Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2026

[Chicoro]

Ooh this looks good, I wouldn't mind trying a modified version of that (in bold). My hair loves silk proteins, I will do moisture DC next week as I did a protein treatment today, followed by a moisture DC. The week after I will use Aphogee 2 min and just rotate with whatever my hair feels like it needs.

Wash day went well, I'm pleased with how things went, although my hair is still in the process of drying. My hair is much smoother than it was yesterday, I'll need to wait until it dries to see how frizzy it looks to properly compare. I moisturised properly, so that should be good till next wash day pretty much, I will continue remoisturise and seal my ends 2 - 3 times a week as is necessary. I'm feeling very positive moving forward

Today I lost the least amount of hair during the process than I have been over the last 8-10 years. I think the Umbrush/+ is a huge part of this. I saw a few short splits during my rinses, theres definitely some breakage at the parting across the middle of my head, but the good thing is I'm aware of it and can work on repairing the area.

Least amount of hair loss in the last 8 to 10 years!!! Why? It is because of the brush only?

 

[Chicoro]

So here is a pic of my ends when I finished.
View attachment 507996

This is the hair loss after detangling, I was loosing so much hair every wash day. The Unbrushes' individual bristles are much thicker than the tangle teaser teeth, the split my individual strands. This could also be playing a factor with my ends, the length of my hair was where I used it.

That pretty braid is so neat, shiny and soft looking. Those nails beds, their shape and curvature, are exquisite. People pay hundreds of dollars to get nails like the natural ones you have !

 

[Chicoro]

@Angel of the North

Something monumental has happened in your hair journey.


You stated that THIS wash day was a day where you lost so little hair, that it was the LEAST amount you lost in the last to 8 to 10 years. This is a tremendous SHIFT. Please don't let this moment go by without illuminating it and highlighting it for us.

There has been a definite breakthrough and an AHA! Let's dig in and identify DEFINITELY what that breakthrough, aha and process were!

There is a treasure trove and incredible gems of important information in your experience. It's the equivalent of Acres of Diamonds, as it pertains to haircare. It's in our vicinity and we are sooooooo close!!! Make us rich!

Please walk us through EXACTLY what you did, what products, your processes, the state of your hair, your tools. Then if you could, give us a detailed analysis of why you think you were able to arrive at this incredibly successful outcome.

What exactly did you do and use to arrive at losing the least amount of hair during your wash day in the last 8 to 10 years. The week or month BEFORE may be significant as well.
Don't be afraid to e- MUSE out loud and e-RAMBLE.

Don't deny us. I can FEEL it. We waiting, Girl.

 

[Angel of the North]

Least amount of hair loss in the last 8 to 10 years!!! Why? It is because of the brush only?

I think there's a few things going on here but the brush is definitely the game changer. I think it's a combination of the following:

I am a lot more patient with my hair ATM, I'm not rushing to get detangling done as quickly as possible. I'm definitely not as rough as I have been over the last 10 years, which is the main culprit. I've been working on being gentler while detangling.

As I hadn't washed/detangled my hair for so long, I had a lot of shed hair and a little breakage last week, so there was lots of hair in the comb and brushes. By comparison, this week is about 1 - 5 % of last week.

The protein treatments I did in December and yesterday, may have helped with any excess shedding, I hadn't done a heavy protein treatment for somewhere between 8-10 years, possibly longer.

The main reason I think it's predominantly the brush is because:

My Detangling sessions during my wash routine can easily take me half an hour, yesterday, I was able to detangle my whole head in under 5 minutes. Gently, with hardly any hairs in the brush.

I usually detangle with conditioner, yesterday I rinsed before detangling. I would have expected more resistance without the conditioner, even with S Curl sprayed on.

As I hadn't washed/detangled my hair for so long, I had a lot of shed hair and a little breakage last week, so there was lots of hair in the comb and brushes. There was about double what I'm used to seeing last week, and this week just a few strands with the new brush.

After my mishap with the tangle teaser, I wanted to find a detangling brush that would work as well or better than the TT without the damage. I feel like I've found that with the Umbrushes. I think my density will improve too. I noticed my hair thickening up last year, if I've managed to get back to a place of little to no hair loss on wash days, that will make a huge difference for me.

Least amount of hair loss in the last 8 to 10 years!!! Why? It is because of the brush only?

 

[Angel of the North]

That pretty braid is so neat, shiny and soft looking. Those nails beds, their shape and curvature, are exquisite. People pay hundreds of dollars to get nails like the natural ones you have !

Thank you That braid is a huge improvement to the one before it, it's still holding up, nowhere near as frizzy as the last one. I still have some work to do with smoothing, but I'm very optimistic.

 

[Chicoro]

I think there's a few things going on here but the brush is definitely the game changer. I think it's a combination of the following:

I am a lot more patient with my hair ATM, I'm not rushing to get detangling done as quickly as possible. I'm definitely not as rough as I have been over the last 10 years, which is the main culprit. I've been working on being gentler while detangling. (What does this mean? HOW are you less rough? Are you not rushing by doing smaller sections? By taking more time? Explain, please.)

As I hadn't washed/detangled my hair for so long, I had a lot of shed hair and a little breakage last week, so there was lots of hair in the comb and brushes. By comparison, this week is about 1 - 5 % of last week. (What do you think is the reason for this? Breaking hair doesn't stop because we are gentle. Something happened? Was the shed hair just build up? Did you shorten the time between this wash and the last wash? There is a change. Something transpired differently .)

The protein treatments I did in December and yesterday, may have helped with any excess shedding, I hadn't done a heavy protein treatment for somewhere between 8-10 years, possibly longer. (What exactly were the protein treatments? What products did you use? How did you apply them? What were the ingredients? How long did you keep the protein treatment in?)

The main reason I think it's predominantly the brush is because:

My Detangling sessions during my wash routine can easily take me half an hour, yesterday, I was able to detangle my whole head in under 5 minutes. Gently, with hardly any hairs in the brush. (But, you stated you used different products and that you did not rush. The brush is not the only factor. There were other different variables and slight changes in your usual process, right?)

I usually detangle with conditioner, yesterday I rinsed before detangling. (Another change in your process!!!)I would have expected more resistance without the conditioner, even with S Curl sprayed on.

As I hadn't washed/detangled my hair for so long, I had a lot of shed hair and a little breakage last week, so there was lots of hair in the comb and brushes. There was about double what I'm used to seeing last week, and this week just a few strands with the new brush.

After my mishap with the tangle teaser, I wanted to find a detangling brush that would work as well or better than the TT without the damage. I feel like I've found that with the Umbrushes. I think my density will improve too. I noticed my hair thickening up last year, if I've managed to get back to a place of little to no hair loss on wash days, that will make a huge difference for me.

OK, what I see:

1. Took more time to detangle. (But what does that mean?)
2. Was less 'rough'. (What does that mean?)
3. Did two protein treatments in succession. One in December and one in March. (What kind and what product was used? Do you need protein every 12 weeks like clockwork?)
4. Conditioned hair, rinsed and then DETANGLED with no conditioner in hair. (Did you change your conditioner? So, you hair works better with the brush with conditioner rinsed out?)
5. Used the Unbrush this time. (Why was it different from any other brush you may have used in the past?)

So I see at least FIVE (5) different factors this time that were present that may have not been present in your other washes.

 

[Chicoro]

Thank you That braid is a huge improvement to the one before it, it's still holding up, nowhere near as frizzy as the last one. I still have some work to do with smoothing, but I'm very optimistic.

Great!


Frizz on a braid may seem innocuous. It is NOT harmless.


And it can be VERY DANGEROUS for the future thickness and length retention of your hair!


The hair that comes away from the braid in the form of frizz can break up-strand. That can make your braid thin. That same frizz is 'FREE" hair that can reach out and wrap around other hairs and tangle and cause more breakage and damage. Then, the hair will seem to appear thin on the ends and make one assume the hair is breaking from the ends up. But, it would not be the case. The hair is breaking due to the active "Frizzy" hair on the braid, higher up on the hair strand.

Ask me how I know. (Not a question.)

This is what I discovered about my own hair from one of my MANY set-backs. For all of which, them setbacks, I will be forever GRATEFUL!

"Hair is not rocket science. It is far more complex!"

~~~ Chicoro~~~​

 

[Chicoro]

It's the little micro-shifts that often make huge, macro-differences in your hair.


But, you have to catch them, document them, understand them and identify them as the definitive change makers in your process. THAT's another reason why 'know thyself', know thy hair is SO hard to do! It's such a tedious, detailed, analytical process. It's Science, BABY!

And All of us, are Hair PhD's up in HERE!

Our discussions internally in our minds:

*So hmmm, the decrease in the friction from the rinsing of the conditioner, was not expected. In combination with the brush's changing ( Q/dx) bristle sizes...and the molecular structure of the protein components in the protein fortifying formula, identified with the infrared Fourrier Transform equipment with consistent sine and cosine waves, indicates...*

After we get home from work or school, in the bathroom during 'Hair - Me- time', just for fun:

 

[Angel of the North]

Please walk us through EXACTLY what you did, what products, your processes, the state of your hair, your tools.

This is a loooong post.

Current state of hair
I would say the current state of my hair is fairly healthy in general, but I do have a little breakage in the middle area (I'm pretty sure I know how this happened), and some splits which I think is the cause of the roughness of my ends.

Products (in order of use)
Infused oils
Tepid water
Sukin Deep Cleansing Shampoo
Affirm 5 in 1 Reconstructor
Miche Indulge Moisturising DC
S Curl
Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion
Organic avocado oil

Tools
Plastic shower cap
Foil shower cap
silk bonnet
Bobby pins
Spray bottle
Table top hooded dryer
Unbrush
Unbrush plus
Denman
silk hair bands
Snag free hair band

Processes
I parted my hair in 4 sections, I detangled each section with the Unbrush, and braided them. I applied my infused oil blend as an overnight prepoo. I applied to roots and massaged in, then to the shaft working through the braids and then the ends, which I baggied with plastic. I used the Bobby pins to hold the ends up, covered with a plastic shower cap and a silk bonnet.

I sat under the hood dryer for 10-15 minutes with the two shower caps on.

I sprayed water on my hair, not to saturate but enough to allow the shampoo to lather. Massaged the roots of each section and then applied shampoo to the length of my braids working it through. I let the shampoo sit for about 10 minutes to allow it to do it's job and breakdown the oils and products.

I rinsed patted dry with a regular towel, applied the Affirm 5 in 1 the same way as the shampoo, covered with a plastic shower cap and then covered that with a foil shower cap and left it on for 30 minutes. I trimmed the thin ends of each braid, it was roughly 1 cm, or a little over.

I rinsed and applied the Miche Indulge Moisturising DC, sat under the dryer for 30 minutes. Removed foil cap and got in the shower, after I finished washing up, I removed the plastic shower cap, rinsed and then applied S Curl to my soaking wet hair and scrunched out the excess.

I took a braid down at a time, and applied a little more S Curl to make sure everywhere was covered, I then worked the Unbrush plus through my hair, it was at this point the magic started lol. I applied a little Cantu, worked it through and went back in with the Unbrush, repeated the same steps with the oil to seal in the moisture, and then Brushed hair up with the Denman (There was 1 or 2 strands in the Denman when I finished), I tied it back with a saturated silk band, did a single braid, folded the end backwards and secured with a saturated snag free band, went over that with an unsaturated silk band.

Things I did/used differently

1. I've prepooed for two consecutive weeks

Baggied the ends of my braids during the overnight prepoo

(I used to sometimes baggy the end of my braid before bunning it. It's not something I've done in a long time, but my ends need all the help they can get, this came to mind after thinking about things I've done previously, what I know works, what I can approach differently and what I can try new).

2. Using a bottle instead of my hand to dampen my hair

(I wanted even, controlled distribution applied with intention not haphazardly).

3. Applied leave in to wet hair in shower
Used the Unbrush

(This is not something I would normally do).

4. Detangled after rinsing conditioner

(I always detangle with conditioner in before I rinse).

5.Saturated my hair bands in oil

(I've been bothered by the hair that gets caught around my hair bands so I've been looking for ways to eliminateor at least reduce this. I took inspiration from @Chicoro after thinking about times when this wasn't such an issue.

6. Flipping back the end of my braid before tieing it.

(This is something I used to do and stopped, I feel it's a necessary step to help protect and improve my ends.

Then if you could, give us a detailed analysis of why you think you were able to arrive at this incredibly successful outcome.

What exactly did you do and use to arrive at losing the least amount of hair during your wash day in the last 8 to 10 years. The week or month BEFORE may be significant as well.
Don't be afraid to e- MUSE out loud and e-RAMBLE.

I think I went into some of this in my last post, but to summarise I would say:

I believe every product, tool and process I used worked very well together to create the overall results. The most significant things for me were the protein treatments I did in December and yesterday, this will have strengthened my hair and improved the condition for sure. Also that infused oil prepoo will have done great things to improve the condition of my hair. Although I think the Unbrush made light work of detangling, I can't say that it's the main reason for losing less hair during the process because there was practically no Hair in the Denman after brushing through my whole head. My conclusion is that the improved condition and being gentler are the main reasons, the brush did it's thing though lol. Which means that I have noticeably improved the condition of my hair. I'm hoping to get her back to her former glory.

Don't deny us. I can FEEL it. We waiting, Girl.

They say to be careful what you ask for lol.

 

[Angel of the North]

OK, what I see:

1. Took more time to detangle. (But what does that mean?)

It was more difficult to get through the tangles so it would take longer to get through my hair when taking my time to avoid mechanical damage. Whole head in 5 minutes has been a dream of mine that has come true. Detangling can be physically challenging for me as well having to keep my arms up all that time.

Was less 'rough'. (What does that mean?)

If this is in reference to detangling, then over the last 10 years I've been rougher during detangling sessions than what I was before then, nothing too crazy, just rougher than I could or should have been. I started to be gentler and take more time to detangle.

Did two protein treatments in succession. One in December and one in March. (What kind and what product was used? Do you need protein every 12 weeks like clockwork?)

No I don't need protein like clockwork as my hair can get protein overload very easily, but I like doing it 2 - 4 times a year, I haven't done this in years and wanted to bring it back into my regimen. I figured doing it every quarter would help improve the condition of my hair and then I could reduce the frequency when I'm happy with the condition.

Conditioned hair, rinsed and then DETANGLED with no conditioner in hair. (Did you change your conditioner? So, you hair works better with the brush with conditioner rinsed out?)

I didn't have any conditioner in my hair during detangling yesterday, I used a conditioner I had used a few times that I knew would deliver on the moisture, which is what I felt I needed to balance the protein treatment. Last week I used the Unbrush with conditioner in my hair and the results were great for the detangling, I'm not sure I noticed any obvious difference between brushing with and without conditioner in my hair, but there is definitely a difference between previous detangling sessions when I hadn't used conditioner.

Used the Unbrush this time. (Why was it different from any other brush you may have used in the past?)

This might relate to two things:

1. I've got the OG Unbrush and the Unbrush plus, I started testing them out last week, I may be specific about the precise one I use so that I'm capturing the results as they happen.

2. I would normally use my Hecules wide tooth come to detangle and then the Denman to style, so the last two wash days I've used the Unbrush/Unbrush plus.

 

[Angel of the North]

It's the little micro-shifts that often make huge, macro-differences in your hair.


But, you have to catch them, document them, understand them and identify them as the definitive change makers in your process. THAT's another reason why 'know thyself', know thy hair is SO hard to do! It's such a tedious, detailed, analytical process. It's Science, BABY!

And All of us, are Hair PhD's up in HERE!

Our discussions internally in our minds:

*So hmmm, the decrease in the friction from the rinsing of the conditioner, was not expected. In combination with the brush's changing ( Q/dx) bristle sizes...and the molecular structure of the protein components in the protein fortifying formula, identified with the infrared Fourrier Transform equipment with consistent sine and cosine waves, indicates...*

After we get home from work or school, in the bathroom during 'Hair - Me- time', just for fun:

I know you are right, I have been extra detailed in all posts to capture it all and make up for when I slip up with my journaling. The conversations we have had over the last few days made me:

1. Think of the time after I cut my hair from HL to SL, when my hair was in it's best condition and I was very happy with my hair. (This is something that I do every so often, that's what made me buy the Aphogee 2 min last year, because my hair loves silk protein)?

2. What products and was I using then that I still have?

3. What processes have I stopped or started that will be beneficial to getting back to the optimal version of my hair?

4. Finding a balance between the old and new, be it products, processes or tools.

A lot of changes has happened to the condition of my hair in the last couple of weeks, I'm also in the long process of recreating my regimen to make it fit for the future, so these insightful moments are so important to what my final regimen looks like.

I think about hormonal changes that could be affecting my hair. I haven't started menopause yet, so I'm not worried about that, but our bodies change all the time, I'm pretty sure there's a major shift every 7 years. This could be affecting how things currently are. I also know that what once may have worked, may no longer do so, be it product/process/tools.

I've brought back some of the old, started some new and the rest is business as usual. I'm moving in the right direction, I'm happy with the process and will continue what I'm doing, I will continue to use shampoo every wash while I'm using the oil prepoo, I will then drop that to once a month.

The good thing is, because I have so much knowledge of my hair, it's easier to make good decisions, I know how frequently I need to perform certain processes, or what I can leave alone. I have a good idea of whether a new process will work or not. That has been invaluable on my current hair journey.

 

[Chicoro]

This is a loooong post.

Current state of hair
I would say the current state of my hair is fairly healthy in general, but I do have a little breakage in the middle area (I'm pretty sure I know how this happened), and some splits which I think is the cause of the roughness of my ends.

Products (in order of use)
Infused oils
Tepid water
Sukin Deep Cleansing Shampoo
Affirm 5 in 1 Reconstructor
Miche Indulge Moisturising DC
S Curl
Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion
Organic avocado oil

Tools
Plastic shower cap
Foil shower cap
silk bonnet
Bobby pins
Spray bottle
Table top hooded dryer
Unbrush
Unbrush plus
Denman
silk hair bands
Snag free hair band

Processes
I parted my hair in 4 sections, I detangled each section with the Unbrush, and braided them. I applied my infused oil blend as an overnight prepoo. I applied to roots and massaged in, then to the shaft working through the braids and then the ends, which I baggied with plastic. I used the Bobby pins to hold the ends up, covered with a plastic shower cap and a silk bonnet.

I sat under the hood dryer for 10-15 minutes with the two shower caps on.

I sprayed water on my hair, not to saturate but enough to allow the shampoo to lather. Massaged the roots of each section and then applied shampoo to the length of my braids working it through. I let the

shampoo sit for about 10 minutes to allow it to do it's job and breakdown the oils and products.

I rinsed patted dry with a regular towel, applied the Affirm 5 in 1 the same way as the shampoo, covered with a plastic shower cap and then covered that with a foil shower cap and left it on for 30 minutes. I trimmed the thin ends of each braid, it was roughly 1 cm, or a little over.

I rinsed and applied the Miche Indulge Moisturising DC, sat under the dryer for 30 minutes. Removed foil cap and got in the shower, after I finished washing up, I removed the plastic shower cap, rinsed and then applied S Curl to my soaking wet hair and scrunched out the excess.

I took a braid down at a time, and applied a little more S Curl to make sure everywhere was covered, I then worked the Unbrush plus through my hair, it was at this point the magic started lol. I applied a little Cantu, worked it through and went back in with the Unbrush, repeated the same steps with the oil to seal in the moisture, and then Brushed hair up with the Denman (There was 1 or 2 strands in the Denman when I finished), I tied it back with a saturated silk band, did a single braid, folded the end backwards and secured with a saturated snag free band, went over that with an unsaturated silk band.

Things I did/used differently

1. I've prepooed for two consecutive weeks

Baggied the ends of my braids during the overnight prepoo

(I used to sometimes baggy the end of my braid before bunning it. It's not something I've done in a long time, but my ends need all the help they can get, this came to mind after thinking about things I've done previously, what I know works, what I can approach differently and what I can try new).

2. Using a bottle instead of my hand to dampen my hair

(I wanted even, controlled distribution applied with intention not haphazardly).

3. Applied leave in to wet hair in shower
Used the Unbrush

(This is not something I would normally do).

4. Detangled after rinsing conditioner

(I always detangle with conditioner in before I rinse).

5.Saturated my hair bands in oil

(I've been bothered by the hair that gets caught around my hair bands so I've been looking for ways to eliminateor at least reduce this. I took inspiration from @Chicoro after thinking about times when this wasn't such an issue.

6. Flipping back the end of my braid before tieing it.

(This is something I used to do and stopped, I feel it's a necessary step to help protect and improve my ends.


I think I went into some of this in my last post, but to summarise I would say:

I believe every product, tool and process I used worked very well together to create the overall results. The most significant things for me were the protein treatments I did in December and yesterday, this will have strengthened my hair and improved the condition for sure. Also that infused oil prepoo will have done great things to improve the condition of my hair. Although I think the Unbrush made light work of detangling, I can't say that it's the main reason for losing less hair during the process because there was practically no Hair in the Denman after brushing through my whole head. My conclusion is that the improved condition and being gentler are the main reasons, the brush did it's thing though lol. Which means that I have noticeably improved the condition of my hair. I'm hoping to get her back to her former glory.



They say to be careful what you ask for lol.

The detail, the thoroughness, the thought and the analysis put into this response was FANGA Lick'en GooDT!

T

 

[Angel of the North]

The detail, the thoroughness, the thought and the analysis put into this response was FANGA Lick'en GooDT!

T

It's really tempting to put up a poll on who licked their fingers the best.