2 min read

Natural Hair Journey: The Big Chop

The big chop involves cutting off relaxed hair and growing your natural hair without any chemical alterations.

Image source: Photo by Kim Carpenter on Unsplash

Hi, hi šŸ‘‹šŸ¾ I hope we are having a great day. In this post, I will share how I began my natural hair journey.

A brief background story

Before Uni, I didn't have to worry about my hair because my mom and aunt took great care of it; well, I did have a hairstylist. Anyway, when I left home and got to Uni, my quest for finding a really good hairstylist began, and it wasn't an awesome experience. Long story short, my hair was severely damaged. I thought with time, the state of my hair would improve, but that wasn't the case. The other option that came to mind was to cut it and start all over.

Eventually, I decided why not search the internet for more alternatives, and so I did and discovered there was a name for it, "big chop!"

So what is the big chop, and are there alternatives?

Image source: Photo by Kim Carpenter on Unsplash
Image source: Photo by Kim Carpenter on Unsplash

The big chop involves cutting off all your hair (in my case, relaxed hair) and growing out your natural hair without any chemical alterations. The other alternative I found was either to gradually transition into natural hair by cutting off the relaxed portion of your hair at a time. I gave it a thought and decided I was going all in! šŸ˜‚

Next on my list was to find a hairstylist who would do a great job. We discussed the length, style, and care, and in the end, I settled for a TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro).

As the blades of the scissors snipped and the clipper buzzed, I watched as my hair fell away. The relief I felt was surprisingly good, even though I knew I was going to have to explain to some people why I cut my hair. After the chop, the stylist recommended some products and shared hair styling tips for when my hair grew a little longer. Feeling the cool breeze on my scalp for the first time in a long while was exhilarating.

My hair is over twelve months old and counting, and my natural hair journey has been an enlightening and enjoyable experience.