Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2026

[Angel of the North]

How are you progressing? What are those ends looking like?
My ends are looking good, less has definitely been more.

Have you had any epiphanies?
No

Have you set bolder goals?
No still hoping for a minimum of HL by the end of the year.

Have you pulled back on some goals?
No

Have you had any realizations about your hair or your hair care practices?
It's just dawned on me that I've been using water as the first to styling my hair for my whole life. Never really thought about it, just do it automatically, my hair is thankful for this step.

How is your consistency?
It's been terrible but this week I'm getting back on track.

Extending grace to you?
Definitely! I haven't beaten myself up for not being able to take care of my hair in the ways I would have liked. As always, my hair has remained kind to me, I feel my ends have improved, they actually seem like they've gone back to normal and I feel like my hair has grown.

 

[i4ani]

Hola ladies, I'm peeking out from the lurker's curtain because I have questions about root/mid/end care and long hair care philosophies in general, and I think y'all are the ones to ask.

If you're anticipating a haircut or trim, how does that impact how you care for your mids? Have you already mentally "let go" of your current ends and started to pay extra attention to the mids which will soon become your ends? Or something else?

Is end damage is inevitable over time? Why or why not?

I've seen people in the natural haircare space say that the energy/intention/attitude you give to your hair is what you get out of it. Has this been your experience?

Long shot and kinda unrelated, but does anyone have a philosophy of not cutting their hair (outside of trims for health)? I know that there are some cultures which consider the hair to be an integral part of the body/the body's expression and don't believe in removing it for that reason. Wondering if anyone here is in that boat.

 

[Angel of the North]

If you're anticipating a haircut or trim, how does that impact how you care for your mids? Have you already mentally "let go" of your current ends and started to pay extra attention to the mids which will soon become your ends? Or something else?

I would definitely say that by the time I'm ready to trim, it would be necessary and I would have already mentally let go of what needs to go. I don't pay any particular attention to my mid strands, I might check for any mid shaft splits though.

Is end damage is inevitable over time? Why or why not?

I think it depends on the individual head of hair. The ends are usually the weakest part of the shaft and often the part that takes the brunt of we put our heads through. It's the oldest hair on our heads, and like a lot of things, quality will lesson over time. This could be due to the types of styles worn, mechanical damage, rubbing on clothing, someone could just have a problem that presents itself through their hair.

From my understanding, finger Detangling is one of the methods that has helped some ladies to retain length and healthy ends.

I've seen people in the natural haircare space say that the energy/intention/attitude you give to your hair is what you get out of it. Has this been your experience?

I think this is true for the most part. I also know that for myself, it doesn't make a difference to my growth. By taking particular care of my hair, I get the optimal version of my hair, if I neglect/do less, it still grows, thickens up, looks good. I would still have people compliment my hair, I just know it's not at its best. A stranger would appreciate it at face value, my mind might think my hair has been in better condition when I've actively given it TLC.

I know once my hair is in the its best condition, I don't need to trim as regularly and I don't need to take as much off. I definitely think my hair retains moisture better when cared for regularly. I'll never forget that properly moisturised feeling, that is cool to the touch but not greasy on the hands.

Long shot and kinda unrelated, but does anyone have a philosophy of not cutting their hair (outside of trims for health)?

I've heard many stylists say there's no such thing as a trim, it's just a cut. The phrase trim is not part of the professional vocabulary. For me, anything under a cm is dusting the ends, anything under two inches is a trim and anything over is a cut. That's how I make sense of it.

There are lots of no trim ladies over socials, some of them have the fullest, healthiest heads of hair, I don't think this this can work for everybody. Personally, I usually trim more than is needed, I've always felt that trims help my growth cycle and helps to keep my shafts healthier. I'm planing on only doing light dusting instead of trims to see my progress when I take off the minimum.

I know that there are some cultures which consider the hair to be an integral part of the body/the body's expression and don't believe in removing it for that reason. Wondering if anyone here is in that boat.

I'd be interested to know if any members across the board have hair as an integral part of their culture, and what has that meant for them throughout their hair journey.

 

[snoop]

Hola ladies, I'm peeking out from the lurker's curtain because I have questions about root/mid/end care and long hair care philosophies in general, and I think y'all are the ones to ask.

If you're anticipating a haircut or trim, how does that impact how you care for your mids? Have you already mentally "let go" of your current ends and started to pay extra attention to the mids which will soon become your ends? Or something else?

For me, I think that as I approach a trim day, I'm stay concerned about my ends. During the rest of the cycle, I go back and forth being concerned about my mids and my roots. I think I probably pay more attention to my ends and roots than my mids.

Is end damage is inevitable over time? Why or why not?

I think yes, because it's the oldest part of your hair and it's one of the most unprotected parts of your hair. Like, I feel as though the part of my hair that you can see is probably more damaged than the layers under it. That said, I don't believe that a LOT of damage is inevitable, at least not in a short amount of time. There are some people who will experience a lot of damage on their ends in a short amount of time, based on how they care for their hair, while other people will experience that same amount of damage in a year or more.

I've seen people in the natural haircare space say that the energy/intention/attitude you give to your hair is what you get out of it. Has this been your experience?

Yes. But I don't think it's mystical. It's more about intention. Same could be said about how you dress or how you prepare your food or even how you cultivate relationships. If you spend more time and energy or are intentional, then you will get that back -- for the good or the bad. If you think of your hair as something that you want to improve or have pride in, you'll take steps towards making your hair something that you can be proud out. If you think of your hair as a chore or that it's difficult then you're either going to spend less time on it or will look for ways to sabotage your progress.

Long shot and kinda unrelated, but does anyone have a philosophy of not cutting their hair (outside of trims for health)? I know that there are some cultures which consider the hair to be an integral part of the body/the body's expression and don't believe in removing it for that reason. Wondering if anyone here is in that boat.

Personally, no, but I'm intrigued by the idea. I feel like it would be something that I would take up sometime in the future.