Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2018

Prettymetty

Natural/4b/medium-coarse
So I did a thing. On a whim I got color at the salon. She lifted it with bleach, then toned it to a brown shade (ombre). Now my ends are super dry and fragile. I used protein last wash
I'll use moisture today... I hope my hair feels better after today's wash. How can I improve my porosity and lock in the moisture until next wash?

Suggestions please. I may have to trim a couple inches though.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
So I did a thing. On a whim I got color at the salon. She lifted it with bleach, then toned it to a brown shade (ombre). Now my ends are super dry and fragile. I used protein last wash
I'll use moisture today... I hope my hair feels better after today's wash. How can I improve my porosity and lock in the moisture until next wash?

Suggestions please. I may have to trim a couple inches though.
I winced when you said lift. :sad:

Make sure every 4 to 6 weeks you use a true keratin protein like aphoghee per komaza. Regular protein conditioners alone may not be enough to deal with color.

pick up the aphogee amino acid treatment from Sally's to fix the bonds in your hair.

20180918_085556.jpg

Keep us posted.
 

Daina

Well-Known Member
So I did a thing. On a whim I got color at the salon. She lifted it with bleach, then toned it to a brown shade (ombre). Now my ends are super dry and fragile. I used protein last wash
I'll use moisture today... I hope my hair feels better after today's wash. How can I improve my porosity and lock in the moisture until next wash?

Suggestions please. I may have to trim a couple inches though.

@Prettymetty, your color looks really pretty! Yeah it's the bleach that is going to cause your ends the trouble. I would try some Roux porosity control to help get the porosity back in balance. In addition to babying your ends with extra moisture and sealing, I really like the Aphogee green tea and keratin leave-in spray. I also think lightly sealing them with Shea butter can help as well. I know your hair is heat trained so I would definitely use that prior to using heat (using the Aphogee). I'm a bun girl so keeping your ends protected will help as well. I used to be the bleach queen every summer for highlights, it's a wonder my hair survived. I knew nothing about protein treatments or even moisturizing and sealing and it survived. You are hair knowledgeable so enjoy your color and protect those ends!
 

Prettymetty

Natural/4b/medium-coarse
Thanks for the quick responses @Daina and @faithVA. I will pick up some Roux porosity control and an intense protein like Aphogee. Tonight I'll wash with Kerastase Extentioniste shampoo. It's supposed to rebuild the hair and protect it from breakage. I'll dc with Masquintense today (heavy moisture). When I make it to Sally's I'll pick up the recommended goodies for my hair.

Maybe I should lay off heat for a while too. Until my hair feels like my hair again.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the quick responses @Daina and @faithVA. I will pick up some Roux porosity control and an intense protein like Aphogee. Tonight I'll wash with Kerastase Extentioniste shampoo. It's supposed to rebuild the hair and protect it from breakage. I'll dc with Masquintense today (heavy moisture). When I make it to Sally's I'll pick up the recommended goodies for my hair.

Maybe I should lay off heat for a while too. Until my hair feels like my hair again.
I think that's a good idea. Get you hair back to normal before adding any additional stress.
 

Prettymetty

Natural/4b/medium-coarse
:bighug:I hope you manage to get things back under control soon.
Thanks dear. I feel like the dryness from last week was due to the It's a 10 spray. I should've used something heavier with it. Last night I used Suave keratin cream on my ends and generic chi silk infusion. Detangling was easy. My hair is moisturized and smooth today. I'm wearing 2 jumbo twists into 2 buns. Snapchat-1325797646.jpg
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I'm keeping my braids. From tomorrow Sept 22nd, 2018 to July 2019 I'm going to pull my braids back in a ponytail and cover my ponytail in a baggie.

My ends get tangled and knotted and I a continue to tear out my hair from the ends up. Shea butter was working really great. But something has shifted again and the tangling has become and issue again.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I'm keeping my braids. From tomorrow Sept 22nd, 2018 to July 2019 I'm going to pull my braids back in a ponytail and cover my ponytail in a baggie.

My ends get tangled and knotted and I a continue to tear out my hair from the ends up. Shea butter was working really great. But something has shifted again and the tangling has become and issue again.
I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will quickly figure out the culprit and get things straightened out.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will quickly figure out the culprit and get things straightened out.

That's sweet of you! I think I need to cleanse my hair better, perhaps clarify. I use Shea butter. Thus, a different kind of shampoo may be needed.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
That's sweet of you! I think I need to cleanse my hair better, perhaps clarify. I use Shea butter. Thus, a different kind of shampoo may be needed.
Yes that is a possiblity. Start with a clean slate and see how often you need to clarify or use a sulfate shampoo. What are you using now?
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
Yes that is a possiblity. Start with a clean slate and see how often you need to clarify or use a sulfate shampoo. What are you using now?

I am using baby wash to cleanse my. And another issue is that I have gone way past my normal wash day. I really need to wash my hair!
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I tried S-Curl and shea butter but that didn't work for me. My hair didn't like the S-Curl very much and shea butter just seemed to sit there. I may try it again with Stay Sof Fro. My hair seemed to like that when I used it years ago. I threw the S-Curl away.

My ends tend to stick together when I shampoo my hair and then apply color. I have tried a few things but today I changed it up a little and coated my ends with Carol's Daughter Honey Mimosa pomade every time I rinsed between my shampoo and henna, between my henna and indigo and after I sprayed on my leave-in. Previously I had used it after I towel dried my hair. Doing it as my very first step seems to be working better.

I will see how things are in the morning when I take down these twists.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I tried S-Curl and shea butter but that didn't work for me. My hair didn't like the S-Curl very much and shea butter just seemed to sit there. I may try it again with Stay Sof Fro. My hair seemed to like that when I used it years ago. I threw the S-Curl away.

My ends tend to stick together when I shampoo my hair and then apply color. I have tried a few things but today I changed it up a little and coated my ends with Carol's Daughter Honey Mimosa pomade every time I rinsed between my shampoo and henna, between my henna and indigo and after I sprayed on my leave-in. Previously I had used it after I towel dried my hair. Doing it as my very first step seems to be working better.

I will see how things are in the morning when I take down these twists.


@faithVA,

Have you ever tried a rinse off conditioner with behentromonium methosulfate + dimethicone? These two ingredients together seem to create a non-permeable skin on the hair. This allows the hair to hold more moisture, minimize some breakage and gain length.

I'm leery of dimethicone in general, but in combination with behentromonium methosulfate or behentrimonium chloride, I have seen it help someone finally get past a discouraging 10 year growth and breakage cycle. Now, her hair is rapidly gaining and retaining length.
I provided this combination to her after some research.

Such as:

Organix Coconut Curl Conditioner
(It has behentrimonium chloride, which is a lesser cousin to behentrimonium methosulfate but it works, too.)

Any conditioner will do. The key is to find one with those two ingredients.
 
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faithVA

Well-Known Member
@faithVA,

Have you ever tried a rinse off conditioner with behentromonium methosulfate + dimethicone? These two ingredients together seem to create a non-permeable skin on the hair. This allows the hair to hold more moisture, minimize some breakage and gain length.

I'm leery of dimethicone in general, but in combination with behentromonium methosulfate or behentrimonium chloride, I have seen it help someone finally get past a discouraging 10 year growth and breakage cycle. Now, her hair is rapidly gaining and retaining length.
I provided this combination to her after some research.

Such as:

Organix Coconut Curl Conditioner
(It has behentrimonium chloride, which is a lesser cousin to behentrimonium methosulfate but it works, too.)

Any conditioner will do. The key is to find one with those two ingredients.
I could try it on my ends but couldn't use it on my hair. Even with the combo I would need to remoisturize after 3 days and the combo would cause an issue with that. I don't get enough water in my strands to be successful with cones. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I could try it on my ends but couldn't use it on my hair. Even with the combo I would need to remoisturize after 3 days and the combo would cause an issue with that. I don't get enough water in my strands to be successful with cones. Thanks for the suggestion though.

You are welcome! Thank you for taking the time to consider it and advising of your thoughts regarding the suggestion.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I wore my hair/braids in a baggie today. I took it way back and put on my concoction and then the baggie. My hair was stretched tonight and no tangled ends. I did my ends routine tonight and my hair is now on top of my head, in a braided knot, waiting for me to go to sleep.

My hair ends aren't rubbing against my clothes. I'll give this a week to 1 month to make an assessment to determine if I think it is working or not. But in general, I LOVE to baggie my ends.
 

Daina

Well-Known Member
Straightened my hair today and gave myself a much needed trim. My hair had started to shed more than usual and I saw some breakage so I knew it was time. Hadn't trimmed since March. My ends feel much better but I probably could have taken off another 1/4 inch in some places. Not sure I will straighten again this year but if I do will dust that additional 1/4 inch off. I trimmed each section as I flat ironed and it was so much easier than doing it all at the end.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
My ends are thinner. I've discovered some breakage at the nape of my neck. I don't know what is causing it, though. I was disappointed but my hair is telling me it doesn't like something I am doing.
 

Daina

Well-Known Member
My ends are thinner. I've discovered some breakage at the nape of my neck. I don't know what is causing it, though. I was disappointed but my hair is telling me it doesn't like something I am doing.

I'm trying to figure out the same thing...don't know what is going on? I'm hoping the trim will help. Going to try to keep it straight for a month, not sure my scalp will cooperate. My ends were much thinner than I would like. Maybe my styling in the summer was the culprit? I don't know...need to reassess for fall/winter.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I'm trying to figure out the same thing...don't know what is going on? I'm hoping the trim will help. Going to try to keep it straight for a month, not sure my scalp will cooperate. My ends were much thinner than I would like. Maybe my styling in the summer was the culprit? I don't know...need to reassess for fall/winter.

It's always a mini mystery to try to figure it out! But we and our hair are organic, and these means that things are ever changing. The great part is that we've both noticed. Now, we just have to do some back-tracking to determine the problem.
 

Daina

Well-Known Member
It's always a mini mystery to try to figure it out! But we and our hair are organic, and these means that things are ever changing. The great part is that we've both noticed. Now, we just have to do some back-tracking to determine the problem.

Agreed in the past I would have ignored the thinning ends because it's still growing. But now with more knowledge and better skills, I'm going to take the time to press pause and put my detective skills to work as I don't wan to risk a major set back.
 

Dominga11

Member
Conditioned tonight and used multiple products to seal my hair/ends. Used TGIN leave-in, followed by the Mane Choice anti-breakage ends serum, the Mane Choice Restorative Spray, Carols Daughter Honey Mimosa and TGIN gel.

I cut splits as I ran across them. Back in my flat twist as usual.

Your flat twists are gorgeous! I keep trying to do them straight back and they get loose in the middle. I like your styles where you had the flat twists in sections, I am definitely going to try that.
 
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faithVA

Well-Known Member
Your flat twists are gorgeous! I keep trying to do them straight back and they get loose in the middle. I like your styles were you had the flat twists in sections, I am definitely going to try that.
Thank you @dominga. Flat twists are my go to style but I have gotten lazy in my styling

Is your hair shorter in the middle? Do you twist each section before flat twisting the sections together? I find that helps to keep them tighter? Are you twisting on wet, damp, stretched or straight hair?
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I deep conditioned Friday, Saturday and rinsed out Sunday. Applied all my productions on wet hair. I used the Carol's Daughter Honey Mimosa Pomade on my wet ends. After doing my twist, I used Aunt Jackies gel on my ends to add an extra layer of sealing.

During the week I may moisten my ends and reseal with the Aunt Jackies to see how that works out.
 

GGsKin

Well-Known Member
I feel good that I haven't been randomly snipping at my hair. I gave myself a deep trim of about 2-3 inches in June so as maintenance for my fine strands, I dusted my ends this evening (a good lengthening day). Also spritzed with a mix of water and SAA and applied Shea butter to my ends, before sealing with a little more gel.
 

LushLox

Well-Known Member
Wow I'm embarrassed by how long ago my last trim was. I'm going to straighten next week; I'll probably have to take off at least 2 inches. It's cool though, when I trim my hair grows back very quickly I notice.
 
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