Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2025

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro Thanks for the compliments! My curls have been transformed with this new stylist. Yesterday she talked the shape she's planning to take my hair over this year including silk press (once we both think it will look nice).

Now, your hair is GORGEOUS! Do you trim your own hair?

What exactly do you think you stylist did to transform your hair?

Can you walk us in detail and tell us about what products and processes she has implemented in your hair care regimen to bring about such incredible, undeniable, visible changes in your hair, please?

I think a lot of us could benefit from knowing some of this detailed information. The proof is in the pudding as it relates to the transformation. And you have explicitly stated that your stylist, indubitably, is THE reason for the transformation of your hair.


Do tell, please-please-please!

Thank you for the compliments regarding my hair! I appreciate it very much. YES! I do trim my own hair.

I will say in 2012 when I butchered my hair and cut my hair up above my bra strap trying to fix my initial, incorrect trim. It has taken me 12 years to come back from that set-back. The trim set me upon the set-back, but other things after that kept me on the set-back trail. 99% of it was my own doing. Can't blame anyone else.

I do a very simple 'three cut trim'. I section my hair in three parts: 2 sections in the front, and one section in the back. I trim the two sections separately. Then, I put the back in a ponytail and trim that across.

I use professional sharp shears and I trim a little bit at a time. Once I cut it, it is gone forever. I don't get it trimmed professionally because the last time I was in a shop, I felt humiliated and was made to feel that my concerns of her possible over cutting my hair were, laughable and comical and I felt mocked and laughed at. That was in 2014 and the last time I stepped foot in a hair salon for a service.

That was the last straw for me. So I had to bite the bullet and take a chance and learn to trim for myself. I traumatized my own self from that messed up cut I did on my hair in 2012. But it was go back and continue to be humiliated and mocked, or, man-up, get over the mistake I made, and learn how to trim my hair in a way that was satisfactory to me.

I finally learned in 2024. I was inspired by @keranikki and her fabulous results from her micro-trims. Her information and her photos proved the effectiveness of what she was doing. She provided videos to help us see what her process was. I was bolstered and encouraged by her directly and indirectly.

By learning to trim my own hair, now I am 100% Completely free of stylists.

 

[pikkonoloidlee]

Just got finished taking out my twists. Started last night and got the back done and then did the front this afternoon/evening.

This is how much hair came out lol. I did re-do some of the twists as needed so this isn't all of the shed hair from the last 2 months.



I'm considering taking a closer look through the hair and seeing what the overall condition was but looks good at a cursory glance.

 

[pikkonoloidlee]

This is another view of the same braid. It looks like it is thickening and becoming
the same thickness from root to tip. Many stylist and other people say I need
to trim and cut away the thinner part of the braid until it is all the same thickness.
NOPE. I will trim every 4 months as my hair gains length. When I get to my goal or
ideal length, I will trim my hair there at that length. I will 'hold' my hair at that length
by trimming all hair a that length until all the hair reaches that length and the bulk
of my hair is the same thickness up and down the length. THEN, my braids will
be the same thickness from root to tip.

This way of trimming has always made the most sense to me. The idea of trying to get things perfectly even while also trying to grow length seems like it would be at odds.

Hair growth is organic and I think there's so many reasons why you may see thinness towards the ends that is not necessarily damage.

 

[faithVA]

So, I had my 2 month (~ 10 week) visit with my new stylist. One of the big things I wanted was someone to take regular pictures for me to use and track in 2025. Photos are one of the BEST ways to track your progress and judge if products/techniques are working, no matter how small the change may be. In my case, here are my differences based on my hair in 2025 vs 2018.

Left = today (Feb 2025)
Right = 2018

View attachment 501274
As you can see, that last area at the crown is what I'm hoping to improve. What gives me hope is that I have baby hairs growing, which means I still have active follicles to reactivate.

This tells me that I really need to go hard with my amla & fenugreek masks to help rescue as many follicles as I can and keep them nourished.

Congratulations on your recovery and progress. Things are looking great!

 

[faithVA]

Now I'm showcasing my lower back braid today.

I have learned some hard lessons about my hair. It is NOT enough to braid my hair and leave my ends out.
I MUST:

1. Grease the last 1/2 of my braid.
2. Roll up my braids and secure with a coated rubber band.
3. Re-braid my hair every 3 days, or the fuzziness breaks off and my hair frays and creates a web of tangled hair and strangles the braid in tangles.
4. Keep my ends in the center of the rolled up ball of hair to keep it moist or it will get matted and I have to tear and break it to undo my braids.

If I want to preserve the hair and not tangle it, I have to slick and slather it with Shea butter
or petroleum jelly and then roll it up neatly.
View attachment 501300

If you look closely at the base of the braid in the back,
you can see the fuzzy broken hair. It was worse
before. The more I cover my hair at night, the less
breakage and fuzzies I have back there.

View attachment 501302

This is another view of the same braid. It looks like it is thickening and becoming
the same thickness from root to tip. Many stylist and other people say I need
to trim and cut away the thinner part of the braid until it is all the same thickness.
NOPE. I will trim every 4 months as my hair gains length. When I get to my goal or
ideal length, I will trim my hair there at that length. I will 'hold' my hair at that length
by trimming all hair a that length until all the hair reaches that length and the bulk
of my hair is the same thickness up and down the length. THEN, my braids will
be the same thickness from root to tip.


I slather unmixed Shea butter and slick my hair down from where my pinky
is to the ends of my braid. Then I roll it up and a secure it with a rubber band.
View attachment 501304

Here's my braid after it has been greased up, balled up, rolled up and secured with
coated rubber bands.

View attachment 501306

The hair looks 'juicy' because I have used a spray bottle concoction of
water, Scurl, cheap conditioner. I add more ingredients to my spray
concoction but I plan on washing this weekend and don't want to waste
my products and ingredients. That white stuff is the residue of conditioner
and Scurl from my spray bottle. It usually absorbs into my hair and dissipates
by the time I leave the house.

View attachment 501310

I have always loved and to this day, LOVE my braids. My beautiful,
accomplished Auntie who I adored, who has since passed on, used to
express her disappointment that I never wore my hair down. I used to
feel kind of guilty like maybe I was missing out. But, now I have embraced
wearing braids because it is simply a style that I just very much enjoy.

View attachment 501312

Your braids are so nice. They do look juicy!

 

[faithVA]

Changed it up a little this week.

On Friday morning, I applied the Hollywood Hair Oil to my scalp. Then I applied conditioner to my hair and took out my twist.
I actually wore a twist out to work for a change.

-This morning, applied the hair oil again before I worked out.
-Rinsed my hair and combed through it to prepare for my bond treatment.
-Applied Bond Bar Booster for 10 minutes and rinsed
-Applied Bond Bar treatment, whatever it is called, while I did something else. Then I rinsed.
-Applied Mielle deep conditioner and ran some errands.
-When I got back I forgot I had not shampooed and I was so sad
-So, I shampooed just once and then conditioned and detangled. (Prose shampoo and conditioner) - I used my Denman to detangle this time. I think I will stick with this instead of the shampoo brush.
-I applied the Mielle leave-in in the shower and decided to try a bit less to see how that worked out. I tried between 3 and 4 pumps per section instead of the 5 I was using before. I think this was enough.
-Out of the shower I added the As I Am gel and spritzed it with water and put it into 4 Bantu knots. I tried about 1.5 to 2 tsp of gel per section.
-I put in my regular twist. They look a bit fuller this week and I think that is due to less product.


During the Week
1. Massaged my scalp with Hollywood Hair Oil daily.
2. Sprayed the bottom half of my twist with Camille Rose spray at least twice.

Note:
Use the Mielle Deep conditioner after a shampoo but not after the bond treatment. It leaves my hair a little greasy. Maybe it works better before the leave-in.

I won't repurchase the Bond Bar. Although it is less expensive than K18, it is more time consuming. I have to get in and out of the shower at least twice and then it adds the extra 20 minutes. I could be done with just 1 step and 4 minutes with K18.

Based on my new growth, it looks like I can put off coloring my hair until the end of March.

Until next week!

 

[GettingKinky]

@Chicoro I knew you rolled up the ends of your braids, but I never realized how much length you roll up. Your unrolled braid is super long!

 

[mzteaze]

What exactly do you think you stylist did to transform your hair?

Can you walk us in detail and tell us about what products and processes she has implemented in your hair care regimen to bring about such incredible, undeniable, visible changes in your hair, please?

I think a lot of us could benefit from knowing some of this detailed information. The proof is in the pudding as it relates to the transformation. And you have explicitly stated that your stylist, indubitably, is THE reason for the transformation of your hair.


Do tell, please-please-please!

Thank you for the compliments regarding my hair! I appreciate it very much. YES! I do trim my own hair.

I will say in 2012 when I butchered my hair and cut my hair up above my bra strap trying to fix my initial, incorrect trim. It has taken me 12 years to come back from that set-back. The trim set me upon the set-back, but other things after that kept me on the set-back trail. 99% of it was my own doing. Can't blame anyone else.

I do a very simple 'three cut trim'. I section my hair in three parts: 2 sections in the front, and one section in the back. I trim the two sections separately. Then, I put the back in a ponytail and trim that across.

I use professional sharp shears and I trim a little bit at a time. Once I cut it, it is gone forever. I don't get it trimmed professionally because the last time I was in a shop, I felt humiliated and was made to feel that my concerns of her possible over cutting my hair were, laughable and comical and I felt mocked and laughed at. That was in 2014 and the last time I stepped foot in a hair salon for a service.

That was the last straw for me. So I had to bite the bullet and take a chance and learn to trim for myself. I traumatized my own self from that messed up cut I did on my hair in 2012. But it was go back and continue to be humiliated and mocked, or, man-up, get over the mistake I made, and learn how to trim my hair in a way that was satisfactory to me.

I finally learned in 2024. I was inspired by @keranikki and her fabulous results from her micro-trims. Her information and her photos proved the effectiveness of what she was doing. She provided videos to help us see what her process was. I was bolstered and encouraged by her directly and indirectly.

By learning to trim my own hair, now I am 100% Completely free of stylists.

I had a rather awful trim in October that ended in a terrible wedge trim with my previous stylist. I explained how much I hated this style to K, the new stylist. She looked at my hair, texture and recommended a deep scalp cleanse after viewing my scalp with her camera AND taking a detailed history. She took about 15+ minutes to review my photos and ask a bunch of questions. The deep scalp cleanse is a two step product that's applied then you sit under steam to remove any build up.

At the wash bowl, she took time to note my natural curl. She trimmed the really dry crunchy ends, then applied a mix of Tru Balance mousse & The Doux styling cream. She used a Denman Jack Dean comb (see below) and applied Tru Balance mousse and The Doux to each layer. Once my hair dried, she checked the shape again and made small trims to ensure my shape looked right.

The way she cut my hair allows me to easily maintain my curls, so I'm guessing that she removed some of the weight which allowed the springy part of curls to come back. So each wash day after the initial trim has my curls looking better and better.

 

[Chicoro]

I had a rather awful trim in October that ended in a terrible wedge trim with my previous stylist. I explained how much I hated this style to K, the new stylist. She looked at my hair, texture and recommended a deep scalp cleanse after viewing my scalp with her camera AND taking a detailed history. She took about 15+ minutes to review my photos and ask a bunch of questions. The deep scalp cleanse is a two step product that's applied then you sit under steam to remove any build up.

At the wash bowl, she took time to note my natural curl. She trimmed the really dry crunchy ends, then applied a mix of Tru Balance mousse & The Doux styling cream. She used a Denman Jack Dean comb (see below) and applied Tru Balance mousse and The Doux to each layer. Once my hair dried, she checked the shape again and made small trims to ensure my shape looked right.

The way she cut my hair allows me to easily maintain my curls, so I'm guessing that she removed some of the weight which allowed the springy part of curls to come back. So each wash day after the initial trim has my curls looking better and better.

View attachment 501324

Thank you for taking the time to detail your process and thank you for being so generous with your information.

When I looked at your most recent photo comparison you posted, right away I noticed something different about your curls. The way I named it was to say that I had never seen curls or hair strands that were so symmetrical:

• All the same length (from the trim)
• All going the same direction (from application of styling mousse)
• All the same strand thickness (from follicular activity - cleansed scalp)

Up until you posting the photos, I have never noticed this before. I look at hundreds of pictures and I hawk-like observation skills, especially when it comes to hair.

This is what JUMPED out at me from you post:

1. So your stylist removed damaged, dry ends. She trimmed the damaged ends away which got rid of dryness and any other damage related issues and put your strands at the same time length, in relation to the style/cut she gave you.
2. The hair strands are going the same direction on either side of your part because she fortified the strands with mousse for a firm hold but adds a layer of styling cream to keep the hair soft. The mousse is controlling the direction of the hair and keeping the bulk of the curls slightly airborne and going in the same direction and holding there, softly.
3. Your strands are the same thickness due to the follicular activity on your scalp. There are not miniaturized hair strands due to faulty follicle activity. All your hair strands are the same thickness. She optimized this process by deep cleansing your scalp to ensure the hair follicles can function optimally without have to fight in product build-up or dead skin buildup.

I always say the details are what make the difference.

I can clearly see why you hair is thriving under K the stylist. What a blessing to have found someone who is knowledgeable and who can effectively help you resolve your hair challenges. Wow!

 

[Chicoro]

Just got finished taking out my twists. Started last night and got the back done and then did the front this afternoon/evening.

This is how much hair came out lol. I did re-do some of the twists as needed so this isn't all of the shed hair from the last 2 months.

View attachment 501318

I'm considering taking a closer look through the hair and seeing what the overall condition was but looks good at a cursory glance.

This quantity of shed hair looks like a healthy and normal amount to come out after protective styling in braids from one month to two months. Look at the sheen on that beautiful hair! One can see the health on your hair, even from looking at this ball of hair. Let us know if you confirm it is mostly shed hair or if you determine it is broken hair or something different.

If you determine it's broken hair, then you have a great opportunity to retain even more length and thickness because you can tweak your processes to cut down on the breakage during the take down and the braiding up and the moisturizing can maintenance and protection process.

 

[Chicoro]

This way of trimming has always made the most sense to me. The idea of trying to get things perfectly even while also trying to grow length seems like it would be at odds.

Hair growth is organic and I think there's so many reasons why you may see thinness towards the ends that is not necessarily damage.

I agree with you 100%. I am not trying to have photo-shoot perfect looking even hair during the length gain and growing process. I'll never get there if I CUT back length. Trimming is different. It is when I get to my Goal Hair Length then I can blunt cut my ends.

Interestingly, there is scientific proof that cutting hair straight across in blunt cut puts more TENSION on the hair and could lead to MORE breakage than having hair cut in a U shape. U shapes and slightly round shapes on the hair, in theory, lesson the combing tension and hence, decrease the possibility of breakage.

So, I'm sticking with what I am currently doing.

 

[Chicoro]

Your braids are so nice. They do look juicy!

Thank you so much!

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro I knew you rolled up the ends of your braids, but I never realized how much length you roll up. Your unrolled braid is super long!

Yes! My ENTIRE braid has fuzzy hair that sticks out and the hair unravels from the sides of my braid from root to tip. I learned this about my hair about five years ago. That piece of information about the behavior of my braided hair helped me to see the huge amount of hair I was losing each week. That is because the unraveled hair would escape the braid and then tangle around the braid in an uncontrollable way. As a result, those unravelled hairs were NEEDLESSLY broken and the hair tangled and matted especially on the ends. I was getting breakage on the ends AND all along the braid.

So now, I slick and coat the braided hair down with waxy Shea butter which stops the unraveling and holds in moisture. I roll the braid up to 1/2 the length to immobilize it so those strands along the braid have less of an opportunity to poke out the braid and run rampant and twist and tangle on the braid. This way I am protecting the unraveled hairs from breakage and protecting the braid itself from breakage so those unraveled hairs DO NOT wrap around the braid like an anaconda and create havoc in the form of tangles and eventually breakage.

 

[Chicoro]

We're heading into Week #3 of February.
Every day and night present an opportunity to refine your products, processes and procedures as it relates to your hair, especially as it relates to cultivating those luscious, healthy ends.

Don't worry if you are at a loss about what to change or tweak. Right now, it might be NOTHING you need to do and that works, too!

This may be your time of rest, reflection until the resurface moment.

Give yourself and your hair glory and grace and go with it.

It's only February and there have been so many
Hair Aha's
in this
thread!

It's amazing to see your success, joy and relief as you embrace your discoveries and resolve your challenges about your beautiful heads
of
Afro - Textured Hair!
​

 

[IDareT'sHair]

@mzteaze
Thank you for sharing your progress. Are you using light therapy as well on that area?

 

[mzteaze]

@mzteaze
Thank you for sharing your progress. Are you using light therapy as well on that area?

Yes, I use a red light cap every night AND have added using high frequency every 2-3 days.

 

[BeautifulRoots]

@mzteaze

It looks like the texture of your hair has changed in the recent photos. The hair looks curlier and your beautiful curls are amazingly uniformed in that that are the same length, going the same direction, with the same amount of texture. I've never seen hair and hair strands that looked so symmetrical before!

Congratulations on your wonderful progress and your SUCCESS!!

Where @BeautifulRoots at? I told you, whatever comes up in this thread, always proves helpful! And, always brings us right back to luscious hair ends.

Yes, this was very helpful. Thank you for indulging me. And thank you ladies for all of the helpful advice!