I Big Chopped- Eli Monroe

CN: When you first chopped, what were your thoughts and feelings? How do you feel now?
E: I wasn’t scared at all when I chopped. The only thing I worried about was my head shape, and I was a little bit anxious to see what the cut would look like on me. After I chopped though, I loved my new hair! I love the way it feels knowing that I actually made the decision to embrace my natural hair and texture.

CN: How did you cope with the responses from your friends and family?
E: My mom let me know, when I first started transitioning, that there would always be somebody with something negative to say about my decision. So I sort of knew exactly what I was getting into when I decided to chop. I transitioned for 6 months and cut December 31st. To this day, I believe that my BC was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Most of the people at my school didn’t understand why I would chop all of my hair off my sophomore year of high school. Why not prepare myself now so when I make it to college, I’ll be too fly!

CN: What are your plans for your hair?
E: Growth! Growth! Growth! My current goal right now is to have healthy shoulder length hair. Right now it’s four inches long when stretched. Growth and Health!

CN: Do you find it necessary to ‘doll up’ your look to feel more feminine?
E: Ever since I can remember, I’ve been an earring fanatic. I love earrings that are big, small, hooped, and dangling. I love them all. I can’t walk out of the house to go anywhere without earrings. I couldn’t before the chop, and I most definitely can’t now! As far as “dolling up” though, I would consider my style very laid back and sort of effortless. I don’t wear makeup and have never been the type to “doll up” myself. The most I really do, when I rock my shrinkage, is put in a couple of bobby pins.

CN: How do you keep it moisturized?
E: Even before I big chopped, I was addicted to CurlyNikki, Youtube, Natural Hair Blogs, and Tumblr. I would definitely say I did my research times ten. Before I chopped, I collected a lot of products! My staple style is the wash and go, Most of the time I condition with extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.

CN: How do you get your curls or waves popping?
E: My favorite product right now is Shea Moisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk. It smells delicious!

CN: How do you preserve your curls at night?
E: It’s still really short. I don’t wrap it. I just sleep on a satin pillowcase.

CN: What would you tell a new TWA teen or a teen considering Big Chopping?
E: Don’t ever be afraid to chop just because you’re young, in high school, or junior high. We’re young. We are still figuring out who we are and our purpose in this world. So never be afraid to do something against the norm. You never know. That decision just might turn into the decision that sets the rest of your life in motion!