Shanee submitted a couple of videos that were instrumental in helping her find the courage to Big Chop. She hopes that it’ll inspire you as well!
UsNaturalGirls shares her Big Chop with the world!
CN Says:
The scream! Priceless.
Eboni gets the Big Chop while being schooled by fellow CN community member and stylist Ashley Blake-Bates-
CN Says:
Eboni and UsNaturalGirls, if you’re viewing this, please send me a recent pic so I can share your progress with the readers! (nikki@curlynikki.com) THANKS!
So who is planning to Big Chop this year?!
Are you gonna do it yourself, have a friend help, or head to the salon?
Did the big chop an boy am I loving my twa!!! I have no clue what my hair looked like because when I was 9 my mother passed and I was raised by my father. He had no clue how to take care of my hair so he took the easy way out and sent me to the beauty salon to get my hair relaxed. And I kept it up for 30 more years. So now I have done the big chop and I am embracing my new found hair and I love it more and more everyday!!!!
I chopped my hair about 7 hours ago. I was going to do the long transition but I already have a short cut so I just chopped of the relaxed pieces. I will say this, relaxers have been good to me the last 10+ years I've been getting them BUT it was starting to add up! It's expensive.
I've been toying with going natural for about a year now and today was the day (there were also a pair of scissors in the bathroom at the time)! I'm so excited to debut my new hair tomorrow at work. I'm loving my TWA so far
Thanks ladies for sharing. I did not transition at all- just woke up one day and faced reality that all the relaxed hair had to go. I had major breakage and a bald spot to boot so I was eager to get it over with. When i chopped it was a mixture of relief and OMG what do I do now? Through patience and education I am getting there slowly but it has been a great journey. It has taken me seven years but i finally no longer care what others think and am focused on the health of my hair. UsNaturalGirsl and Eboni thanks so much for sharing, you are so courageous to put your journies out their for the world to see in an effort to help others.
Hi Nikki! I am planning on BC'ing in Sept which will make exactly one year of transitioning. I will more than likely head to a salon for the sheer purpose of a clean, even cut. I've been scissor happy so I may just snip a few pieces prior to heading to the salon. Thank you for posting the BC videos. I am always surfing YT for BC vids and love to luck up on a new one!!
love your video eboni. about to subscribe to your channel
OMG. I didnt know CN used my video(found out from someone on youtube). I'm honored to be of inspiration to some of you ladies. Thanks for allowing me to be and I will be doing an update in a few mins. plus a length check next month(6 months!)-USNATURALGIRLS
The videos were great. I'm currently transitioning (16 months so far). I didn't think I could last this long, but I'm managing the two texture pretty well. I don't know when I'll big chop. My original plan was to wait 2 years, which would mean big chopping in February 2013, but I may just decide to do it this fall. I've already trimmed quite a bit of hair already and the more I trim, the more anxious I get to chop. LOL! When I do chop, I will do it myself. I figure, I've been trimming it myself, so I'll chop it myself.
I'll be sure to submit a "Transitioning Story" article when I do.
Yay! So happy to know that my vid has helped someone…especially with all the good tips that Ashley gave. And I just love the first video!! UsNaturalGirls was just too real…I held in my emotions. I should've been like her! lol
I just did it the end of May and so far I'm loving it. I have always had long hair & I'm loving the ease of doing my hair. When I cut it, it was breaking off & just unhealthy from transitioning for 2 years. I'm looking forward to seeing my hair grow to its fullest potential.
It's always a shock to see yourself with shorter hair. But I liked the chops on them.
It would be nice for a change to see a barber or hairstylist celebrate with at least some positive body language or a smile. I've big chopped several times and the best was when someone with positive energy helped.
Maybe its just me but the barber lady didn't seem to resonate with her. Doesn't make any difference now.
Both of you have beautiful hair and faces to go with the look.
I big chopped on dry hair April 15, 2012 (my parent's 12th wedding anniversary). I transitioned for about 6 months. I just took the nearest pair of scissors (my younger brother's school scissors, SMH), turned on Erykah Badu's station on Pandora and went to it! My parents were shocked, nonetheless. They're adjusting, as the days go by. I'm loving every kink and coil 🙂
I just did it yesterday! It felt soooo good, especially in this horrendous heat!
I just did it yesterday! It felt soooo good, especially in this horrendous heat!
I just went to my salon to BC last Saturday 6/16/12. I have 4 inches of hair on my head and transitioned for 8 months to the day. I didn't cry when my hair was cut. And I am thankful that I have enough hair for a few different styling options. Just as in Eboni's video, I had a balding crown from relaxers. But not anymore!!! YAY!
OMG…Im never big chopping! Im just going to let the relaxer grow out…
My mom bc'd 4 years ago after being relaxed she rocked the chop with so much confidence she never put a weave in or wig. This is were I get my confidence from because I do not care what others think I do what is best for me and what I like at the end of the day I am still the same person and love my kinkycurly hair even though others do not (my dad). Big chops gives you a chance to really feel your texture more instead dealing with two, you can always put in braids or weaves until it grows out but make sure your natural hair is taken care of and make you get the right hair and who puts it in.
Megan Montgomery
I plan to BC in about two weeks after 7 months of transitioning. I've had my hair short before but I think this will be different.
I was referring to the FIRST video. Haven't even watched the second one! Lol!
Congratulations on your BC.
The stylist who did it seemed to have a very cavalier, less than friendly attitude about the whole thing. I wasn't expecting for her to get emotional and all, but she seemed borderline nasty about it. She also chopped more than she needed to. It was hard for me to watch the video for that reason.
I had a BC twelve yrs ago and it was a very liberating experience. The stylist was supportive and kind. After watching this video, I appreciate her now more than ever!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us and ENJOY YOUR HAIR!!!
I know I had mixed emotions after the stylist spun me around to see my 2 inches of hair in the mirror my mind went blank. I immediately asked her how much the hair & process would cost to put in kinky twist. She said she couldn't get me in until the following week, by then I had adjusted to my look & found a lot of cute hair accessories.
Brooke B.
i bc'd over a month ago,I cried, but they were tears of pure happiness.I'd planned on transitioning for a year then one morning I looked at my hair and asked myself why was I holding on to the damaged hair and where are my scissors?…lol……I chopped off almost 6 inches of permed ends and left 2 inches so I could switch it up between my beautiful twa or wear this fabulous wig that I bought for those days when I'm feeling ultra sassy!!!
I cried with that girl. I realized I never cried during my Big Chop. Maybe because I was in a salon and didn't want anyone to see me cry. That was almost a year and FIVE INCHES OF HAIR ago! I went down to less than an inch in September 2011. It's hard. And it's okay to cry because of that. But it grows back and so fast! Even I can't believe how much it's grown.
Haven't watched the vids yet but to answer the question, I just chopped last month! Almost a whole month natural, so I'm still really excited! I did it myself at home after a 13 month transition and with some encouragement from my mommy 🙂 I took off about 5 inces with 2 mini chops after March and when I did my final chop, the most length I had to cut was 6 inches. So my chop wasn't as dramatic but it's still a process for everyone and still takes some getting used to. I'm still learning my hair and accepting it for what it is and where it is RIGHT NOW. It's easy to love your hair when it gets to your desired length but sometimes it's hard to love where it is right now. So, I'm working on that so that I may enjoy every phase of my natural hair journey. Each stage/phase has something to offer.
I didn't realize this was such an emotional topic for me. But seeing her reaction reminded me of my BC and I actually started crying. I remember feeling those same exact things and once you do it there is no turning back. But you begin to love and appreciate it after. More than likely it becomes one of the best decisions of your life. Congrats girl and thank you for sharing
It brought tears to my eyes watching the first video, because we place so much value and personal worth into our hair. I could literally feel her emotional reaction to the BC. I felt the same way when my stylist had to cut my hair due to a bad relaxer. As the hair fell, so did the tears.
That was 10 years ago and I still continued to process my hair until 2010. The real BC that I had didn't bother me because I was getting a sew-in at the time. Then one day I realized that hiding it under straight hair, regardless if it was a protective style, was hindering me from actually learning about my hair.
Kudos to the ladies for taking the hardest step, the worst is over, and the rest is learning what works for you.
The 28th will mark 8 months transitioning for me. I've decided to big chop on my birthday, August 1st 😉 I plan on going to my hairstylist and quite a few of my friends have said that they would like to be present lol. I've also joked around with my boyfriend to see if he would do my bc for me haha..
Thank you for this post!
My first BC took me down to less than an inch so I always have a mix of emotions when I see women freak out over their hair being taken down to 2-3 inches. The only thing you can do with an inch of hair is let it grow! Ain't no twists, twistouts going on…and curl definition? Can't define curls if you ain't got no hair! lol
And yeah, that whole big head thing…I liked that the first woman realized her head's not that big after all. I do wonder what would have happened if she'd found she didn't have curl definition with products. Not everyone gets curls with products…but having curls isn't a requirement for being natural.
Both of them look great…more unique, less cookie-cutter, which is one of the best things about this "movement" IMO.
I can't watch the videos at work, but this topic has been on my mind because I recently did 2 bc's out of frustration. Just grabbed some scissors out of the cabinet and had at it! I'm going to write about it really soon, because looking back, the story is pretty hilarious (if you all could have seen my daughters face!)! Thanks for sharing these videos, so I can watch tonight and fix what I started! lol
LOVED the UsNaturalGirls Video! It was so real, had to rewind that scream…I was crying laughing!!
Loved that pic when you got home, BEAUTIFUL!
Both you ladies are gorgeous, would also love to see your updates.