Week 40 Hair: Length Check/Reflections

Very cute style courtsey AfricanExport on youtube!

I couldn't find my camera with the move so I had to take this pic with my phone! (No it's not HD obviously!)

This HHCJ started along with my marathon challenge: Grow 4 and 1/2 inches of hair by the time I ran my first ever marathon.

The plan was to have a length check at each 3 month mark. But life happened so it didn't quite work out that well. 

I took the first pictures of my hair back in May although I didn't actually take any measurements. In August I corrected that mistake. (I took measurements but rounded up a bit to make myself feel better! Yes, I admit it!) 

There were no actual numbers to compare, but I knew my hair had grown. In any case my hair was a lot more manageable and healthy.

For my final length check here are the actual measurements for August 2011  and February 2012. I didn't take any pictures this time. So look at the links above to see how I measured my hair :

Left Side Back:  11 inches to 13 inches (the longest part of my hair measures 19 inches, but the bulk of the strands were at 13 inches)

Right Side Back:  10 inches to 13 inches (the longest part of my hair measures 15 inches)

Left Side Front:  9.8 inches to 12.6 inches

Right Side Front:  10 inches to 11 inches

Bangs:  9 inches to 11 inches

All in all I'm happy with my growth. Healthy hair grows at a rate of 1/2 an inch per month. So I should have grown about 3 inches of hair from August 2011 to now. It seems like the right side was a little stunted. But it tends to grow slower than the left side in general. Not sure why that is!

Most important to me is that:

• I know my hair is healthier. 
• It is stronger, thicker, and more manageable. 
• I know what my hair likes and doesn't like.
• I know how to pamper it when needed.
• I have learned so much throughout this entire journey.

REFLECTIONS

In the beginning, my HHCJ regimen was really long and it had a ton of steps. I've learned to make it a lot simpler. As long as my hair is moisturized and my scalp is clean I'm fine. I know have a repertoire of protective styles for the super hot dry summers in Córdoba. So that I can be sure my hair is protected year round.

I also have more confidence in styling my hair. When I go out I know how to jazz up my hair and make it presentable. Overall, I LOVE MY HAIR!!! While I'm not sure I will do any more length checks, I will still keep the blog updated on my progress. Including any new things that I try.

THE CHANGES

Since moving to Spain I've had to readjust my products a bit. Things that I can find easily in the States either don't exist here or come in another form. So here's some things I'm using now:

All of the products (except for the GLISS) I bought from my local herbalist shop. They are completely all-natural products. The Henna I'm going to use as my protein treatment since I had to leave the ApHogee in the States. I'm excited because I've always wanted to try it and it's super cheap. I bought two boxes and each box only cost me 4€ ($5.38).

I'm also really liking the restructive conditioner (the bottle next to the Henna). I use it as my deep conditioner. It is infused with horse's tail and sage. In the past I used these 2 herbs in the herbal rinses I used to make. They are really good for dry, brittle, hair. 

I also added some honey, olive oil, and a few drops of orange essential oil for fragrance. In the future I want to also add coconut milk for added protein and moisture. I got this recipe from another of my favorite youtubers: Afrikanhairgod.

My hair felt wonderful! It was super soft and luscious feeling even when I rinsed it out. I was worried because I no longer have the use of a hooded dryer. So I just put on a plastic cap and wrapped my hair in a towel. I left it on for about 3 hours simply because I was doing some things around the house.

The shampoo is decent and smells really good. There are tons of others I want to try from the same shop that have other herbs infused that are great for the hair. 

The GLISS I use as my detangler. It says on the bottle that it contains liquid keratin to strengthen hair. That may or may not be true. I just bought it because it was cheap. It smells horrible though. So I will probably try something else once I run out of that.

In the Week 37 Hair post I mentioned that I had bought some new products because I'd run out of other things. So check that post for further information on what I'm using now.

The only other thing that I need is the aloe vera juice. It's expensive here. It costs 20€ ($26) for one of those big bottles. The good thing is that it lasts a very long time. Since I only use 2 tbsp. once a week it will last me at least 6 months. 

This week I used aloe vera gel. We have a humongous aloe plant and my husband cut off some of the plant and blended it to liquefy it. He added some water to it. So I had to add 1/2 a tbsp of vinegar to re-establish the pH of 4.5-5.5 of my kimmaytube leave in. Since I kept the deep conditioner in my hair so long the smell of the vinegar dissipated by the time I needed to use it. But I'm buying the aloe vera juice on Monday!

For more information on my journey be sure to check out the posts below if you haven't already. As well as each week's update to see how my journey has changed and developed these past 9 months. Be sure to also check out my Hair Styles page to see all the styles I've been rocking.

Hair Regimen Part 1: journey and products

 

Hair Regimen Part 2: application

 

 

There are definitely more hair updates to come including my first attempt at applying Henna on March 11th!

 

A Complete 360

I realize that I've been COMPLETELY MIA these past couple of weeks. My last post was on the 7th and it's now the 20th of February! However, I have a super legitimate reason...

MY HUSBAND AND I MOVED BACK TO SPAIN!

We got here on Tuesday (the 14th) in the afternoon. So that's why I didn't have the time to update my blog or fill you guys in. It was a kind of spur of the moment decision. I didn't want to "let anyone in on the secret", so to speak, until everything was finalized. Although I sort of mentioned it in my February Goals post.

I can honestly say that we are happy with the change and the move. I'm not going to elaborate on all the details, except to say that we were not happy in North Carolina. This move was like a new beginning and I'm excited to see where it will lead us.

MARATHONING

I didn't get to run the Myrtle Beach BI-LO Marathon as planned....so I ran the Seville Marathon on Sunday! It worked out perfectly! We bought our travel tickets on Monday and that same day I registered for the Seville Marathon.

I still got to run my 26.2 miles!

Don't worry, I will give you all a full recap of the Seville Marathon including:

• Runner's Fair
• Race Pack
• Fueling the days leading up
• The night before
• The day of the marathon!
• The day after the marathon (today)

I went with my husband (of course) and two friends, and they all took tons of pictures.

HAIR UPDATES

There's also some hair updates I want to let you all know about. I've had to adjust my regimen because of the move and get some new products. As well as let some other products go. Thankfully I have an awesome sister who is planning on sending me some care packages with hair products!

I've also been experimenting with some new hairstyles that I saw on youtube. When I got here I wanted to give my hair a "treat" so I wore it out and attempted to do some styling. 

Next weekend I also have my next length check! The plan was to grow 3 1/2 inches of hair by the time I ran my marathon. The marathon goal has been accomplished! On Sunday (February 26th) we'll finally see whether this HHCJ paid off!

LIFE IN CÓRDOBA

So yes, I'm slowly getting back into life in Córdoba. I'm working full time already and love it! Even the supermarkets have prepared for our return! There are TONS of vegan and organic options now available in our local supermarkets! This is a BIG change from when we left.  We've been seeing family and friends and overall enjoying ourselves. It was also great to have our car back!

So for those of you who've been wondering where I've been, I'm still alive and kicking, as they say. I'm also fully prepared to get back into the blog. I've missed it! Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Look for all things marathon-related tomorrow!

November Goals

Googleimages

Yesterday I glanced at the calendar and realized:

I have a lot of crap to accomplish this year before my marathon!

February seems like a long way off (although next week is my half marathon!)...to me anyway. But the calendar brought it all back into perspective, which is a good thing. I function rather well with goals and to-do lists. It's so satisfying to accomplish something and then cross it off a list. So satisfying.

To help jump start myself this month in preparation for the rest of the year, and the following year, I created a check list. Many of them are on-going but that's OK. I want to at least be thinking of them and acting on them.

1. Try more hairstyles -- Obviously not marathon related but also important to me. Read my post Week 23 Hair for more detail.
2. Try different gym classes -- At first the gym membership was mainly to get my mom to the gym. She's one of those I-have-to-go-with-someone-else-or-I-won't-go people. That's fine, however, I'm enjoying going to the gym now as well! There are a lot of class offerings that I want to try. So even if my mom isn't interested we are going to have to go solo. To ease her into the transition I scheduled us up for a pilot class: Pilates. It's on November 10th and I'm really excited because I've been wanting to try it for awhile. Since it's a pilot class we will be given special attention. There are only 6 people to a class and we get 30 minutes.
3. Re-incorporate Fartlek -- I need to find a track! The same problem I've had since moving to the States. There are a few near me so I need to make more of an effort to incorporate them into my routine and my schedule.
4. Vegan recipes -- The first vegan recipe I made (with no help from online searches!) really inspired me. I am committed to this vegan challenge and motivated to find more vegan recipes. I made a new one last week and will post it to the blog on Thursday so check it out! There's also a cookie recipe I can't wait to make. I now follow a few vegan "experts" on twitter and have bookmarked a few recipe databases for vegans. Check out: peta.org and vrg.org (Vegetarian Resource Group) if interested.
5. Go out more -- Yes, the hubby and I are in a rut. We need to get out more.
6. Stretch -- This is something I always promise myself and I'm good for about 2 weeks and then I get lazy. This week in preparation for the half marathon I'm not doing any running. I'm going to the gym and doing some cardio in classes or on the static bike, maybe elliptical, and STRETCH. I want to have refreshed legs come Sunday. After the half marathon I'm still going to stretch because I'm sick of having tight legs all the time!
7. Foot exercises -- Also been lazy in this area. All the exercises I'd like to incorporate into my regimen are written down and organized. But I haven't done even one. I haven't even put them on the blog! So this month I'll share with you all what I plan to do from now until the marathon.
8. Tapering -- This part of marathon training is a mystery so I need to start researching it.  I've already decided to start tapering January 29th 2012.
9. Energy -- I am super curious about all the gels, jelly beans etc. that marathoners out there use to stay hydrated and fueled during their runs. I want to try some of it to see if it works for me. Mainly because I don't like the feel of water slushing around in my stomach when I run. So I usually don't drink anything, which is a bad practice.
10. Winter gear -- I went running at 7am on Sunday as part of my last "mock run" before the half marathon. I wore some shorts over leggings, a moisture-wicking shirt (that also maintains your body's temperature) and a long-sleeve shirt over that. I WAS FREEZING! Mostly my fingers. I couldn't finish the last 2 miles because I thought my fingers were going to fall off. Never again, so I need to get some winter running gear. I got injured around the end of November last year so I have no experience running in colder temperatures. That long run was learning the hard way.
11. STAY INJURY FREE AFTER THE HALF MARATHON! -- Self-explanatory. :)

So those are my goals. Let's see how these 4 weeks pan out.

Do you have any goals for the upcoming month? The end of the year? Tomorrow?