Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge 2017

[Chicoro]

Congrats on your inches girl!

Everything seems to be off to a smooth start this week. I bought a serum made by Mane Choice and I really like it. My ends aren't snapping off.

Thank you! Glad those hair ends of yours are holding steady this week!

 

[Evolving78]

Thank you! Glad those hair ends of yours are holding steady this week!

Thank you! Air drying is not my friend! My ends are highly porous.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

I'm a little worried about my ends: I haven't trimmed in a VERY long time . . . since November 2016 (I can't believe it's been that long! My, how quickly the time has passed!).

I see a few SSKs, and I can tell that my ends are thinning a little. Also, now when I brush or comb through my hair, I'm losing hair (more than I should be??? I'm not sure).

Anyway, I've been keeping my ends VERY lubricated with any combination of the following:

• Jakeala Shea Amla Parfait
• EarthTones Naturals Gelly
• DIY CurlyProverbz Ayurvedic Hair Growth Oil

I'm going to try to determine a cycle of styling (that I will actually DO) that keeps my hair relatively stretched so that detangling is a much gentler and shorter process on wash day. I know this will involve more twists and twist-outs. I'm still looking at my unused Conair Wave Clips like "What are you guys going to do for me?" I think if I master a set with those, it should help with the tangling, SSKs, and ends thing. At least that's what SistaWithRealHair or whatever her name is is leading me to believe from her review.

 

[Evolving78]

I'm a little worried about my ends: I haven't trimmed in a VERY long time . . . since November 2016 (I can't believe it's been that long! My, how quickly the time has passed!).

I see a few SSKs, and I can tell that my ends are thinning a little. Also, now when I brush or comb through my hair, I'm losing hair (more than I should be??? I'm not sure).

Anyway, I've been keeping my ends VERY lubricated with any combination of the following:

• Jakeala Shea Amla Parfait
• EarthTones Naturals Gelly
• DIY CurlyProverbz Ayurvedic Hair Growth Oil

I'm going to try to determine a cycle of styling (that I will actually DO) that keeps my hair relatively stretched so that detangling is a much gentler and shorter process on wash day. I know this will involve more twists and twist-outs. I'm still looking at my unused Conair Wave Clips like "What are you guys going to do for me?" I think if I master a set with those, it should help with the tangling, SSKs, and ends thing. At least that's what SistaWithRealHair or whatever her name is is leading me to believe from her review.

Do you plan on trimming soon?

 

[Loving]

I had to do a trim again on Saturday. I really don't know what's going on with my ends. To be honest, I used to take better care of my hair when I just joined the board and I have slacked off a little since.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Do you plan on trimming soon?

Yes. I will call tomorrow to set up an appointment.

 

[faithVA]

Yes. I will call tomorrow to set up an appointment.

I think you should trim it yourself but if you do go to the salon I hope you have a good experience.

 

[Tefnut]

Do you keep your in protective styles often? If so, then it may not be as bad as you think. It seems that you're lubing them well. Be sure to chat with the stylist and find out how much she plans to trim before she actually does.

I'm a little worried about my ends: I haven't trimmed in a VERY long time . . . since November 2016 (I can't believe it's been that long! My, how quickly the time has passed!).

I see a few SSKs, and I can tell that my ends are thinning a little. Also, now when I brush or comb through my hair, I'm losing hair (more than I should be??? I'm not sure).

Anyway, I've been keeping my ends VERY lubricated with any combination of the following:

• Jakeala Shea Amla Parfait
• EarthTones Naturals Gelly
• DIY CurlyProverbz Ayurvedic Hair Growth Oil

I'm going to try to determine a cycle of styling (that I will actually DO) that keeps my hair relatively stretched so that detangling is a much gentler and shorter process on wash day. I know this will involve more twists and twist-outs. I'm still looking at my unused Conair Wave Clips like "What are you guys going to do for me?" I think if I master a set with those, it should help with the tangling, SSKs, and ends thing. At least that's what SistaWithRealHair or whatever her name is is leading me to believe from her review.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Do you keep your in protective styles often? If so, then it may not be as bad as you think. It seems that you're lubing them well. Be sure to chat with the stylist and find out how much she plans to trim before she actually does.

Thanks for asking, and thanks for the tip: I'll definitely ask her before she trims. I'm going to get a picture of my hair flat ironed BEFORE the trim and after.

No, I don't protective style much. I used to wear crochet braids for months at a time, then take them out for a few weeks, then wear them for months at a time, and so forth.

Now at most I will leave my hair in about 10 twists and wear them under a wig for a few days out of the week before wearing a twist out or ponytailed wash and go for the remainder of the week.

 

[Chicoro]

Hair ends are doing fine.

Hair Process EPIPHANY!
Before re-doing my hair, I run my braids under hot water and saturate them before unbraiding. Coating them with S-curl and my shea butter mix, then braiding tautly seems to be doing the trick~ Water + Scurl + Shea Butter Mix!

My braids unravel with very little tangling whether I do my braids the next day or the next month. I've been on my hair journey, in some form or another, since I was 14 years old. This is the first time that I figured how to do this with my hair, where taking out my braids was not a struggle.

Instead of lamenting about all the length I could have had, I prefer to look forward and relish the thought of all the length I am going to retain in the next 18+ months.

Edited to add: I am month 9 of not using a comb or a brush to do my hair.

 

[faithVA]

I purchased the Mane Choice shears. They are very nice and come with a nice storage case. Let's see if I can tell a difference in December.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

I ended up self-trimming since I first-time straightened with the Ion Steam Pro straightening iron.

Hair feels good!

 

[Chicoro]

No Comb Month #10 Anniversary (October 2017)

My hair ends are improving. This is due to my not using a comb.

I do have one caveat: This month did mark the first time that I combed through all 8 braids in 2017. Usually, I will check 1 braid per month. I've never done this before and don't want to have a horrible set back. I like to do a quick check with a comb to make sure I am not delusional and that I have no matted hair. When I added Shea Butter [to my process], the tangles disappeared and my braids no longer unraveled.

For me and my hair, the real proof of luscious, healthy, hair ends is when I heat straighten my hair. That has always been one of my other major hair challenges. I always admire the hair of women with heat-straightened afro-textured hair where the ends are beautiful.

 

[Royalq]

How isit possible to have SSKs on relaxed hair? My hair is so ridiculous.

 

[Chicoro]

How isit possible to have SSKs on relaxed hair? My hair is so ridiculous.

Are you wearing stretched or with texture?

 

[Evolving78]

How isit possible to have SSKs on relaxed hair? My hair is so ridiculous.

That happens to me with texlaxed hair.

 

[Royalq]

Are you wearing stretched or with texture?

I wear it in a bun so I guess that's stretched. After washing or moisturizing I put it in a cinnamon bun. I had a crazy ssks when I was natural. I didn't think it would follow me into being relaxed. It's not nearly as much as when I was natural, I'm just baffled that they are there at all.

 

[Chicoro]

I wear it in a bun so I guess that's stretched. After washing or moisturizing I put it in a cinnamon bun. I had a crazy ssks when I was natural. I didn't think it would follow me into being relaxed. It's not nearly as much as when I was natural, I'm just baffled that they are there at all.

I could be incorrect, but based on my understanding of what you have written above, your hair is not heat straightened, right? If it's not, then you still have texture on the hair strand. That texture creates curves and turns which may create opportunities for your ends to curl upward and onto themselves. My suggestion would to 'grease down' the last 3 inches of your hair ends before putting in that cinnamon bun. At night, maybe take down the cinnamon bun braid the hair to the ends and wrap that braid around a barrette or a roller or something so the hair does not roll onto itself, which gives it opportunities to curl and create those single strand knots. I think you are almost there in terms of minimizing, if not eliminating them. Hang in there and continue to tweak with small changes and document. It's small changes and adjustments that often pay the most incredible dividends!

 

[LushLox]

How isit possible to have SSKs on relaxed hair? My hair is so ridiculous.

I've had this before, hair is crazy I tell ya!

 

[Royalq]

I could be incorrect, but based on my understanding of what you have written above, your hair is not heat straightened, right? If it's not, then you still have texture on the hair strand. That texture creates curves and turns which may create opportunities for your ends to curl upward and onto themselves. My suggestion would to 'grease down' the last 3 inches of your hair ends before putting in that cinnamon bun. At night, maybe take down the cinnamon bun braid the hair to the ends and wrap that braid around a barrette or a roller or something so the hair does not roll onto itself, which gives it opportunities to curl and create those single strand knots. I think you are almost there in terms of minimizing, if not eliminating them. Hang in there and continue to tweak with small changes and document. It's small changes and adjustments that often pay the most incredible dividends!

Wow thanks. No I wasn't heat straightened, just airdried. My hair isn't relaxed bone straight so it does have some texture. I'm currently flat ironed straight but I'll try your suggestion when I air dry again.

 

[Prettymetty]

I'm due for a search and destroy, but I really want to dust the ends too. My layers are becoming blurred lines I am afraid that in order to get the thick ends I crave I will have to trim an inch or more

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

I'm due for a search and destroy, but I really want to dust the ends too. My layers are becoming blurred lines I am afraid that in order to get the thick ends I crave I will have to trim an inch or more

Ditto, word for word.

 

[Chicoro]

I'm due for a search and destroy, but I really want to dust the ends too. My layers are becoming blurred lines I am afraid that in order to get the thick ends I crave I will have to trim an inch or more

A suggestion,

Before you trim, would it be possible to "hold" your ends at this length. I trim about 1/16 or 1/8 of an inch off the longest part of my hair. Or, any hairs that may be super long.

Then, that section that may only have a few hairs, but it's my longest, I might even that out with no more than with a 1/4 inch trim on the very ends. Usually, an 1/8 inch trim will work. Then I keep that longest section at this length until its other hair strand buddies catch up. Any hair that grows and catches up, I trim it as soon as it reaches my longest, trimmed group of hairs. I don't let any hair grow any farther than that goal length I initially started with.

I keep doing this until more and more hair from the hemline catches up. So, instead of me cutting and then waiting for my hair to get back to that length, I keep [most of length] and wait until the hair catches up. Eventually, the hair starts to 'thicken up'. But the simple reality is more hair drops down to that designated length and joins that sparse hemline until the ends are fuller at this longer length.

-This only works when the bulk of the hair is no more than 2 to 4 inches longer than that longest point. Also, you want to keep those longer ends super moisturized and protected.
-It doesn't work for everybody!






[The above link is from my defunct website which no longer exists. Thus, this post is not advertising.]

I feel bad when I cut. I feel better when I trim and have a point or goal for my hair to continue to reach for and I feel like I'm still on the grow!

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

A suggestion,

Before you trim, would it be possible to "hold" your ends at this length. I trim about 1/16 or 1/8 of an inch off the longest part of my hair. Or, any hairs that may be super long.

Then, that section that may only have a few hairs, but it's my longest, I might even that out with no more than with a 1/4 inch trim on the very ends. Usually, an 1/8 inch trim will work. Then I keep that longest section at this length until its other hair strand buddies catch up. Any hair that grows and catches up, I trim it as soon as it reaches my longest, trimmed group of hairs. I don't let any hair grow any farther than that goal length I initially started with.

I keep doing this until more and more hair from the hemline catches up. So, instead of me cutting and then waiting for my hair to get back to that length, I keep [most of length] and wait until the hair catches up. Eventually, the hair starts to 'thicken up'. But the simple reality is more hair drops down to that designated length and joins that sparse hemline until the ends are fuller at this longer length.

-This only works when the bulk of the hair is no more than 2 to 4 inches longer than that longest point. Also, you want to keep those longer ends super moisturized and protected.
-It doesn't work for everybody!





View attachment 415029
[The above link is from my defunct website which no longer exists. Thus, this post is not advertising.]

I feel bad when I cut. I feel better when I trim and have a point or goal for my hair to continue to reach for and I feel like I'm still on the grow!

@Chicoro, come through! You are so, so helpful. This REALLY helps me. It gives me a different, more goal-supporting rationale and framework for trimming more conservatively. Which will keep me from taking 2 steps forward and 1.99 steps back. .

 

[Evolving78]

^^^ I usually trim when I flat iron my hair, like I trim section small thin section. But the last few time I trimmed it was like how everyone else trims, and I do lose Length more that way, since I’m trying to keep things even vs trimming what’s necessary.

So with the trimming method above, so you wait for the shorter hair to catch up with the longer length? How does this work for layered hair?

 

[LushLox]

Amazing post @Chicoro thank you

 

[Aggie]

I bought another wig in the color #1 that will allow my edges and their ends to take a break and here it is:

 

[Chicoro]

I no longer am losing whole curls each wash day. My hair used to get so tangled, I'd lose up two of these curls during 1 wash day. That curl on my finger is attached to NOTHING. It is completely ripped out.

I've learned how to almost completely eliminate tangles that generate this type of curl loss. After years on this hair journey, I am just now putting in deliberate processes to avoid these tangles and subsequent curl losses. These processes, no combing and using Shea butter have been in my face for at least 10 years, I didn't 'see' them.

As a result of not getting tangles, my ends continue to thicken and drop in length. Strands, then tendrils and eventually MOST of my hair will be thicker and longer! I see it [in my imagination].

 

[faithVA]

I no longer am losing whole curls each wash day. My hair used to get so tangled, I'd lose up two of these curls during 1 wash day. That curl on my finger is attached to NOTHING. It is completely ripped out.

I've learned how to almost completely eliminate tangles that generate this type of curl loss. After years on this hair journey, I am just now putting in deliberate processes to avoid these tangles and subsequent curl losses. These processes, no combing and using Shea butter have been in my face for at least 10 years, I didn't 'see' them.

As a result of not getting tangles, my ends continue to thicken and drop in length. Strands, then tendrils and eventually MOST of my hair will be thicker and longer! I see it [in my imagination].

View attachment 415527

I'm glad you figured it out. You were losing more length than I have

 

[Chicoro]

I'm glad you figured it out. You were losing more length than I have

Thank you! I am so glad I figured it out, too. It was a simple matter of keeping my hair from being tangled and keeping it lubricated. But there are 1,000+ ways to do that. Thanks to observing women with tailbone afro-textured hair, I was able to pick the 2 ways out of the 1,000+ possibilities that worked for me: no combing and Shea butter. Simple and cheap!

About the length, I have NEVER grown my hair with split-free ends. I usually have to grow PASSED my goal length, then cut the hair BACK to my desired length in order to have split free, even ends.

Here's what I mean @faithVA :

This photo was taken in 2014. The person who did my hair cut OFF a lot of hair [I had butchered my hair 2 years before, myself]. So, I wasn't mad at her. In THIS photo, my ends are perfectly even and almost free of split ends. But my hair doesn't grow this way naturally. It got to longer lengths, one strand at a time. Literally, strand by strand, carrying with it split ends and all! I celebrated each one of those raggedy, scraggly, split end ridden strands and KEPT them babies on my head as if I were sporting spun silk on my head. Sure did. When enough of those little strands got to the length I wanted, then I held them at that length until the rest or bulk of my hair caught up. Then, the hair is cut back to an even shorter length, where it is even and free of most splits.

Before, I used to cut my hair to get it even, BEFORE, I got to my goal length. But, for me, that was discouraging because I never felt like I was getting to my goal length. And I wasn't.

I took a chance and kept and grew raggedy ends with splits a little passed my goal length, then cut it back to the length in the photo. The only caution here is I did and do try to baby my ends and give them moisture and protection the entire time.

Now, I am doing the same thing with my hair as I intentionally try to grow my hair to tailbone length. I refuse to cut back any of my little 'break through' strands of hair [lead hairs]. I may literally only have 3 strands of hair at a new length. But I keep them, celebrate them and don't cut them back.

I would liken growing hair to bulking the body for weight lifting. You put on weight, then chisel it down and get more definition but with bigger muscles. With hair, I let my hair grow raggedy BEYOND the length I want. Then, I cut my hair back to the length I wanted so that it looks full and even (in theory). I don't like my hair with perfectly even ends in reality!

Sometimes I do this process in iterations. Meaning, if I am at shoulder length, I set my next goal at armpit length. Let my hair get a little past armpit length, then when enough of the bulk gets there, then cut it back. I repeat at each milestone length.



Here's a photo from from September 2004. I would go as far to say that the hair ends between my armpit all the way to my waist are a mess. That's about 6 inches of bad ends. But to cut all that back up to my armpits would be discouraging for me. Instead, I picked a goal length. In this photo, it is right above my waist line. So, I didn't let my hair grow passed this point. I continued to trim and cut any and all hair that grew passed this designated point. Eventually, all that raggedy hair between my armpit and waist got down to my waist. When It did, I trimmed it and the ends looked better and were healthier.

In contrast, had I trimmed all my hair back up to armpit length, I would not only have felt discouraged, but I would have been right back where I started: at armpit length! This process doesn't work for all hair, but nothing works for everybody all the time, right.

EDITED to add new photo: