Luscious Healthy Ends Challenge - Fall 2011

[AryaStarr258]

Any other relaxed ladies in this thread that can give some feedback?

The only thing that concerns me AryaStarr258 is the glycerin added to your oild mix. Glycerin works best mixed with water.

I have been using Shea Moisture Mist and I like it. It has a nice moisturizing effect without causing my hair to frizz. If you are open to trying something new you may want to try it. I think just spraying a little into your hands and coating your ends may help.

So do you think adding a little water after I apply my mixture will help? And I'm a complete PJ so I have no qualms about trying something new. Where can I find this Shea Moisture Mist? Anywhere?

 

[faithVA]

So do you think adding a little water after I apply my mixture will help? And I'm a complete PJ so I have no qualms about trying something new. Where can I find this Shea Moisture Mist? Anywhere?

Wasn't sure how you were wearing your hair. You can apply water prior to your mix as long as it doesn't cause an issue with your style. You may want to try your mix next time without the glycerin. The ratio is like 4 parts water to 1 part glycerin or 3 parts water to 1 part glycerin. So you are pretty much putting glycerin in your hair undiluted.

You can find the Shea Moisture products at Target or Walgreen depending on your area. The reason I suggested that over the water is because it seems to have a nice blend of water and oils which helps with moisture but doesn't totally kill the style.

 

[EbonyCPrincess]

My ends are feeling better, I have been keeping it up and away so I'm not sure if they are looking better but the "rough" feeling they had at the start of this challenge is much better although not completely gone.

Shea Moisture is on sale at Walgreens this week I believe...

 

[AryaStarr258]

Wasn't sure how you were wearing your hair. You can apply water prior to your mix as long as it doesn't cause an issue with your style. You may want to try your mix next time without the glycerin. The ratio is like 4 parts water to 1 part glycerin or 3 parts water to 1 part glycerin. So you are pretty much putting glycerin in your hair undiluted.

You can find the Shea Moisture products at Target or Walgreen depending on your area. The reason I suggested that over the water is because it seems to have a nice blend of water and oils which helps with moisture but doesn't totally kill the style.

I'm in buns most of the time; rarely do I ever wear straight loose styles, so the water shouldn't be a problem. for your help and advice! I'll pick up some Shea Moisture the next time I'm at Target, and I'll let you know how it works out for me!

 

[GIJane]

Thank you! My ends need the love. Anyway, I'm relaxed, 21 weeks post, and I've been moisturizing with my own mix of Shea and Mango butter, and carrier oils: extra virgin oilve, jojoba, glycerin, caster, and coconut.

At first I THOUGHT I was moisturizing, and that it was working well, but now I'm not so sure. It's probably the oils. I just don't know what's the best water-based moisturizer to use.

I am texlaxed. Glycerin should be used with water. If you are using glycerin you may not need the coconut oil. Also, if you use EVOO you may not need caster. I prefer caster oil. Also, you are using shea and mango butter. That's a lot of oils. Less is more. Cut back on some of the products. See which ones are working for you. Good luck.

 

[faithVA]

My ends are feeling better, I have been keeping it up and away so I'm not sure if they are looking better but the "rough" feeling they had at the start of this challenge is much better although not completely gone.

Shea Moisture is on sale at Walgreens this week I believe...

Thanks EbonyCPrincess, I forgot to mention it was on sale this week Which is crazy since I just bought some on Monday.

Update to: AryaStarr258 - It will be on sale until Saturday.

 

[Aggie]

OP< I missed this challenge this year but I sure hope you will start one for next year because I have some ends I will be cutting off soon and will need to look after them if I want them to stay healthy. I will try to keep an eye out for it if you do.

 

[faithVA]

Aggie[/USER];14561181]OP< I missed this challenge this year but I sure hope you will start one for next year because I have some ends I will be cutting off soon and will need to look after them if I want them to stay healthy. I will try to keep an eye out for it if you do.

You are still welcome to come on it. I don't do cutoffs so my challenges never close. We still have two months until the end of the year so its never too soon to start getting a regimen for our ends in order.

I hadn't thought about doing the challenge for next year but now that you mention it I probably will. Because retaining my ends will be something I will always want to focus on. Its too easy to get off base.

 

[Aggie]

You are still welcome to come on it. I don't do cutoffs so my challenges never close. We still have two months until the end of the year so its never too soon to start getting a regimen for our ends in order.

I hadn't thought about doing the challenge for next year but now that you mention it I probably will. Because retaining my ends will be something I will always want to focus on. Its too easy to get off base.

Wow, gosh I love challenges like these. Thanks a million for having me now even though I'm a lot late. I will get right on it as soon as possible. I totally agree with you about it being so easy to get off base and before you know it you are having a MAJOR setback!

 

[Majestye]

Ok, just checking in. My ends need help and for that matter my head, as it seems I'm shedding a bit too much for my liking. I've been a bad girl! I need to do more than wrap my head at night. I know, I know...shame on me, I'm going to do better. I think I will make a Shea and Cocoa butter mix, and add some Jojoba and JBCO for my hair ends. I'm not sure that my hair likes being sealed with olive oil. I will henna this weekend, then weave it up until end of December.

 

[faithVA]

Ok, just checking in. My ends need help and for that matter my head, as it seems I'm shedding a bit too much for my liking. I've been a bad girl! I need to do more than wrap my head at night. I know, I know...shame on me, I'm going to do better. I think I will make a Shea and Cocoa butter mix, and add some Jojoba and JBCO for my hair ends. I'm not sure that my hair likes being sealed with olive oil. I will henna this weekend, then weave it up until end of December.

We won't spank you seem you came in confessing and with a game plan. So glad you are jumping on it.

 

[Khaiya]

I took the pics of my threaded hair but just haven't gotten around to uploading them yet, I will soon. My hair was protein deficient and really porous, I'm working on correcting both so I know that will improve my ends when I get it sorted out.

 

[LivingDol1]

Checking in. Did a rollerset last night and pin curled my hair for bed. I had very little shedding in the shower as I washed my hair in 4 sections. No issues with detangling. I've been using a garlic conditioner once a week.

I think I have to wash my hair twice a week instead of once a week.

Ends feel ok... I'm more concerned about my broken hair at the crown, still. I would like to have hair to grow so I can have ends to talk about. I will proly get a trim in 2 weeks. Haven't had one since July.

 

[jujubelle]

Add me!

1. Are you relaxed, texlaxed, natural, transitioning, etc
I am natural
2. Current Hair Length
I believe I am APL
3. The issue(s) you are having with your ends
For the past couple of months my ends do not want to straighten. No matter how much I trim or seal, they always seem to revert back to being bushy.
4. What you have tried to improve your ends
I have deep conditioned, I have sealed every night, moisturize, trim
5. What you are going to try to get those healthy ends
I think I will start baggying every night again, the last time I had a surge in growth, I believe this was one of the keys. After a slight trim in the upcoming weeks, I will baggy like my life depends on it.


Any suggestions for an excellent moisturizer. It seems my faves have changed their formulas.

 

[Napp]

my ends look really good. i think i might not trim as much hair off when i get my next touch up and wait until the following touch up to trim. Rollersetting and limited direct heat has really been good to my ends

 

[faithVA]

I forgot to seal my ends when I washed yesterday. So either my ends are getting better or my leave-in is working better because my ends didn't tangle. My hair also didn't dry out while styling.

I did notice more breakage last week. I didn't moisturize and seal as often. So I am going to improve my consistency of doing it at least once a day. Not sure if it is better at night or in the morning. But all the extra sealing is taming those SSKs.

I probably need a dusting now but I am going to wait until December and do it right before I do my December length check pic.

 

[GIJane]

I forgot to seal my ends when I washed yesterday. So either my ends are getting better or my leave-in is working better because my ends didn't tangle. My hair also didn't dry out while styling.

I did notice more breakage last week. I didn't moisturize and seal as often. So I am going to improve my consistency of doing it at least once a day. Not sure if it is better at night or in the morning. But all the extra sealing is taming those SSKs.

I probably need a dusting now but I am going to wait until December and do it right before I do my December length check pic.

I normally seal in the morning with castor oil (I am in the desert) becuase I baggy at night. Maybe you can try that.

 

[faithVA]

I normally seal in the morning with castor oil (I am in the desert) becuase I baggy at night. Maybe you can try that.

Thanks GIJane. I may stick to sealing in the morning. I have to play around with it. I really need to pay attention on whether sealing in the morning last longer than sealing at night. I probably should just do it 2x a day. sigh... I willl figure it out

At least I know what to seal with. Sunflower oil followed by shea butter mix works for me.

Ok I will commit to doing it every morning for a week and then next week I will do it at night and then I can compare.

 

[GIJane]

Good idea. Good luck. HHG!

 

[LivingDol1]

Question for the ladies in the challenge: what do you use to moisturize your hair?

I'm asking bc I think I need to find better moisturizers... I have coconut oil.... And leave ins... That's all I really have. I need something I can use on my hair when it's dry... I never moisturize bc I am worried about weighing down my hair or making it too greasy.

 

[faithVA]

Question for the ladies in the challenge: what do you use to moisturize your hair?

I'm asking bc I think I need to find better moisturizers... I have coconut oil.... And leave ins... That's all I really have. I need something I can use on my hair when it's dry... I never moisturize bc I am worried about weighing down my hair or making it too greasy.

I'm natural. I either spray with water or Shea Moisture Mist and apply sunflower oil and then shea butter. So I start with a water based/aloe based liquid, followed with an oil then followed with a butter.

 

[Khaiya]

OK, here's what's worked for me so far, my hair HATES when i put anything on it when its wet, it sucks it up and then my hair feels like a desert when it's dry. What works for me is to wash, dc, detangle, add a little oil and braid it up, next day take it down, put a bit of condish on it, maybe seal with some more oil and that keeps my hair moist for days, so i'll be sticking to that, moisturizing and sealing wet/damp hair just doesn't work for me.

 

[faithVA]

OK, here's what's worked for me so far, my hair HATES when i put anything on it when its wet, it sucks it up and then my hair feels like a desert when it's dry. What works for me is to wash, dc, detangle, add a little oil and braid it up, next day take it down, put a bit of condish on it, maybe seal with some more oil and that keeps my hair moist for days, so i'll be sticking to that, moisturizing and sealing wet/damp hair just doesn't work for me.

As long as you found what works for you thats all that matters.

I didn't used to be able to seal wet hair but after months of trying things I found out how to layer things to work for me.

But using conditioner as a moisturizer has worked for many people, relaxed and natural

 

[NappyNelle]

My ends are doing extremely well in their natural state. I guess I'll see what they really look like when I straighten at the end of the year.

 

[Aggie]

Finally trimmed my hair after in almost a year. Those ends were STRAGGGGGLY! The stylist only cut about 1.5 inches off though, even though I think I should have let her take another inch off.

Anyway, I won't let it get so bad anymore. I'll try to trim it again in the next 3-4 months and every 4-6 months after that. I intend to keep up with my protective styling in the mean time.

ETA: I am tightly texlaxed now and had to have my hair heat straightened to do a length check, bump and trim.

Here is what my hair looks like right now:

 

[LaidBak]

Got my hair relaxed yesterday. Allowed the stylist to dust my ends. I'm braided up under my wig but will snap a pic the next time I wash my hair.

 

[faithVA]

I'm sick this week. I have moisturized or sealed. My hair has been under a satin bonnet since Tuesday evening.

Hopefully since my hair hasn't been exposed, my ends will hold out until I feel better.

 

[Trixie58]

I know I'm late but I just joined lhcf a couple days ago after getting 2 inches lopped off. I was traumatized but after about 10 second opinions saying my ends were too thin and splitting from way too many Dominican blowouts (yes, I used to go weekly and my hair was destroyed), I guess it was necessary. Goal is to get close to 2.5-3 inches back by early February (maybe an inch from APL), but with ends the same health they are right now. My hair grows very fast, over an inch a month, as long as I keep taking my biotin and prenatals, drink water and work out. Hopefully if I put some effort and leverage the challenge I can retain it.

My reggie is not great bc I'm not someone who can do my own hair, but I'm trying to read the forum. I currently wash with Design Essentials Moisture Retention Shampoo and condition with either Design Essentials Express Moisturizing Conditioner or DC with Cholesterol mixed with EVOO, and finish with Redken Buttercreme as my leave in, and air dry on large rollers or just wrap in a a silk scarf (twice a week); ocassionally I'll spritz my hair with Chi keratin mist if I'm seeing breakage. Then also see my stylist once every few weeks and get a thorough protein treatment once a month. I seal my ends every day with castor oil and oil my scalp with just regular grease and use Motions Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion at night. I just plat my hair and tie it up in a silk scarf. During the day it's always up in a loose bun. The key for me after the heat damage has been using no direct heat outside of when my stylist does it, and no Dominican blowouts obviously, so I'll keep that up. My hair thickened up quickly but obviously the ends had to go.

I am going to try baggying every other night with glycerin and water before I seal in the morning with castor oil. I've never been able to stretch my relaxer without breakage but I'm going to use LHCF tips and try to stretch to February. Using Designer Touch Sensitive Scalp No-Lye, this has worked the best on my hair.
Will update everyone in January!

 

[GIJane]

I know I'm late but I just joined lhcf a couple days ago after getting 2 inches lopped off. I was traumatized but after about 10 second opinions saying my ends were too thin and splitting from way too many Dominican blowouts (yes, I used to go weekly and my hair was destroyed), I guess it was necessary. Goal is to get close to 2.5-3 inches back by early February (maybe an inch from APL), but with ends the same health they are right now. My hair grows very fast, over an inch a month, as long as I keep taking my biotin and prenatals, drink water and work out. Hopefully if I put some effort and leverage the challenge I can retain it.

My reggie is not great bc I'm not someone who can do my own hair, but I'm trying to read the forum. I currently wash with Design Essentials Moisture Retention Shampoo and condition with either Design Essentials Express Moisturizing Conditioner or DC with Cholesterol mixed with EVOO, and finish with Redken Buttercreme as my leave in, and air dry on large rollers or just wrap in a a silk scarf (twice a week); ocassionally I'll spritz my hair with Chi keratin mist if I'm seeing breakage. Then also see my stylist once every few weeks and get a thorough protein treatment once a month. I seal my ends every day with castor oil and oil my scalp with just regular grease and use Motions Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion at night. I just plat my hair and tie it up in a silk scarf. During the day it's always up in a loose bun. The key for me after the heat damage has been using no direct heat outside of when my stylist does it, and no Dominican blowouts obviously, so I'll keep that up. My hair thickened up quickly but obviously the ends had to go.

I am going to try baggying every other night with glycerin and water before I seal in the morning with castor oil. I've never been able to stretch my relaxer without breakage but I'm going to use LHCF tips and try to stretch to February. Using Designer Touch Sensitive Scalp No-Lye, this has worked the best on my hair.
Will update everyone in January!

Welcome to the challenge.

 

[faithVA]

I know I'm late but I just joined lhcf a couple days ago after getting 2 inches lopped off. I was traumatized but after about 10 second opinions saying my ends were too thin and splitting from way too many Dominican blowouts (yes, I used to go weekly and my hair was destroyed), I guess it was necessary. Goal is to get close to 2.5-3 inches back by early February (maybe an inch from APL), but with ends the same health they are right now. My hair grows very fast, over an inch a month, as long as I keep taking my biotin and prenatals, drink water and work out. Hopefully if I put some effort and leverage the challenge I can retain it.

My reggie is not great bc I'm not someone who can do my own hair, but I'm trying to read the forum. I currently wash with Design Essentials Moisture Retention Shampoo and condition with either Design Essentials Express Moisturizing Conditioner or DC with Cholesterol mixed with EVOO, and finish with Redken Buttercreme as my leave in, and air dry on large rollers or just wrap in a a silk scarf (twice a week); ocassionally I'll spritz my hair with Chi keratin mist if I'm seeing breakage. Then also see my stylist once every few weeks and get a thorough protein treatment once a month. I seal my ends every day with castor oil and oil my scalp with just regular grease and use Motions Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion at night. I just plat my hair and tie it up in a silk scarf. During the day it's always up in a loose bun. The key for me after the heat damage has been using no direct heat outside of when my stylist does it, and no Dominican blowouts obviously, so I'll keep that up. My hair thickened up quickly but obviously the ends had to go.

I am going to try baggying every other night with glycerin and water before I seal in the morning with castor oil. I've never been able to stretch my relaxer without breakage but I'm going to use LHCF tips and try to stretch to February. Using Designer Touch Sensitive Scalp No-Lye, this has worked the best on my hair.
Will update everyone in January!

Welcome Trixie58 to the challenge and welcome to the forum. And thanks GIJane for holding it down while I was missing in action.