Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2023

[Chicoro]

I did my weekly wash routine this morning

• olaplex 3 treatment on my older hair
• All purpose shampoo on my younger hair
• Moisture shampoo on all my hair
• Regular conditioner on all my hair + protein conditioner on my older hair
• Detangle
• Style with gel

I’m taking a cue from @ckisland and trying to do more smoothing and less raking.
Week 5 since my cut and my ends still feel good.

Prior to you being as intentional as you are now, at what week usually would your ends start to not feel good?

 

[snoop]

@snoop codecurlblack does hair? If I lived near her I would have her do my twists for my vacation.

For some reason I thought she did... Now I'mma have to go back and check....

 

[snoop]

Here's a quick visual. I alternate the placement of my hair and ponytail higher or lower depending on how I want my hair to fall (eg. hair going back away from my face, and pulled higher for more volume).

Thanks for this visual!!!

 

[snoop]

@snoop @GettingKinky curlcodeblack said in another post it takes her a whole week to do her own mini twists. I wonder how long the set lasts her before she needs to wash her hair or Atleast her scalp? I work out 6 days a week sometimes multiple workouts per day, so i really can't go longer than 7-10 days max before I need to wash my scalp again. ACV rinsing my scalp after a while just isn't enough

her hair is lovely though I wish I could rock that as a style long term

I don't doubt... it takes me 3 days to do mini twists and my hair isn't as long or voluminous as hers. I wash mine weekly. I used to refresh my twists (mini and medium) every two weeks. So wash/install, wash, wash/takedown/re-install. Now I takedown first then re-install, but still wash weekly. I don't mind my frizz, though.

She has a post on her blog about using scoop and spread (as Green Beauty calls it -- other people know it as "scritching and preening") to keep her scalp clean. Based on the title of her post, I don't know if that means that she extends her washes or she has a set time and uses this in-between.

 

[caribeandiva]

Let us know how it goes, please! I don't plan to use heat until August or September. But I'm going to buy some Teflon tape, though. I want to be READY! Don't buy that pricing gouging stuff for 'hair' on A,mazon. Just go to the regular hardware store or order online and get the large width Teflon tape for cheap. It told my Kindred Spirit @GGsKin that I like to have my stuff ready so when I decide to use it, it is THERE!

*removes Magic Tape from Amazon cart* THANK YOU!!!

 

[GettingKinky]

Prior to you being as intentional as you are now, at what week usually would your ends start to not feel good?

Good question. I don’t know. Prior to this last cut, I think I still had baking soda damage so the bottom portion of my hair always felt rough.
Since this last cut it feels smooth all the way down so now I’m being very intentional so I can tell when they feel different so I know it’s time for a trim.

 

[Lylddlebit]

I took a better picture...the first one posted was too close up/bad angle.

View attachment 486597

I guess, looking at them up close they look alright. I know that I don't need a trim because I had one last month.

Those long strangling strands are the phenomenon that I was trying to describe. I had to cut away a few knots that formed where a strand of hair from one twist made its way down and knotted with a strand of hair from another twist. You can see the second twist from the right and the one on the right trying to shake hands. These twists are about 3 weeks old and have been through about three washes and I've been mostly wearing my hair in a bun or under a scarf or beenie.

I'm not looking forward to taking them down because of webbing. My hair webs because I inadvertently borrow when I twist. I need to be very deliberate when I twist and twist near the part that's being twisted to avoid this. Usually I just rush through and figure it out at take down.

View attachment 486599

(I didn't stretch my hair last night after rinsing so my twists have shrunk.)

So question to everyone: what would you suggest as a safe way to preserve my ends when I'm trying to stretch my hair after washing. I've been bunning without elastics, but I kind of have to pull tight to secure it so I'm not sure if it's too much tension? I normally use spiral elastics to put my hair in ponytails but I'm not sure if that's worse or harmful...? I don't use bobby pins but I do have spin pins. I was trying to find the spin bun cuff to try but I think Goody stopped selling them.

Should I braid? Thread? Continue doing what I"m doing? Are there any points of weakness in the strands that I should pay attention to when I'm binding my hair when wet?

I put my hair in 6-8 braids, while I am showering, if I want to stretch my hair in the shower or right after washing it. I load my hair up with moisturizer and slather shea butter or safflower oil on the last 4 inches. The last 2-3 inches are unbraided but the oil/butter will curl it up into a "soft freeze" without tangles, subsequent single strand knots or split ends(I don't know why this works but it is hard to find split ends and single strand knots when I do this for 1-3 months back to back). When I do this I just wash/cowash, moisturize and seal. I don't use any rubber bands or accessories with this method. My hair is pretty well stretched by the time it dries.

 

[GettingKinky]

I think it was here, when I first joined 12ish ( ) years ago, that I learned about using shampoo only on the scalp, and just letting it run down the length, but not actually rubbing shampoo into the length. So that is what I’ve been doing ever since (except those rare times when I straighten, because I do want to wash the Sabino Moisture Block residue off).

I tried this a few times but I didn’t like the results. My wash n go afterwards didn’t turn out well and I think it’s because I need to shampoo my hair well for it to absorb the right amount of water. But if I wore my hair in another style I think I would do this more often.

 

[Chicoro]

I took down my hair after two (2) weeks in preparation to clay wash it today. No breakage. No sticky, velcro, tangled ends. My braids came out easily and my hair was moist and lubricated.


My ends no longer look like eaten on or chewed up. I've not gained length yet because I was losing so much length every month from breakage and tangled ends.

I am very happy with ends. It looks like they just might be thickening up a little bit.

 

[GettingKinky]

I took down my hair after two (2) weeks in preparation to clay wash it today. No breakage. No sticky, velcro, tangled ends. My braids came out easily and my hair was moist and lubricated.


My ends no longer look like eaten on or chewed up. I've not gained length yet because I was losing so much length every month from breakage and tangled ends.

I am very happy with ends. It looks like they just might be thickening up a little bit.

That’s great news @Chicoro It sounds like you have your hair back on track.

 

[Chicoro]

That’s great news @Chicoro It sounds like you have your hair back on track.

Yes! Thank you!

 

[ckisland]

I took down my hair after two (2) weeks in preparation to clay wash it today. No breakage. No sticky, velcro, tangled ends. My braids came out easily and my hair was moist and lubricated.


My ends no longer look like eaten on or chewed up. I've not gained length yet because I was losing so much length every month from breakage and tangled ends.

I am very happy with ends. It looks like they just might be thickening up a little bit.

That is so awesome!! I want to be a part of Team No Breakage one day

 

[Mapleoats]

I put my hair in 6-8 braids, while I am showering, if I want to stretch my hair in the shower or right after washing it. I load my hair up with moisturizer and slather shea butter or safflower oil on the last 4 inches. The last 2-3 inches are unbraided but the oil/butter will curl it up into a "soft freeze" without tangles, subsequent single strand knots or split ends(I don't know why this works but it is hard to find split ends and single strand knots when I do this for 1-3 months back to back). When I do this I just wash/cowash, moisturize and seal. I don't use any rubber bands or accessories with this method. My hair is pretty well stretched by the time it dries.

do you keep the braids in or wear them as a braid out? how often do you have to refresh when you’re styling your hair this way?

 

[luvableladii]

I took a better picture...the first one posted was too close up/bad angle.

View attachment 486597

I guess, looking at them up close they look alright. I know that I don't need a trim because I had one last month.

Those long strangling strands are the phenomenon that I was trying to describe. I had to cut away a few knots that formed where a strand of hair from one twist made its way down and knotted with a strand of hair from another twist. You can see the second twist from the right and the one on the right trying to shake hands. These twists are about 3 weeks old and have been through about three washes and I've been mostly wearing my hair in a bun or under a scarf or beenie.

I'm not looking forward to taking them down because of webbing. My hair webs because I inadvertently borrow when I twist. I need to be very deliberate when I twist and twist near the part that's being twisted to avoid this. Usually I just rush through and figure it out at take down.

View attachment 486599

(I didn't stretch my hair last night after rinsing so my twists have shrunk.)

So question to everyone: what would you suggest as a safe way to preserve my ends when I'm trying to stretch my hair after washing. I've been bunning without elastics, but I kind of have to pull tight to secure it so I'm not sure if it's too much tension? I normally use spiral elastics to put my hair in ponytails but I'm not sure if that's worse or harmful...? I don't use bobby pins but I do have spin pins. I was trying to find the spin bun cuff to try but I think Goody stopped selling them.

Should I braid? Thread? Continue doing what I"m doing? Are there any points of weakness in the strands that I should pay attention to when I'm binding my hair when wet?

I vote for flexi rods!! They are simple to stretch with, and you can stretch a bunch of twists all at once. Drying takes time though…

 

[luvableladii]

This is an interesting observation and I can't wait to hear more. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find many afro haired people who no-poo/use alternatives to shampoo or shampoo very infrequently, but I'd love to get a collective view of how our hair behaves under no-shampoo conditions. Right now, I only see straighter hair folks talking about their experiences (including finding out that once they stop shampooing, their hair isn't as straight as they thought).

Hard water vs soft water seems to be a factor in how non-shampoo or even shampoo will react to hair. Reverse osmosis water is something that I'm hearing about now in those circles. I'm not entirely sure what it really is, but I want to try it...though my pocket book is saying nope....

I know for me, I found that my hair prefers certain moisturizing shampoos. I have a combination scalp that can become oily or dry depending on my methods. I also have dandruff. Some shampoo alternatives like clays never cleaned enough. ACV and baking soda roughed up my hair too much. Clarifying shampoos were also a bit too rough.

And yet, I still have to be choosy with my moisturizing shampoos. I’ve found that some shampoos cause what I call “micro dryness.” It’s dryness that I couldn’t feel to the touch, but my hair displays symptoms of dryness like split ends, small broken pieces, and webbing/ Velcro ends. My techniques and products don’t change, but when I use certain shampoos like design essentials moisturizing shampoo, I notice more split ends. I thought I was crazy at first but my mother noticed the same thing with her natural hair and this shampoo. Her hair is actually more sensitive to this than my hair.

Shampoos that work for me include:
-camille rose ginger cleansing rinse
-Henna sooq cassia and neem hair wash
-TGIN moisturizing shampoo

 

[luvableladii]

That is so awesome!! I want to be a part of Team No Breakage one day

DITTO

 

[Lylddlebit]

do you keep the braids in or wear them as a braid out? how often do you have to refresh when you’re styling your hair this way?

I keep the braids in until the next wash 1-2 weeks later(most often every week). I usually only wear a braid out or twist out if I take the braids or twists out 1-2 days before wash day. I never stye my hair in braids or twist for the purpose of the braid/twist out being my style for the week. Despite that, I am open to doing more braid/twist outs since I didn't have the tangling I expected with the most recent wash and gos. If I can do it without a trend of splits, extra cuts and knots it I am willing to do those more.

 

[keranikki]

I know for me, I found that my hair prefers certain moisturizing shampoos. I have a combination scalp that can become oily or dry depending on my methods. I also have dandruff. Some shampoo alternatives like clays never cleaned enough. ACV and baking soda roughed up my hair too much. Clarifying shampoos were also a bit too rough.

And yet, I still have to be choosy with my moisturizing shampoos. I’ve found that some shampoos cause what I call “micro dryness.” It’s dryness that I couldn’t feel to the touch, but my hair displays symptoms of dryness like split ends, small broken pieces, and webbing/ Velcro ends. My techniques and products don’t change, but when I use certain shampoos like design essentials moisturizing shampoo, I notice more split ends. I thought I was crazy at first but my mother noticed the same thing with her natural hair and this shampoo. Her hair is actually more sensitive to this than my hair.

Shampoos that work for me include:
-camille rose ginger cleansing rinse
-Henna sooq cassia and neem hair wash
-TGIN moisturizing shampoo

The bolded! I'm currently using Design Essentials Agave and Lavender shampoo as my moisturizing shampoo. I will pay even more attention to my ends after using this shampoo to see if it has a damaging effect. Thank you for sharing your experience!
I'm going to join the capillary schedule challenge (?) for the month of February. My plan is to use what I have on hand, even though I just purchased a new gel after I stated that I wouldn't purchase anything new for the first 6 months of the year. Le sigh. I'm tweaking the regimen for February, so I will come back and post I got it.

 

[Chicoro]

What seems to be woking for my ends, FOR NOW, is the following process:

1. Pre-treating hair with Glycerine/Oil/Aloe Vera Mix before washing
2. Oiling hair with a henna/fenugreek infused oil immediately after pre-treatment
3. Using Snoops's Super Clay Mix to cleanse hair (Wash 2x)
4. Conditioning with 1 tablespoon of Melted Shea butter in conditioner
5. Putting on my spray bottle concoction before re-braiding
6. Using Shea butter to seal hair
7. Using Vaseline on top of Shea to lubricate hair
8. Baggying hair during the week or two weeks

No shampoo.

Plan to use Aphogee 2 Step sometime this month.

 

[Napp]

I had to change up my style. I noticed i was having some breakage from my ponytail. I'm currently in transitional housing and was so busy with work i neglected my hair. stopped moisturizing and just general neglect. I saw a bunch of short pieces around the perimeter. So i decided to go back to wigs until i can get back to my ponytail game. Just feeling kind of sick of my hair in general.

 

[Chicoro]

I had to change up my style. I noticed i was having some breakage from my ponytail. I'm currently in transitional housing and was so busy with work i neglected my hair. stopped moisturizing and just general neglect. I saw a bunch of short pieces around the perimeter. So i decided to go back to wigs until i can get back to my ponytail game. Just feeling kind of sick of my hair in general.

I’m sorry to hear about the breakage. I did want to add this is the danger point, when you are busy and when the interest is waning or lessening in the hair. Stay focused as best as you can! I think it’s a great idea to go back to your tried and true wig wearing process. Stay vigilant with your hair. You are going for the gold and length and health in 2023! You are solidly on track. You just have to stay on track!

Congratulations on being in transitional housing! You are moving forward definitely in your life. Transitions of any kind are not easy. They take courage to make them. Bravo, @Napp !

 

[Chicoro]

I usually have fuzzies, or broken, wiry hairs that don’t lay down. Thus, I have to use specific gels to hold my hair down. The one that worked best for me is Wetline. I ran out about 7 months ago, it’s not sold in France and it is expensive to import. Eco Styler is plentiful here. It never worked as well as Wetline.

Now, it does. It’s the addition of the clay wash and the removal of shampoo from routine which have made the difference!

Firstly, those fuzzies were hard and wiry and unruly because of my use of shampoo. My hair texture is transforming in that it lays down more easily, with even Eco gel.

Secondly, those fuzzies are shorter, younger hairs. Thus, this communicates to me that shampoo is not only adversely impacting my older, longer hair, it’s messing with my newer/younger shorter hairs, too.

What this tells me is NONE of my hair is liking shampoo right now. Therefore, for now I’m not shampooing weekly. I will shampoo to clarify around every 6 to 8 weeks AND I’m using Indigenous Strandz’s technique of bagging the ends when washing with shampoo. Incidentally, I’ve not tried her technique before.

 

[Chicoro]

I’m taking the horse and wagon into town on Saturday. The store I go to for beauty supplies is called Aroma Zone.

They have about nine (9) different clays. I’m going to be a clay buying fool. They have:

1. Green clay illite
2. Green clay montmorillonite
3. Violet clay
4. Fenugreek clay
5. White clay
6. Yellow clay
7. Pink clay
8. Red clay
9. Rhassoul

The clays are gorgeous when I scoop them out. But all the cuteness disappears into a grey, thick murkiness, when I add water.

That’s okay, because my hair is transforming beautifully thanks to our resident genius, @snoop and her Super Clay Mix she gave to me.

 

[Chicoro]

It's February, ladies!


For those of you who use the lunar calendar to inform you when to trim or cut your hair!

​

 

[Chicoro]

Luscious Healthy Hair Ends February Thought


I’ve been interested in and focused on hair for many years, yet I don’t have hair to my knees. Meaning, and inferring that if I truly ‘got it’ my hair would be super long by now.

But, that’s not how I look at it. I’ve been standing on the side lines observing and documenting all this time. Making assessments and extrapolations. As my hair has grown out, as I’ve encountered setbacks and breakthroughs, many of them have been consciously noted.

As a result, my knowledge about hair is deep and wide. It’s concentrating over time like a thick, rich, delicious bouillon.

Had I been able to gain and retain length rapidly, this world of hair growth would have been obscured and remained hidden from my view and would have been totally outside of my purview.

I say that because years ago I would ask every person I encountered with long hair what was their process to gain their length. About 95% couldn’t ( or wouldn’t-but I think couldn’t) articulate what they did. The others gave information that was either not helpful in a practical sense or not applicable for me.

As you continue along on your hair journey, understand that you are already in a tremendously advantageous place.Why? Because you are conscious and aware of the fact that you ARE on a journey. If you are oblivious, information and knowledge and clues about your hair can more easily escape you.

As you continue along on your hair journey you are cultivating knowledge that no one can ever take from you.

Every time you delve deeper into your hair journey, you are better able to purposefully produce a more beautiful head of hair over time.

To reiterate, a setback ain’t nothing but a set-up for a fabulous comeback!

Jump into this journey and this life with both feet!

Love,
Thread Monitor Chicoro
(Just playin' bout the thread monitor part!)

 

[Tangles]

I really need to join a challenge like this. For a long time I've been in denial about the importance of the health of my ends. I would be so far in my length journey if I had just paid more attention to my ends. I have big chopped so many times over the last 16 years of being natural because of it (the latest was 2021). Here I am now after all these years trying to do the things that I should've been doing all along. Now that I've gone gray, my hair is on a whole other level; high porosity, and fine. Nevertheless, I believe I can still achieve my health and length goals, but the hair exhaustion is real for me

 

[Chicoro]

I really need to join a challenge like this. For a long time I've been in denial about the importance of the health of my ends. I would be so far in my length journey if I had just paid more attention to my ends. I have big chopped so many times over the last 16 years of being natural because of it (the latest was 2021). Here I am now after all these years trying to do the things that I should've been doing all along. Now that I've gone gray, my hair is on a whole other level; high porosity, and fine. Nevertheless, I believe I can still achieve my health and length goals, but the hair exhaustion is real for me

Hey! Welcome @Tangles !
Come in and rest and lay your head down in this thread. Once you’ve rested up, let us know what you need or want so we can fortify you during your journey. You’re here. You’ve made it. Rest up with us and just ‘be’. When you’re ready, we’re here.

 

[Lylddlebit]

The bolded! I'm currently using Design Essentials Agave and Lavender shampoo as my moisturizing shampoo. I will pay even more attention to my ends after using this shampoo to see if it has a damaging effect. Thank you for sharing your experience!
I'm going to join the capillary schedule challenge (?) for the month of February. My plan is to use what I have on hand, even though I just purchased a new gel after I stated that I wouldn't purchase anything new for the first 6 months of the year. Le sigh. I'm tweaking the regimen for February, so I will come back and post I got it.

Yeah monitor it. I tried the entire agave line in around 2018/2019. My hair hated every product in that line. My press felt like straw after week(and it usually still feels supple at the 4-5 week mark). My natural hair tangled and webbed more than usual. At first, I didn't blame the line because I knew I was in postpartum window. So, after using the whole line together was a bust, I would try just the shampoo with the rest of my staples...same issue. Just the conditioner with the rest of my staples...same issue, and each product in the line one by one with my staples. My staples offset using the whole time together but every time I used a product form that line my hair dried out and I had tangle issues that were out of the ordinary. When I went back to my staples even if my hormones gave me shedding fluctuations the dryness that I had using that line immediately disappeared.


This isn't to say the line isn't working for you, but you should parallel the performance to what your hair loves to gauge it. I ended up giving mine away. There was just something in the Agave and Lavender line that my hair rejected, which was a bummer since I generally like Design Essentials.

 

[ckisland]

Yeah monitor it. I tried the entire agave line in around 2018/2019. My hair hated every product in that line. My press felt like straw after week(and it usually still feels supple at the 4-5 week mark). My natural hair tangled and webbed more than usual. At first, I didn't blame the line because I knew I was in postpartum window. So, after using the whole line together was a bust, I would try just the shampoo with the rest of my staples...same issue. Just the conditioner with the rest of my staples...same issue, and each product in the line one by one with my staples. My staples offset using the whole time together but every time I used a product form that line my hair dried out and I had tangle issues that were out of the ordinary. When I went back to my staples even if my hormones gave me shedding fluctuations the dryness that I had using that line immediately disappeared.


This isn't to say the line isn't working for you, but you should parallel the performance to what your hair loves to gauge it. I ended up giving mine away. There was just something in the Agave and Lavender line that my hair rejected, which was a bummer since I generally like Design Essentials.

So insightful!!! I had a similar experience with Shea Moisture. I tried the pink line and my hair was wrecked after one use. It took me weeks to get my hair back together. It's crazy how a head of hair can react so strongly to a product line.

 

[Chicoro]

So insightful!!! I had a similar experience with Shea Moisture. I tried the pink line and my hair was wrecked after one use. It took me weeks to get my hair back together. It's crazy how a head of hair can react so strongly to a product line.

But the important point for both you @ckisland and @Lylddlebit is that you BOTH listened to your 'hair' selves. You honored the whisperings of your hair with action. That action was to stop using those products that were not working for your specific head of hair. If those are not acts of self-love, I don't know what is.People think it's just hair. But this journey is no joke. It will take you to places that you could never imagine. One of those places is deep within the depths of ourselves.