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| CN interview w/ Bre Scullark |
In part 1 of the Going Natural Series, we talked about what is known in the commonwealth of natural hair as “the big chop”, which is the act of cutting all of the relaxed hair off in one fell swoop, and leaving only the new growth. In terms of the process, this is the “all in” option, similar to jumping in to the mosh pit. There is no easing in and for many is a pivotal moment in their personal hair-volution. There is a sense of urgency that comes with it as it is immediate, bold and deliberate and should be treaded lightly if your choose this route.
Know what you’re getting into
Dealing with a new head of hair can be nothing short of intimidating. If you have not dealt with your mane on this level, it stands to reason that you don’t know what to expect. The entire “going natural” process comes with a good degree of unpredictability and in recognizing that, give yourself permission to “not know”. Sometimes we are uncomfortable with being vulnerable and entering unknown territory; however, there is beauty in vulnerability. It provides the opportunity to allow the process to happen organically.
Brace Yourself
Debuting your new closely cropped mane will draw many reactions from your family, peers and strangers; particularly if your relaxed hair was a particular length. There are many mixed messages sent about what is beautiful and long hair is almost worshiped in our society. Although it is sometimes easier said than done, own your new look and the confidence will follow, if not be parallel. While we all seek some form of acceptance, do not seek validation and know that your value is not tied up in what others think about your hair.
Don’t Take It Too Serious
Enjoy your hair and the freedom that it represents and let that be the end of it. Jill Scott gets to the heart of when speaking about her big chop; “This is the simplest form of myself. I look in the mirror and its like, ‘Hey, there you go. What’s up, girl?’ For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It’s an accessory. “
Bre from America's Next top model I have not heard anything about her since watching her on that show. She big chopped? Wow gorgeous!
I believe years before deciding to go natural all led to the moment I said no more relaxers. Years of preperation. I began to spread my relaxers to only 2 to maybe 3 a year. And also started wearing my hair out with no heat about the same time. Over time I saw how I was trainging my and how it was growing. It was destiny.
I remember her! I loved her on ANTM! I remember her hair was GORGEOUS! It's good to see an update on her since I don't want ANTM anymore.
I can't tell you how many times I have big chopped. TWA is my comfort zone. This is a great "heads up" information
Very true! When I BC'd I knew I had to be in the right place emotionally and mentally and I absolutely loved the whole experience! I also used this SAME picture back when I did it to show my barber what I wanted 🙂
I big chopped 3 times, down to about an inch of hair.
Good article, nice heads up sort of thing. Forwarding this to my friend who's about a year into her transition and close to her chop!