Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2025

[Chicoro]

I finally took my braids down, after having my hair braided up all of last year and four months into this one. I started last night and finished this morning. Even though I’ve been consistently trimming my ends- cutting away heat damage in my crown, as well as allowing my shorter layers to catch up by trimming my longest lengths down, I was so eager to see how my hair was coming along overall because I haven’t seen it all loose for so long (as I type, I just realised that I forgot to DC with my DC!) I did use the standard con from the Amika Hydro line, and got so steamy in the shower that my smoke alarms went off .

My hair looks and feels much healthier than when I began this routine. My shrinkage is back to pre-henna days. I trimmed today, after one pass with my ceramic flat iron at 199°C. I am happy with my progress.View attachment 502916View attachment 502918

Your hair is gorgeous! You can see all the love and care you put into your hair. It is super thick, full, rich in color and long.



Question: What did you mean about the shrinkage is like your pre-henna days? Does henna change your hair?
Does it make your natural hair straighter?
And if it does change your natural texture in any way, do you still consider henna good for your hair?

@GGsKin is

FINE as WINE, too!

Look at those beautiful, defined arms and shoulders that taper down to a cinched in tiny waist,
with a body to rival any 1990's Runway Model Icon.

I see that stunning, chiseled cheekbone peeking out of your photo. You are so magnificently
made, from Head to Toe, that
YOU look like a sculpture created by Da Vinci the, Great Renaissance Incarnate artist himself,
a priceless masterpiece,
an artifact that was stolen from a museum and
who
has now come to life.

With hair to match!

Congratulations on your one-year protective style journey!
The results and fruit of your labor are magazine ready, beautiful, healthy hair.
Bravo!




​

 

[GGsKin]

Thank you @ScorpioLove

Your hair is gorgeous! You can see all the love and care you put into your hair. It is super thick, full, rich in color and long.



Question: What did you mean about the shrinkage is like your pre-henna days? Does henna change your hair?
Does it make your natural hair straighter?
And if it does change your natural texture in any way, do you still consider henna good for your hair?

@GGsKin is

FINE as WINE, too!

Look at those beautiful, defined arms and shoulders that taper down to a cinched in tiny waist,
with a body to rival any 1990's Runway Model Icon.

I see that stunning, chiseled cheekbone peeking out of your photo. You are so magnificently
made, from Head to Toe, that
YOU look like a sculpture created by Da Vinci the, Great Renaissance Incarnate artist himself,
a priceless masterpiece,
an artifact that was stolen from a museum and
who
has come alive.

With hair to match!

Congratulations on your one-year protective style journey!
The results and fruit of your labor are magazine ready, beautiful, healthy hair.
Bravo!




​

@Chicoro As well as that beautifully scientific brain of yours, you are so poetic with your observations. Thank you for the compliments. You do know how to make someone blush.

I only started using henna after I joined this board. I actually love henna, and the colour it gives my hair, but after using it consistently for a few years, and wearing my hair in a wash and go for the majority of my natural hair journey, I noticed that I never had extreme shrinkage in my wash n go- which is unusual for my hair type. My ends in my crown and towards the front of my hair started to appear less coily and more flattened out in a wash n go. I always squished BAQ henna into my hair- research here made me mindful that too much smoothing could alter my curl pattern. At the time I also had crazy splits that weren’t apparent in my natural state, so it’s possible it was having that straightening effect on hair that was already compromised. I straightened my hair a few years ago, and discovered a large hole in my hemline. If I had access to those pics right now, I would re-post here. I did post somewhere on this forum at the time. I was heartbroken because I was doing so much- including trimming! The only thing I wasn’t doing was moisturising frequently.

I stopped henna use for a while so that I could focus on giving my hair moisture, and get to the root of my hair issues. In daylight, I can still see a couple of inches of henna on my ends. Henna likely helped keep my mangled ends attached to my head far longer than they would’ve been without it. I still have a henna stash and don’t see it as a bad thing.

 

[Angel of the North]

I finally took my braids down, after having my hair braided up all of last year and four months into this one. I started last night and finished this morning. Even though I’ve been consistently trimming my ends- cutting away heat damage in my crown, as well as allowing my shorter layers to catch up by trimming my longest lengths down, I was so eager to see how my hair was coming along overall because I haven’t seen it all loose for so long (as I type, I just realised that I forgot to DC with my DC!) I did use the standard con from the Amika Hydro line, and got so steamy in the shower that my smoke alarms went off .

My hair looks and feels much healthier than when I began this routine. My shrinkage is back to pre-henna days. I trimmed today, after one pass with my ceramic flat iron at 199°C. I am happy with my progress.View attachment 502916View attachment 502918

Your hair looks full, healthy and pretty You're doing great! Lol at the smoke alarms going off

 

[Chicoro]

Thank you @ScorpioLove

@Chicoro As well as that beautifully scientific brain of yours, you are so poetic with your observations. Thank you for the compliments. You do know how to make someone blush.

I only started using henna after I joined this board. I actually love henna, and the colour it gives my hair, but after using it consistently for a few years, and wearing my hair in a wash and go for the majority of my natural hair journey, I noticed that I never had extreme shrinkage in my wash n go- which is unusual for my hair type. My ends in my crown and towards the front of my hair started to appear less coily and more flattened out in a wash n go. I always squished BAQ henna into my hair- research here made me mindful that too much smoothing could alter my curl pattern. At the time I also had crazy splits that weren’t apparent in my natural state, so it’s possible it was having that straightening effect on hair that was already compromised. I straightened my hair a few years ago, and discovered a large hole in my hemline. If I had access to those pics right now, I would re-post here. I did post somewhere on this forum at the time. I was heartbroken because I was doing so much- including trimming! The only thing I wasn’t doing was moisturising frequently.

I stopped henna use for a while so that I could focus on giving my hair moisture, and get to the root of my hair issues. In daylight, I can still see a couple of inches of henna on my ends. Henna likely helped keep my mangled ends attached to my head far longer than they would’ve been without it. I still have a henna stash and don’t see it as a bad thing.

Thank you for the detailed response to my inquiry about the henna.

I appreciate the compliments as well. Oooo weee! I have a beautifully scientific brain AND I am poetic, too? Hair book writing and publishing, I am coming!!!!

 

[GGsKin]

Your hair looks full, healthy and pretty You're doing great! Lol at the smoke alarms going off

Thank you @Angel of the North

 

[Angel of the North]

I can’t do thick products on my scalp either, I posted pictures in the scalp care thread but my follicles do not want to be more clogged than they naturally get. I definitely would do a scalp spray but for now I am using water based scalp serums I can just buy.

I love using lotion crafters for raw ingredients when I am more in the mood for mixology so perhaps check if some of the items you want are there.

Be sure to share some of your recipes when you get back on making your own products

Thank you for the recommendation, unfortunately they are in they USA, I'm in the UK. There are quite a few suppliers available over here, obviously the quality of the products is important, I like to buy organic and unrefined responsibly sourced raw ingredients where possible too.

 

[Angel of the North]

@Chicoro Your posts have given me joy and laughter this weekend, thank you

 

[Chicoro]

Oksy, I FINALLY got around to making my Aubrey Organics Tofu inspired amino acid hair mask.

I found on lone box of tofu in my stash, because this town where I live does NOT have tofu in stock. Anyway, I used amino acids from my stash. I added Vodka to put the powdered amino acids in suspension, added shea butter, aloe vera, flax seed oil powdered vitamin B5. I'm trying to use up stuff, too. Put it in the blender.

I applied it to DRY, DIRTY hair. I am letting it sit now. I stopped doing this just because I fell off the wagon. I haven't done one of these masks with tofu and amino acid in YEARS. Got off track with fancy products in the store.

I'm going to rinse it out and do a pre-poo with glycerin, oil and aloe vera. Wash with @ snoop Clay Mix and then deep condition and put some essential oil in
my conditioner so my hair is left smelling pretty and fresh.

Process for today:

1. Tofu amino acid mask on dry, dirty hair. Leave on for 30 minutes​
2. Prepoo with oil, glycerine and aloe vera to detangle and cleans scalp.​
3. Wash with @snoop Clay Mix.​
4. Deep condition​
5. Braid and roll up ends.​

 

[Chicoro]

I'm scheduled to blow out and trim my hair at the end of April.

I extended my trim from three (3) months to four (4) months, which will fall at the end of April.


Thus far, I have not noticed any significant breakage or whiteness or weathering on my ends.

One part of me, like a fiending addict

whispered,

'Don't trim. Wait until three more months. Do it around end of July."


But in the words of Taylor Swift,

I had to

I'm trimming at the end of April. Period.

My hair had such an incredible turnaround due to the five (5) trims I did in 2024. No more trimming every four (4) years for me.


I am tired of being the Set Back Queen. The only Queen related to hair of which I choose to associate myself is Queen Shea. As effective as Shea butter can be on hair, she shines and works optimally within an effective, already working hair care routine.

I think I am washing weekly until the end of April. So, that's about three washes, including this weekend.