Who Did Your Big Chop?

"Who did your big chop?" and  "Where can I go to get my BC?" are questions I get asked a lot. Since I cut my own hair I can only go on the recommendations of others. So, I'll ask you all, "Where did you go for your big chop?". Or are you a stylist who specializes in cutting transitioners who are ready to take that leap into natural hair?

Big Choppers Remorse...

When I first big chopped the biggest adjustment for me was length. I hated having short hair. More, I hated not having hair long enough to cover my considerable forehead. Lol! Even when my hair was short and relaxed I always had my swoop. I knew I wasn't prepared to fight those two textures with a lengthy transition, so short was my only option. My wig and hair piece phase was cool for a while, but even though I didn't like my cut, I wanted to be natural. Obviously, I was going to have to work at accepting my reflection in the mirror.

One day I was feeling particularly down and I was laying around watching reruns of Law&Order: Criminal Intent and an actress I was familiar with caught my eye. It was Tawney Cypress from Hero's. I had always admired her big natural curls from the show. The thing was though, on this episode of CI her hair was short. I immediately checked the date of the episode and it was just 3 years earlier... For some reason that was so comforting to me. This woman who I did not know, with hair nothing like mine gave me such a boost, just because I saw that her hair grew. Random right? After that "ah ha moment" I started collecting images of naturals with textures more like mine with lengths I aspire to. They are my reminders that hair grows.

If you are experiencing what I went through, I encourage you to find whatever motivates you and nurture it. Looking at those pictures worked for me. Natural hair blogs and youtube also made a huge impact. What ever your woes; give it time. If it's your texture, learn how to keep it healthy and looking it's best and acceptance will come. Trial and error is inevidable, but that is how you educate yourself. Frustration is not uncommon and satisfaction may not come overnight but you will get there. My hair has grown a lot since that big chop and  my goal length is still a couple of years away. Those down days still rear their ugly head from time to time too, but some days I am just in awe of my kinky curls. I have even made peace with my huge five head. It's mine and just as much a part of me as this natural hair on my head...

Tawney Cypress with short hair

Tawney Cypress on Hero's

Did you have or do you have BC remorse? What are/were your concerns and how do you stay motivated?

My Big Chop

My Big Chop

 I have been natural for a little over a year now and this is where I started. I transitioned for about 2 or 3 months and then one day during a particularly trying detangling session I brought out the scissors. Pictured above and below is what I ended up with. Lol! Now I am in no way endorsing do-it-yourself big chopping, but I will say there was no going back after this...

What's funny is I looked super excited about this hair cut, and initially I guess I was. That soon faded once I woke up the next morning and realized, so yeah... I cut all my hair off and I still have this forehead. To make matters worse this was a new head of hair with a new set of needs and maintenance. I missed my doughnut! I would say for about 3 months I was rocking knit hats in every color, design and fabric. I had a royal blue one that I was particularly fond of.

I also had an assortment of Quick wigs and homemade ones! Yes y'all, I made some wigs! Lol! Shout out to youtube!

Out and about in my homemade wig

 It really took a lot of encouragement from friends and family to just go for it, and with the help of a doubled up goodie elastic head band I finally shared my hair with the world. Did I love it? NO! It was growing on me though... Tell me about your big chop!