January Length Check

TGIF! It's the start of a new month and we are long, long, long overdue for a length check. The last length check that I did was in May so it's been a whole 8 months since I checked the growth progress of my hair. This post is not going to be very long because I tend to get straight to the point when it comes to length checks.

I consider these length checks to be informal because the only way to see your full length is to straighten your hair, which I haven't done since I went back natural because I'm absolutely terrified of heat damage. One day soon perhaps... 🙈

Checking my growth has become a science. I basically check the 3 longest points of my hair: My nape, the top of my head (not quite the crown), and the hair above my ear.

I started with the nape, and that length turned out to be around 9 inches. I try to keep my head straight in order to get an accurate measurement, especially since I did not have my length check shirt to mark my progress. I also pull the hair from my nape and measure it against my chest.

9 inches from the nape!

Next, I measured the hair on top of my head, but not quite the crown because my crown isn't the longest part of that section of my head. That measured in at about 9 inches as well, which was surprising because my hair tends to grow in layers. Also, I was excited because when I pulled the hair over my face, it was close to touching my chin!

Lastly, I measured the hair above my ear because it tends to grow quickly as well. I counted the measurement at 8 inches only because the ends looked like they needed a trim. But let's just say that it's 8 and a half inches for now.

That's basically it for this month's length check. This wasn't as in-depth as my previous length checks but that's because I want to reserve what I've been doing to my hair in my upcoming Winter Hair Regimen post. Thank you for reading and have an awesome weekend!

May Length Check: Six Months Post Chop

May has officially ended and that means another length check! This month marked the end of a long semester for me and it has also brought me some interesting findings. 

While I usually do my length checks using the hair above my nape, I recently discovered that it was not the longest part of my hair. It's actually the hair behind my ear that's the longest. When I measured the hair at my nape this time, it was 7 3/4 inches. The hair behind my ear measured at 8 inches, as pictured below. 

In last month's length check, I mentioned that the hair above my nape was 7 inches, which means that I've had pretty average growth this month. Compared to the growth I had between April 4th and April 30th it was not much, but that doesn't take away the excitement that I feel for having surpassed 8 inches. Not bad for 6 months post big chop! It's amazing that I've been fully natural for half a year, and despite the long wash days and my overall willpower to take care of my hair, I'm extremely proud of myself for the progress that I've made. 

As you can see from the back, I am about to hit armpit length again, this time with unprocessed, natural hair. 

Please overlook my unkempt hair. It was washed this past Sunday and I've just been keeping it banded until I go to the hair salon on Friday to get my protective style for my trip in a few days. I'll be traveling to Boston this Saturday to visit my family and friends, and you guys will definitely get to see the finished results! 

That's pretty much it for today, guys. Thank you so much for reading and I'm wishing you a fun-filled summer. The next time you hear from me, I'll already be in Boston. Peace out! ✌

April Length Check

Welcome back, guys! What a crazy few weeks it has been. It feels like forever since I've posted. Life happens and sometimes and you gotta do what you gotta do, but I promise I'm back this time. For my St. Thomian readers I hope you all had an awesome J'ouvert and Carnival! 

Yet another month has passed and I've gained some more length. During this monthly length check, I kept track of the maintenance and habits that I kept up with throughout April and I'm still making adjustments as I go. Since I've been so busy lately I haven't had much time to really care for my hair like I usually do, but I think I did pretty okay considering the growth I achieved. 

Right now at its longest point, my hair has finally reached 7 inches. I kept my hair in its usual twists while moisturizing and massaging my scalp ever so often. I suspect that consuming Moringa in my smoothies is lending its hand to my growth as well as my waistline. You'll find out more in my next Smoothie Saturdays post. 😉 

At first, I was going to do my length checks at the beginning of each month however, I changed my mind and decided that it would be best to do it at the end of each month. As this month is halfway over, you'll be seeing another one of these posts in about fifteen more days. As you can see, as I stretched my hair to see it's true length, it's considerably longer than my first length check. I have officially surpassed collarbone length!

Here is me breaking my arm to hold my strands from the back. Hopefully, on the next length check, I'll be able to hold my hair comfortably.

As far as length checks go, it's pretty self-explanatory so enjoy the rest of the pics. 

This post wasn't very long but I'll be back pretty soon with another post. And guess what? I'm now on Snapchat! Follow me at Hair, Health & Heart! I'll be showing all my behind the scenes antics and other fun stuff. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!

Create Your Own Length-Check Shirt!

Creativity is in my blood, and I truly believe that it runs on both sides of my family. A huge part of my love for crafting is the fact that I have the ability to make certain things instead of spending money to get them. I was not willing to spend money on a length check shirt simply because there are better things I could use that money for and, I really just wanted to make my own. 😁

The other day, I was going over some old clothes that I planned to add to the "Goodwill" bag to donate, and I came across a tie-dye shirt I designed in 2014 at the daycare I used to work at. It was my first time ever doing tie-dye and my co-workers and I had fun creating our own shirts as well as shirts for the kiddies.

This was right after it dried in the sun. The colors were so vibrant!

As you can see, the tie-dye had faded considerably since then. I didn't want to donate the shirt because it reminded me of the amazing experiences I had while working at the daycare, and that's when I decided that it would be perfect for a DIY length check shirt. There's always a variety of craft items in my house at any given time, so I did not have to go out to buy any supplies. If you're planning on doing this yourself, you'll need a t-shirt, a ruler, masking tape, acrylic paint, some cosmetic sponges and of course, paint brushes. 

I created the measuring tool on the back of the shirt according to the average length check chart. In order to get the most accurate measurement, I had my sister help me mark my armpit, my bra strap, the middle of my back, my waist, my tailbone and my hip.

Before you paint anything, make sure to put a piece of cardboard in between the shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding onto the front of the shirt. I forgot while doing the first application but the bleeding isn't too visible on the front. I then used masking tape as a stencil for the lines. I made sure that the edges were as smooth as possible to prevent the paint from seeping underneath the tape, and I used the cosmetic sponge to paint each line. Two coats were enough for me since I used black paint.

Next came the best part: peeling off the tape. Look at those crisp lines!  

Instead of painting the acronyms for each measurement, I decided at the last minute to apply some rhinestone letters for a more glamorous look. 

Although I consider myself to be a perfectionist, I was surprisingly excited to paint my own designs and motivational messages by hand. I also did it by hand because I didn't have letter stencils. So the perfectionist in me said...

Here's the final product!

As for the front of the shirt, I'll be using the blank space to mark my progress each month as well as my length in inches. Since I've recently hit collarbone length, I marked the month and length. This progress is amazing considering I was past armpit length with my relaxed hair not too long ago. I'll regain that length and more in no time!

This DIY was so much fun to do and I can't wait to track my hair growth until I hit hip length one day. Getting there will take years to accomplish but I'm determined to grow healthy natural hair and enjoy the results of my hard work.

Thank you so much for reading and let me know if you plan to create your own length check shirt. Take a picture and post it to my Facebook page or to Instagram using the hashtag hairhealthandheart so that I can see your awesome creations. ¡Adiós, chicas!