Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2025

[Chicoro]

@GettingKinky

Have you had this much length gain in such a short period of time, before?

I know you changed your bun process and, wow!

It IS three at least three (3) inches of length gained in three (3) months!
All that hair with its fullness and length!


And ALL those glorious pictures she gave us! The angles. The Hair. The Power. The Impact.

Just so wonderfully overwhelming!

Ooooo, thank you!!!!!!

 

[GettingKinky]

@Chicoro @faithVA
Thank you for all the encouraging words.

I can tell my hair is longer, but 3 inches in 3 months would be a major record for me. I typically get just under half an inch a month.

After I read your posts I took off my shirt and measured the “1” on the back. It’s 7” so I think maybe I gained 1.5-2inches which I am totally happy with. My goal is to net 4” a year after trimming 4x a year.

 

[GGsKin]

Do you still wear your corset? Are you able to lace it completely up and now it is completely closed? How many inches on your waist did you go down, please?

Yes, I consistently wear it during the week, 5 days a week, sometimes more. I went from 30 inches down to 26. It completely closes up now, with ease.

 

[pikkonoloidlee]

I had fibroids as well. I had a hysterectomy but it was by choice as I always wanted one and now had a medical reason to have it removed and covered by insurance.

 

[GGsKin]

@GettingKinky fantastic growth progress and good job on the blow dry. Love all your pictures. I’ve been using a paddle brush to blow dry for a while, but I recently bought (and used) the ceramic Moroccan Oil paddle brush to help with tension/ straightening. It improved my blow-out IMO.
Added the pic for reference, but I don’t use this t-shirt as a measure because it is huge and doesn’t ‘fit’ me for proper use lol.

 

[GettingKinky]

@GGsKin i bought a babyliss ionic paddle brush yesterday. I used it for some of my blowout but it is a little big and unwieldily. So I ended up using my Felicia leatherwood brush for most of it. For sure I need more practice.

What products do you use for your blowouts?

 

[GettingKinky]

@GGsKin i bought a babyliss ionic paddle brush yesterday. I used it for some of my blowout but it is a little big and unwieldily. So I ended up using my Felicia leatherwood brush for most of it. For sure I need more practice.

What products do you use for your blowouts?

 

[Angel of the North]

What’s everyone’s thoughts on split end serums?

I got one from Moroccanoil I haven’t used yet and I’ve tried the Kenra one as well (it’s too wet and makes my hair curl up, smell isn’t my favorite thing either but it’s ok).
I’m thinking that if you constantly use a split end serum after a fresh cut then you won’t get split ends. I’m not sure where it goes in my moisture routine either. Just trying to avoid another big cut and retain every inch.

I see lots of split end products while out and about. Most of the ones I see are marketed to repair split ends, by which point it's too late and the should be trimmed. They often boast amazing ingredients, that are usually quite far down the end of the list in reality.

The concept of using them after a fresh trim/cut, sounds good theoretically, my only issue with using a serum opposed to creams/butters/oils etc, is that most serums contain synthetic ingredients to give hair a smooth look, that would make me feel like the hair wasn't receiving true moisture if it were to be used alone.

A serum might work as a sealant if used on top of moisturiser, but I would imagine needing to shampoo to get the film off once hair has been wet (I hope that makes sense). The only serums I've used are heat protectants, I also try and find ones that have a nice ingredients list.

Sorry if this has already been said, I'm in the process of catching up on the thread.

 

[ScorpioLove]

The serums aren’t exactly like the chi serum with a bunch of cones but the two I have tried honestly just feels like conditioner and the top ingredients are the same as conditioner (water, cationic agents,etc).

The interesting thing is when they have the copolymer+ polquat combination they have an affinity for the split hairs and bind them. This video (albeit old) is a pretty cool demo.

Supposed to last multiple days I think but I don’t think it’d be reliable past one day.



I’m not sure the Moroccanoil will be ‘the one’ but I am hoping it works until I find another to try.

 

[Angel of the North]

I got the Briogeo cream today. Tomorrow I will do the blowout.

The last time I blow dried my hair it came out so badly I didn’t even take pictures so I don’t remember exactly when it was. I’m thinking it was 2021 or 2022. This time I will take pictures no matter what.

ETA I found the email for when I ordered the comb attachment for my Dyson - it was Oct 2022 so it’s been 2.5 years since I last attempted blow drying my own hair.

I tried the Dyson with the comb attachment just before I got my hair braids. It dried my hair quickly, didn't feel too hot, but definitely doesn't do much for straightening IMO. I tried my niece's to see if I might fancy one myself, definitely not at that price.

 

[Angel of the North]

My ends are not luscious or even or full. My goal is to ensure that my hair is not breaking in between blowouts.

April 26th, 2025 Hair Update: Blow Dry and Tiny Trim of Ends
Hair is NOT breaking!!! I am relieved.

View attachment 503490

Hey @MzSwift

Your hair is beautiful!!! This is definitely inspiration for us attempting to get to or back to those lengths

 

[mzteaze]

@Chicoro
I have fibroids. I’ve had them for at least 12 years now and they don’t bother me so I’m not looking to have them removed. But the last time I saw my doctor she wanted me to get an ultra sound (again) and see a GYN because of their size. She said it’s the size of a 20 week pregnancy. I think she’s wrong because my waist/stomach is not that big. My ultrasound is this week. My sister just had surgery a few months ago and they removed 24 fibroids!!

I assume mine are partially genetic and partially because I relaxed my hair regularly for over 30 years. I’m just waiting for menopause and assuming they will go away with the lack of estrogen, but if you know ways to shrink them I am all ears.

Sadly, in my case they didn't go away. I went from asymptomatic to pain in a very short period of time. It was dramatic too because I went from walking 5 miles dancing all the way, to painfully walking a mile during lunch at work. My gyno was OK with leaving them alone as long it I wasn't having issues. If I had left them any longer, it would have impacted my recovery.

I'd really recommend getting an MRI to look at the position of the fibroids and deciding next steps that way, especially if you're gyno is estimating your fibroids at the size of 20 weeks.

 

[GettingKinky]

How are you progressing?
My hair is growing well. At least 1.5 inches in the last 3 months.

What are those ends looking like?
Before my trim my ends were OK, but a bit tangly. I think 3 months is the right interval for me to trim

Have you had any epiphanies?
No epiphanies

Have you set bolder goals?
No broader goals

Have you pulled back on some goals?
No changes so far.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
Bunning definitely seems to be helping me with retention, but I’m still not 100% sure it is. I wasn’t tracking my length in a consistent manner before I started bunning. But never the less I’m going to keep bunning.

How is your consistency?
Since October I’ve been very consistent. I bun everyday and except for when I’m travelling I wash/cowash 2x a week. I’ve also been DCing every 2 weeks since January.

Are you extending grace to you?
I’m trying, but today I’m very disappointed in the results of my blowout. I know that is ridiculous since I have almost zero experience, but I was really hoping for something smoother and weightier. I also know that since I’m only planning to to practice once every 3-6 months I shouldn’t expect to get better anytime soon. So I’m trying to extend grace to myself.

 

[Angel of the North]

Wow, I think I turned my back for a couple of days and the thread had moved on 3 pages

I got my braids put in on Friday, I've been using my moisture spritz I made, it's definitely doing it's job! Hair feels moisturised and has a slight shine, that's probably the oils and glycerin. Over the years I've tried braid sprays, but I never thought they did much and couldn't see or feel a difference compared to using nothing.

I'm going to add my update in this post otherwise this would be 3 separate posts

How are you progressing?
I'm doing okay, slowly but surely getting to where I need to be in terms of regimen. I've been very consistent with wash days and DC's.

What are those ends looking like?
I'm not sure.... They are quite curly so difficult to see properly, but they feel good.

Have you had any epiphanies?
No, not yet.

Have you set bolder goals?
No, I think my goals are bold enough

Have you pulled back on some goals?
No, not yet. I need to get to the end of the year and then I'll reassess.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
Only that detangling before washing means I'm not losing as much hair. The difference is between a ball the size of my hand and that of a coin.This is a must for my regimen.

How is your consistency?
Much better than before I joined this challenge by far! I've realised it's difficult to baby my ends while wearing a WAG ponytail, but baggying definitely works for keeping hair and ends moisturised.

Hair care products
I'm still working on this. I have 6 staples but need to lock down a moisture DC and a balancing DC without any nasties in the ingredients. I'm starting to make my own products so I'm hoping for amazing results from them when I've get around to making all the products I'd like to have a go at.

Are you extending grace to you?
I'm trying. I'm not going to think too hard about the journey to get to my desired lengths. Lock down my regi, try and be as consistent as possible, enjoy the journey and hopefully get a nice surprise at the end.


I've attached a couple of pics of my braids before anyone has to ask

 

[Angel of the North]

@Chicoro @faithVA
Thank you for all the encouraging words.

I can tell my hair is longer, but 3 inches in 3 months would be a major record for me. I typically get just under half an inch a month.

After I read your posts I took off my shirt and measured the “1” on the back. It’s 7” so I think maybe I gained 1.5-2inches which I am totally happy with. My goal is to net 4” a year after trimming 4x a year.

View attachment 503564

You're doing great! We can all see the progress you've made in the last 3 months, something is definitely working out for you

 

[GGsKin]

@GGsKin i bought a babyliss ionic paddle brush yesterday. I used it for some of my blowout but it is a little big and unwieldily. So I ended up using my Felicia leatherwood brush for most of it. For sure I need more practice.

What products do you use for your blowouts?

@GettingKinky in the past and for this blow-out I’ve consistently used Lanza Neem Silk Serum, and Chi Silk Infusion and some type of spray heat protectant. Instead of a spray heat protectant- which I was out of, this time I used the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate leave-in before going in with some of the Lanza serum. I used minimal amounts of each, then blow dried. I’d been using the Redken leave-in to moisturise my braided hair, but it’s the first time I used it pre-heat styling on myself. I like this leave-in and it also serves as heat protection.

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro @faithVA
Thank you for all the encouraging words.

I can tell my hair is longer, but 3 inches in 3 months would be a major record for me. I typically get just under half an inch a month.

After I read your posts I took off my shirt and measured the “1” on the back. It’s 7” so I think maybe I gained 1.5-2inches which I am totally happy with. My goal is to net 4” a year after trimming 4x a year.

View attachment 503564

Okay! I hope you are going to use this shirt for the rest of the year when you measure. That No. 1 is a great guide.

 

[Chicoro]

Yes, I consistently wear it during the week, 5 days a week, sometimes more. I went from 30 inches down to 26. It completely closes up now, with ease.

Wow! You went down four (4) whole inches. That's alot. You did this over a 12 month time period? My apologies if you already gave the time frame. Is it an underbust corset? Is it a long or short torso corset? What do you use under your corset to protect your precious skin?

 

[Chicoro]

@GettingKinky fantastic growth progress and good job on the blow dry. Love all your pictures. I’ve been using a paddle brush to blow dry for a while, but I recently bought (and used) the ceramic Moroccan Oil paddle brush to help with tension/ straightening. It improved my blow-out IMO.View attachment 503572
Added the pic for reference, but I don’t use this t-shirt as a measure because it is huge and doesn’t ‘fit’ me for proper use lol.

Your ends are thick, full and beautiful. And, look how long your hair is. That's a blow dry. You didn't flat iron/straighten it, right?

 

[Chicoro]

Sadly, in my case they didn't go away. I went from asymptomatic to pain in a very short period of time. It was dramatic too because I went from walking 5 miles dancing all the way, to painfully walking a mile during lunch at work. My gyno was OK with leaving them alone as long it I wasn't having issues. If I had left them any longer, it would have impacted my recovery.

I'd really recommend getting an MRI to look at the position of the fibroids and deciding next steps that way, especially if you're gyno is estimating your fibroids at the size of 20 weeks.

I'm sorry to hear that you were suffering. I'm glad you resolved your health issue.

 

[Chicoro]

How are you progressing?
My hair is growing well. At least 1.5 inches in the last 3 months.

What are those ends looking like?
Before my trim my ends were OK, but a bit tangly. I think 3 months is the right interval for me to trim

Have you had any epiphanies?
No epiphanies

Have you set bolder goals?
No broader goals

Have you pulled back on some goals?
No changes so far.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
Bunning definitely seems to be helping me with retention, but I’m still not 100% sure it is. I wasn’t tracking my length in a consistent manner before I started bunning. But never the less I’m going to keep bunning.

How is your consistency?
Since October I’ve been very consistent. I bun everyday and except for when I’m travelling I wash/cowash 2x a week. I’ve also been DCing every 2 weeks since January.

Are you extending grace to you?
I’m trying, but today I’m very disappointed in the results of my blowout. I know that is ridiculous since I have almost zero experience, but I was really hoping for something smoother and weightier. I also know that since I’m only planning to to practice once every 3-6 months I shouldn’t expect to get better anytime soon. So I’m trying to extend grace to myself.

Your disappointment is not ridiculous. The expectations that one sets are what will push you forward to make you want to continue to progress with your blow dry technique. Once again, that growth you got this time around was significant and so nice to see.

 

[Chicoro]

Wow, I think I turned my back for a couple of days and the thread had moved on 3 pages

I got my braids put in on Friday, I've been using my moisture spritz I made, it's definitely doing it's job! Hair feels moisturised and has a slight shine, that's probably the oils and glycerin. Over the years I've tried braid sprays, but I never thought they did much and couldn't see or feel a difference compared to using nothing.

I'm going to add my update in this post otherwise this would be 3 separate posts

How are you progressing?
I'm doing okay, slowly but surely getting to where I need to be in terms of regimen. I've been very consistent with wash days and DC's.

What are those ends looking like?
I'm not sure.... They are quite curly so difficult to see properly, but they feel good.

Have you had any epiphanies?
No, not yet.

Have you set bolder goals?
No, I think my goals are bold enough

Have you pulled back on some goals?
No, not yet. I need to get to the end of the year and then I'll reassess.

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
Only that detangling before washing means I'm not losing as much hair. The difference is between a ball the size of my hand and that of a coin.This is a must for my regimen.

How is your consistency?
Much better than before I joined this challenge by far! I've realised it's difficult to baby my ends while wearing a WAG ponytail, but baggying definitely works for keeping hair and ends moisturised.

Hair care products
I'm still working on this. I have 6 staples but need to lock down a moisture DC and a balancing DC without any nasties in the ingredients. I'm starting to make my own products so I'm hoping for amazing results from them when I've get around to making all the products I'd like to have a go at.

Are you extending grace to you?
I'm trying. I'm not going to think too hard about the journey to get to my desired lengths. Lock down my regi, try and be as consistent as possible, enjoy the journey and hopefully get a nice surprise at the end.


I've attached a couple of pics of my braids before anyone has to ask

I love your braids. The color is so pretty! That realization you had about detangling is very, very significant. Correct detangling is a huge part of length retention. Good for you!

 

[Angel of the North]

I love your braids. The color is so pretty! That realization you had about detangling is very, very significant. Correct detangling is a huge part of length retention. Good for you!

Thank you I haven't put dye on my hair since probably 1995 so, this or weaves are the only way I play with colour. I like this colour combo for me

 

[Chicoro]

Thank you I haven't put dye on my hair since probably 1995 so, this or weaves are the only way I play with colour. I like this colour combo for me

Smart decision about using weaves for color variation and not your real hair. The color of the hair is really gorgeous against the beautiful, golden undertones of your pretty, brown skin.

 

[GGsKin]

Wow! You went down four (4) whole inches. That's alot. You did this over a 12 month time period? My apologies if you already gave the time frame. Is it an underbust corset? Is it a long or short torso corset? What do you use under your corset to protect your precious skin?

No, it been the duration of about 4 years or so. I have a short torso, and I’ve always been small, so I was mindful of not wanting to lose weight, but wanting a smaller waist. Yes, it’s an underbust corset. I always wear it with a vest, or over some type of thin cotton top or cashmere cardigan in the winter.

 

[GGsKin]

Your ends are thick, full and beautiful. And, look how long your hair is. That's a blow dry. You didn't flat iron/straighten it, right?

Thank you! Yes, this is the blow dry pre-trim. I posted the flat iron pics earlier up thread and they are post trim.

 

[MzSwift]

@GettingKinky

Phenomenal!! You've made so much progress in just 3 months!
Yours (and @Chicoro 's) results are proof of the tried and true old school LHCF rule about keeping the ends tucked away to increase retention. You both used different methods but it was the same process. And that's why I started lurking the threads that are ends-focused bc I have also found that to be true for me as well over the years.

Please don't be so hard on yourself about your blowout results. ((HUG))
We don't heat style hair as often as stylists do so our results won't be as good as the stylists we watch. I'm very biased in this regard but I feel like you shouldn't give up on self-blowouts. Like anything we do, it takes practice to get find out what works for you and you get better at it each time you do it.

Two major tips that I learned from Domin/LHDC2011 (RIP) and Sistawithrealhair long ago were to

1- don't put a lot of leave in products on the hair (beside a little heat protectant, many don't use any leave ins)
2- using protein makes for straighter heat results.

When I first started blowing my natural 4b/a hair out, my results were so poofy and my ends looked really frazzled. It gave the appearance of having bad ends or needing a trim when I really didn't need one. Years later, I watched a few stylist vids and something Sistawithrealhair said jumped out at me. She had mentioned that ppl pile up on moisture when they're getting ready to use heat but it leads to poofy results. She said what we really needed to do was use protein and that produces straighter results. Ever since I incorporated that, my blow outs have been much straighter.

 

[GettingKinky]

Sadly, in my case they didn't go away. I went from asymptomatic to pain in a very short period of time. It was dramatic too because I went from walking 5 miles dancing all the way, to painfully walking a mile during lunch at work. My gyno was OK with leaving them alone as long it I wasn't having issues. If I had left them any longer, it would have impacted my recovery.

I'd really recommend getting an MRI to look at the position of the fibroids and deciding next steps that way, especially if you're gyno is estimating your fibroids at the size of 20 weeks.

This is very concerning. I assumed I just had to make it to menopause and they would go away from lack of estrogen. It’s also scary to learn that that can go from asymptomatic to very painful in a short period of time. I think my periods have gotten heavier over the years and I assume that’s from my fibroids, but other than that they don’t bother me.

I’m glad your surgery took care of the pain. I’ll ask my gyno about an MRI when I see her.

 

[MzSwift]

As I was typing that response, I really thought back over my natural hair portion of my journey. I was so scared of heat damage that I didn't take risks with heat often. BUT when I did, I skipped the blow dryer altogether. I found that no matter how much I detangled, no matter how gentle I was, I hated seeing the small pieces of hair sprinkled all over with each blow dry. Instead I would dry my hair in a stretched style like Celie plaits or bantu knots and then just use a warm flat iron to give me "blowout" results. With practice, they got progressively better and better and I kept more hair on my head.

I started one October.


Then December the following year.


And then April:


And then October again, 2 years after my original start:





It was gentler on my ends and my hair in general and still gave me the results of stretched, blown out hair that I wanted.

Since I've grown my own hair long, I have never been a fan of bone straight, sleek hair ON ME. Before the HHJ, I rocked a yaki straight weave with no problems. But with my own hair, I prefer it with texture.

Wow! This convo was such a reminder for me. I totally forgot that I never used to blow dry my hair! When I was growing up, I used to air dry my (short) hair under a scarf and then just use the curling iron to straighten and curl my hair. As an adult, I never owned a blow dryer or a flat iron until I joined the hair boards. The first time I blow dried during my HHJ and saw all of that hair in the sink and on the countertop, I knew it was counterproductive to all of the work I was putting in to grow long, healthy hair. Even the blow dry brush (similar to the Revlon brush blow dryer) I use leaves little hairs. It's why I put off straightening my hair for my check ins. I know plenty of women can blow dry with no issues but my little fine strands have told me otherwise.

 

[pikkonoloidlee]

I might put in mini twists a little further into the summer, but currently I'm putting my hair into braids and then braiding those braids and pinning up the ends.

I'm taking them down weekly atm, but I'm considering that I could do wash days with them in. There's not that many so for now I don't mind taking them down each week.