Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2026

[Chicoro]

@Angel of the North
Your braid looks gorgeous. To the average person, that’s just a thick, pretty braid.

To us, it’s the result of deep thought, trial and error, observations, analysis of products and processes, experience, time and discussion.

You didn’t ‘guess’ your way to that beautiful braid. You thought your way to it.

Growing and maintaining healthy, beautiful, Afro-textured hair is a thinking game, not a guessing game.


I appreciate you extending your acknowledgment to me. It helps me, too. It makes me feel seen and yes, worthy. It encourages me to want to help others and to write more hair books.

Congratulations on your success! A success that you understand, documented, implemented and can repeat with confidence.

 

[Angel of the North]

@Angel of the North
Your braid looks gorgeous. To the average person, that’s just a thick, pretty braid.

To us, it’s the result of deep thought, trial and errors, observations, analysis of products and processes, experience, time and discussion.

You didn’t ‘guess’ your way to that beautiful braid. You thought your way to it.

Thank you @Chicoro. You're right in what you say, it definitely isn't something I just happened upon. I had to put in a little work, but it has definitely paid off.

Growing and maintaining healthy, beautiful, Afro-textured hair is a thinking game, not a guessing game.

100%! I put guessing or not paying attention at the top of the list for setbacks. I love the thinking part of the journey, I'm very fortunate that most of the time I can pinpoint things relatively quickly and know what process might help me to get the results I want.

I appreciate you extending your acknowledgment to me. It helps me, too. It makes me feel seen and yes, worthy. It encourages me to want to help others and to write more hair books.

I have to give credit where it's due, you are definitely seen, and more so worthy. Your input is highly valued and grestly appreciated. I'm glad that you're motivated to write more hair books and continue helping others, the hair community needs you sis.

Congratulations on your success! A success that you understand, documented, implemented and can repeat with confidence.

Thanks again. Last week I trialed a lot of little tweaks and they paid off. Based on their results, I've made more tweaks this week and the results have improved once again. I'm really able to see the benefits of making these little tweaks to my processes and it's also helped to finalise my regimen. The results will hopefully continue to speak for themselves.

 

[Angel of the North]

The magic of Afro-textured hair is amazing. And the magic from which it originates, the woman of African descent, is even more so. Black women are magical!

100%

Shrinkage seems problematic, at least it did to me. Now, I see it as a feature or aspect of healthy, glorious, Afro-textured hair. Saying this for me, not everyone has shrinkage.

I always thought my shrinkage was bad but not anymore I actually noticed today that my curl pattern is loosening up ever so slightly, I think this is because my hair has grown. Making my braid a little tighter today has actually made my hair look about an inch longer than it did kast week. Shrinkage is slowly moving towards the bottom of my concerns.

Asian hair is made up mostly of para cortical cells.

European hair is made of some paracortical and some orthocortical cells.

Afro textured hair is the only hair that is bilateral. It has 50% paracortical and 50% orthocortical.

That means ALL hair types can literally come from, a person with Afro-textured hair.

That was a fantastic breakdown, thank you. I have type 1 - 4 hair in my head, my hair essentially has type 3 curls, but they are made up of all 4 textures. I've always believed this to be the potential catalyst to my frizz issues, this hair doesn't know what she was trying to be and I've ended up with the life's work of trying to eradicate it

It’s up to us to decipher the clues about our hair, put that information in context, and to adjust our perspectives. This is not judgment!

I agre with both statements.

It is hard to value shrinkage when mainstream beauty care does not acknowledge it, recognize it.

But we, as a community of women with Afro textured hair, are the people who acknowledge it, embrace it, understand it.

I don't care how other ethnicities see my hair., their opinions are not necessary nor wanted when it comes to my hair. I appreciate the elasticity that lprovides a way for me to check my moisture or protein balance and also know that it's healthy.

Hence, the ‘full circle’ recognition and acknowledgement statement of absolute truth, ‘there is nothing we can’t do with our hair’. You are absolutely right.

I think those with other hair types low key jealous of our hair, because of it and they wish their hair could do all of the same lol.

Women with Afro textured hair are Mother’s of Millennia. It is that very shrinkage that quietly illuminates this fact.

I love this

It puts a whole new spin on ‘Know thyself’. And that is why I believe a hair journey for a woman with Afro textured hair can be incredibly enlightening and life shifting.

Absolutely agree.

I always say, “Hair is not rocket science. It is far more complex”.

Chicoro

This needs to be on a plaque!