inches. That is consistent with the time line of when I started using the oil. I think in my chart I said I started the oil in January but I think it was around March or April. Thus, that would allow for 8 months of growth which would be four (4) months of possible length gain and retention at the roots.

My hair seriously feels like I am growing out a relaxer and my roots are more textured than the bulk of my hair. I have not put any chemicals in my hair and I have not used any texture changing stuff, like bonding products in years.





Found it and Confirmed it!

1. Started Using Oil in April, so need about a month for the new growth to show through at around May - The sprouted fenugreek oil use is parallel to the 4 inches of changed hair texteure timeline ( May to December is 8 months. So about 1/2 inch of growth per month is about four (4) inches in total on average that is grown out. Which matches the length amount of my newer, thicker, coarser roots.
2. Fenugreek stops breakage and increases thickness!

@newgrowth15 post on March 21st, 2024, post #299 in this thread:​

Seeing all of the different methods and ways of making and using fenugreek is very exciting to me. My daughter suffered major breakage in her crown from using Olaplex last year (her hair is relaxed). She has been using a combination of the fenugreek oil, rice water and rosemary water in rotation ever since. She said the breakage has finally stopped and she is seeing new growth in the area. She asked me to cornrow her hair so that she can begin wearing wigs to give her hair a rest. With the amount of thickness and length she has already attained, I am expecting great results over these next few months.​

Oh! My! Goodness.... was it the....

Sprouted fenugreek oil???
- Was it the sprouted fenugreek/rosemary/clove oil that got me out of my 12 Year Break Cycle and created the new, thickened, four new inches of growth at my roots????

 

[Chicoro]

Do you want a 2025 Luscious Healthy Ends challenge?

 

[pikkonoloidlee]

I do

 

[faithVA]

Do you want a 2025 Luscious Healthy Ends challenge?

Yes please. I hope to be more active in 2025. 2024cwas just soooooo busy.

 

[GettingKinky]

@Chicoro are you saying that each strand is thicker in diameter or are you saying you have higher density?

If fenugreek increases density, I will start sprouting some today!

 

[newgrowth15]

@newgrowth15

Did you notice a change in your hair texture from the fenugreek/rosemay/clove oil?

I ask because I am starting to notice a change at the roots of my hair. It feels like I have 'new growth' coming in thick and coarser, as if I am growing out a relaxer. It's not just puffiness, it is thickness because I can't squeeze it down flat. It's a real, new thickness.

The hair around this area is maybe 4 inches if I stretch and pull it hard and if I am generous with giving it length of 4 inches. That is consistent with the time line of when I started using the oil. I think in my chart I said I started the oil in January but I think it was around March or April. Thus, that would allow for 8 months of growth which would be four (4) months of possible length gain and retention at the roots.

My hair seriously feels like I am growing out a relaxer and my roots are more textured than the bulk of my hair. I have not put any chemicals in my hair and I have not used any texture changing stuff, like bonding products in years.





Found it and Confirmed it!

1. Started Using Oil in April, so need about a month for the new growth to show through at around May - The sprouted fenugreek oil use is parallel to the 4 inches of changed hair texteure timeline ( May to December is 8 months. So about 1/2 inch of growth per month is about four (4) inches in total on average that is grown out. Which matches the length amount of my newer, thicker, coarser roots.
2. Fenugreek stops breakage and increases thickness!

@newgrowth15 post on March 21st, 2024, post #299 in this thread:​

Seeing all of the different methods and ways of making and using fenugreek is very exciting to me. My daughter suffered major breakage in her crown from using Olaplex last year (her hair is relaxed). She has been using a combination of the fenugreek oil, rice water and rosemary water in rotation ever since. She said the breakage has finally stopped and she is seeing new growth in the area. She asked me to cornrow her hair so that she can begin wearing wigs to give her hair a rest. With the amount of thickness and length she has already attained, I am expecting great results over these next few months.​

Oh! My! Goodness.... was it the....

Sprouted fenugreek oil???
- Was it the sprouted fenugreek/rosemary/clove oil that got me out of my 12 Year Break Cycle and created the new, thickened, four new inches of growth at my roots????

@Chicoro, I can only hope it was the oil. My hair has gotten thicker, softer and healthier since I began using the oil. I can attribute it to the oil because the only other change I made was switching to Nexxus shampoo and conditioner. Everything else stayed exactly the same.

 

[newgrowth15]

Count me in for the 2025 Challenge.

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro are you saying that each strand is thicker in diameter or are you saying you have higher density?

If fenugreek increases density, I will start sprouting some today!

I feel like each strand is thicker AND that the hair density has increased.

 

[BeautifulRoots]

I would like a 2025 challenge as well. I'm in.

 

[snoop]

Do you want a 2025 Luscious Healthy Ends challenge?

I'd be in!

 

[GettingKinky]

I feel like each strand is thicker AND that the hair density has increased.

Wow! I don’t necessarily want thicker strands, but I do want more density.

Does that mean you have a lot of short hairs that are ~4 inches long?

 

[Chicoro]

Wow! I don’t necessarily want thicker strands, but I do want more density.

Does that mean you have a lot of short hairs that are ~4 inches long?

No.

It means my hair is super puffy and thick around my roots. It is as if all my other hair was relaxed and I have new growth coming in that is no longer relaxed but natural. That new growth is about 4 inches long. Meaning, on my hair strand, from the root to about 4 inches down, the hair is thicker and coarser. Once you get passed the root and the four inches, on that same strand, the texture is softer and the hair strand is finer. These changes are on the same strand of hair.


The hair has two textures. At the root it is coarse and hard and the strand itself is thicker. Down the strand close to the ends, the same strand is thinner, softer and has less texture compared to the root.

Sometimes the ends of the hair can be thinner because the cuticles on the hair strand have worn away.

This is not the case for my hair. I believe that fenugreek oil has impacted the texture of my hair.

The only other caveat is that I do know my hair texture changes about every 7 years. It gets finer and straighter over a seven year period. Then it swings back and moves toward becoming coarser over the next seven years. So, it could be my hair moving toward coarseness again on that new 7 year trajectory.

I am more inclined to believe it to be the sprouted oil as the growth, 4 inches, aligns with the timeline in which I started using the oil. If hair grows about 1/2 an inch per month, and May 1st was about 30 days of using the oil and I had 8 months of use from May to December, that’s about four inches (8 months x 1/2).

 

[Chicoro]

@GettingKinky

I took these visuals for you. @newgrowth15 based on your experience and the photos, what are your thoughts? Did your family have visible texture differences from using the oil?


In this first picture with my finger tips showing, you can see the mound of hair sticking up around the root of the bantu. This is not just puff. This is dense hair that I cannot push down. It is coarse, thick and dense.
to


This one I am trying to pull the tape measure and show the 4 inches of hair from the root.
The hair is coarser, has more texture and more density than the hair on the other end of my fingers.


Below, you can really see the difference in texture from the root to where my
fingers are touching. The hair is super textured from the root. Right after
the four inch mark of the measuring tape, you can see the texture soften
and the hair is straighter than at the root. And if you see the section of
hair directly below my fingers, you can see the same tightness of curls or the same
extra texture near the roots and then about 4 inches out, you can see how
the hair looks straighter, and there is no 'pulling' or 'stretching' the hair
from fingers as there is nothing touching the hair section just below
my fingers.



In this picture you can really see the tighter, curlier, wavier texture around the root.
When I put bantu knots in my hair, it makes my roots straighter, not wavier.


I have no relaxer in my hair. This 'new growth' is hair that I've grown in the last 8 months.
The only thing (product) I added was that sprouted fenugreek/rosemary/clove oil.
The hair around my roots, about 4 inches of new growth in the last 8 months is clearly different
from the rest of my hair.
Started using oil in April 2024. So, results or 1/2 inch of hair impacted by oil would be see-able around
May 1st. May 1st to December 24th is eight months. So 1/2 inch per month over 8 months is 4 inches o
length gained in total.

 

[GettingKinky]

Thanks @Chicoro for the detailed explanation!

When you said your density increased thought you meant more hairs per square inch, but you mean that the hairs you have take up more space and therefore your hair is more dense.

 

[keranikki]

Do you want a 2025 Luscious Healthy Ends challenge?

Yes, I do!

 

[faithVA]

Here is my end of year check-in. Making progress but still a ways to go. The back of my hair is the finest and the curliest and so it is the hardest to retain. And because it is so short, it is more prone to tangles, splits, etc. But as it grows I will be more able to keep it stretched to reduce it curling back on itself. The front and sides of my hair are longer and so I have far fewer splits in these sections.

For 2025, I need to figure out a better way to remove shed hairs on wash day. I think this is also a culprit in splits because I have to manipulate my hair so much to free them from my hair.

I took off 3/4" all over and then did a search and destroy because I have so many layers. When my hair reaches an even SL all over I will get a blunt cut which should help out a lot as well.

December 2023


December 2024

 

[newgrowth15]

@faithVA, you have made tremendous progress from your TWA days. Have you tried washing and conditioning your hair in braided sections to reduce tangles? It takes a little longer, but it definitely helps me keep more of my hair on my head. Also have you tried adding a little bit of oil to your hair on top of your second shampoo? I'm not saying to mix oil into your shampoo, but to apply the shampoo, lather it up in your hair and then add a little bit of oil to your hair before rinsing it out together.

 

[faithVA]

@faithVA, you have made tremendous progress from your TWA days. Have you tried washing and conditioning your hair in braided sections to reduce tangles? It takes a little longer, but it definitely helps me keep more of my hair on my head. Also have you tried adding a little bit of oil to your hair on top of your second shampoo? I'm not saying to mix oil into your shampoo, but to apply the shampoo, lather it up in your hair and then add a little bit of oil to your hair before rinsing it out together.

Thank you @newgrowth15 I am glad to finally make progress. And thank you for the suggestions.

My hair doesn't really tangle which is a good thing. But I am a heavy shedder. And with my tight coils my hair sheds then coils up and moves up towards my scalp. So even if I braid it or section it off I have not found a great way to remove it without having to go through each section 4 or 5 times with a different tool.

I tried the oil a couple of years ago. I used it for a while but found I had better retention and my hair didn't dry out so much if I didn't use oil at all.

I'm thinking when it gets longer maybe I need to preposition or something and remove the shed hairs then or get one of those triple teeth combs. Or maybe I just need to keep my hair stretched with some heat so they can escape.

 

[newgrowth15]

I have had my fourth and final trim for 2024. My routine for most of the year has been shampoo, condition, leave-in, oil and spray with distilled water. I put it in two strand twists with braided roots which I redo every two weeks.

As previously stated, this is the first time in my entire life that I have stuck with a quarterly trim schedule and my hair is thriving as a result.

Edit: I forgot to include that I apply my whipped Shea butter mix to my hair and ends before twisting it. That is what I believe has caused my strands to thicken. Notice on the bottom left of the September picture, my hair is see-through, but in December it looks a lot thicker because it is.

 

[GettingKinky]

Nice progress @newgrowth15!

 

[Chicoro]

Here is my end of year check-in. Making progress but still a ways to go. The back of my hair is the finest and the curliest and so it is the hardest to retain. And because it is so short, it is more prone to tangles, splits, etc. But as it grows I will be more able to keep it stretched to reduce it curling back on itself. The front and sides of my hair are longer and so I have far fewer splits in these sections.

For 2025, I need to figure out a better way to remove shed hairs on wash day. I think this is also a culprit in splits because I have to manipulate my hair so much to free them from my hair.

I took off 3/4" all over and then did a search and destroy because I have so many layers. When my hair reaches an even SL all over I will get a blunt cut which should help out a lot as well.

December 2023
View attachment 500176View attachment 500178

December 2024
View attachment 500182View attachment 500180

I see a lot of gains.

Firstly, the thing I notice in your ending photo @faithVA , in @newgrowth15 and in mine is how the hair hangs flatter, and heavier. This is a GOOD thing. I am not sure if that the hair has more internal moisture and thus it is hanging 'heavier' or what. But what I DO know, is that this flatter, heavier hanging hair seems to ALWAYS appear when the hair is in better health. It is NOT necessarily due to being blow dried in the first picture and flat ironed in the second picture, as was the case with me and maybe with both you an newgrowth15. This flatter, heavier hanging hair looks different and I have found it is a sign of deeper, better care and health of the hair. The hair just looks DIFFERENT and healthier.

Secondly, in the December 2023 sideview photo I noticed the hair at the front, top of your hairline is outside of the frame of the photo. I blew up the photo to get a better view but I could not see that hair clearly. If I could have seen the length of that hair in the picture, I could give a more definitive and sure answer. But, I think I can see enough to be sure about what I am going to say next. When I look at the side view from 2023 and compare it to 2024, at a glance I see about 1 inch of length gain. WRONG! Your hair started around your glasses and ended up 1-2 inches below your chin. THAT, my friend is an incredible 4-6 inch length GAIN in 12 months!!!!!!

Thirdly, if the assumption in the aforementioned paragraph above is correct, then we get a huge piece of information. We get a great peak into your hair's growing pattern. That is a key. Your hair grows from the inner crown area down to gain length. The majority of your growth in 2024 looked like it came from the crown down, to below your chin. So, not only is your hair growing, you are able to gain great lengths during a 12 month cycle.

Fourthly, there is something that your hair is needing to keep your length. It looks to me like you made some kind of change between December 2023 and December 2024 that may have been harder on your ends in 2024. I noticed your hair color is different. Did you change the color, the brand, the type of hair color you use at all during Dec 2023 to Dec 2024? Did you make any other changes? Did you change how you wear your hair? Did you change a hair care product?

Fifthly, when I look at the front facing photo of the December 2024 image, I can see the ends of your hair. Very few if any splits or knots. That tells me that the hair has been protected. So then I ask, are you or have you been wearing/braiding or using added hair or extensions in combination with your natural hair? Are you wearing wigs? Are you wearing hats or head coverings during the day?

How are you styling and wearing your hair on a daily basis? Are you doing flat twists? Are you putting anything on the ends to seal them or to keep them from tangling? When is your tangling and knotting happening - only during wash days or on other days, too?

 

[newgrowth15]

Nice progress @newgrowth15!

@GettingKinky, thank you.

 

[Chicoro]

I have had my fourth and final trim for 2024. My routine for most of the year has been shampoo, condition, leave-in, oil and spray with distilled water. I put it in two strand twists with braided roots which I redo every two weeks.

As previously stated, this is the first time in my entire life that I have stuck with a quarterly trim schedule and my hair is thriving as a result.

It looks to me like there's another 'inch' of length that we are not able to see in your December 2024 picture. What I mean is that in the September photo, I do see that hair is not as straight, but that is not what I mean.

In the September photo your chin is dropped down toward your chest AND your shoulders are a bit more rounded. Although the head is dropped forward, the rounded shoulders lift UP your shoulders so the hair can look like it is touching farther down the back than it really is. In your December 2024 picture, your shoulders are straight and your head is straight. If I don't analyze the photos, there is about an inch of length gain. But once I take into account the difference in body position, I can see ANOTHER inch added on. That fact plus you got a trim indicates AT LEAST 2 inches of length gained in those four (4) months. So it looks like you gained OVER 1/2 inch per month on average and retained 2 inches after the trim.

In the September 2024 picture on the left and on your left side in the photo, you have some shorter hair that looks like it is right above or near your ear. In the December 2024 picture I can't really see that hair anymore based upon the angle of the photo. BUT, if that hair that was up to your ear is now down to your shoulders, then you have gained more than 2 inches of hair in that section. That would tell me that like @faithVA , you too have a very fast-growing and prolific crown area.

 

[Chicoro]

Three more days left in 2024. Then, the we start the lusciousness journey in 2025.