Older video, but close to recent videos in minibraids

Old video (Shows hair in minibraids. Shows the length in minibraids): 

Mini braids 3 months

 

Healthier?

Thicker/Thinner

So what did I do for my hair to go from this to that? I think it was the hair mask I used as a leave-in. Now I know not to do that ever again. I was also doing more deep conditioning and pampering in the video as opposed to the picture. I also used a shea butter soap to wash my hair. I thought it was African Black Soap in the store. However, after looking at the soap, after I used it a few times, it wasn't.