Going Natural Without the Big Chop?

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Nov 20, 2011

Atiyah Y.

Its me again, lol. The best way to go natural if you don't want to do the big chop is to slowly transition. Braids & weaves are the best for this. I was natural all of my life & decided to put a relaxer in my hair last year. Being natural isn't as easy as it seems especially if you don't want to do the big chop because your hair is two different textures. Its a lot of trial & error with products being natural. My hair naturally is very soft, thin & curly so certain hairstyles would never work on my hair. I got frustrated, went back to weaves & eventually putting a relaxer in.

This will be my third time going from relaxed hair to natural hair. The first two times, I implusively just chopped off my hair and being the type of person I am, I got bored in two or three months and relaxed it again. This time around, I transitioned for ten months before mistakenly cutting it off (my plan was to transition for a year). It is very possible to transition but I don't think constant weaves and braids are ideal since that puts alot of stress on the (already) fragile hair. For ten months I did very simple styles like braid outs and twist outs. I wore kinky twist for a month before getting bored and then I wore 4 different styles of tree braids over a three month period before taking them out and cutting off my hair. It's been 18 months since I began my transition and now my hair is the same (if not a bit longer) as it was when I started. I must say though, hair growth was not an issue with me, while my hair was relaxed I often cut it because I felt it couldn't hold a curl once it go pass shoulder length.

I think people try to come up with some profound reason why they went natural and that's cool for them but for me it was simply because as quickly as I get bored with my look and as often as I try to reinvent myself, natural hair just seemed a bit more versatile than relaxed hair. I can wear it curly one day and straight the next. Short one minute and long the next. I pressed my hair straight about two weeks ago and people (white people) kept asking how did I get my hair so long over night. I wanted to have those options with my hair. But at the end of the day, it's just hair and I may decide I want it relaxed in another year or so.

The difference that I have noticed it the fullness of my hair. Don't get me wrong, it was always thick even when it was relaxed. It's just that while relaxed it is very limp and I love BIG hair. As far as the routine, I've become quite lazy with relaxed hair because I don't have to do it every day. I honestly go a week or two without doing my hair (another plus in my busy schedule). I didn't wear weaves and such when I was relaxed forcing me to have to do my hair every day allbeit the styling only took about 30 minutes but it was an every day thing. Now I do my hair less often and the longer I go without doing it the better it looks. The downside is when I do decide to do it it can be an all day or all night (since I let my hair style while I sleep) process. I'm sorry if this was long but I wanted to give you the most information to help you in making your decision...whatever your decision may be. If you need to see...IDK...anything...I'm going to link below my transition videos and I think I have a recent video here on beautylish where I straighten my natural hair so you can get an idea of the growth. (FYI: My friend began her transition 2 months after me and only wore weaves and when she finally BC'ed she had to cut off a bunch of damanged natural hair because the weaves broke it off. So, her hair is considerably behind mine.)
http://youtu.be/7UeMEybQHE4 Twist out video
http://youtu.be/PFhuZZml76U Kinky Twist HOW TO video
http://youtu.be/_S-dpiWj9pI Transitioning Q&A video
http://youtu.be/_VKpftrlsbg How to TREE BRAIDS
http://youtu.be/pTraZQwgwgc One Year Transition Slideshow

I'm also going to upload in the next few coming days a video of the progression and styles of my natural hair from March of this year until now. It seems like a small time frame but my hair has changed a lot in less than a year.

Nov 20, 2011

Indya S.

i really want to go natural really bad but i do not want to cut my hair yet. what are Pros and Cons about being natural? if u are natural pleasr tell me about why and how ur hair is going

Nov 20, 2011

Indya S.

so which do you like better?

Nov 20, 2011

Indya S.

i've been relaxed all my like and i kind of want to be natural cuz i'm in that stage where i want to start my life new and now i'm in college as well and do'nt want to pay for it anymore lol

Nov 20, 2011

Atiyah Y.

Relaxed. Don't get me wrong, I loveeeee my natural curly hair but for someone who hates to do her hair it was just too much work. Like I said my hair is thin so when it was natural, I could never get the big poofy fullness or styles I desired. 

Nov 20, 2011

Atiyah Y.

You're probably gonna be paying just as much being natural when you're not wearing braids or weaves. Its trial & error with hair products. You buy something, it doesn't work, buy something else & it continues until you find what works best for you AT THAT MOMENT. When you're natural, as your hair grows the texture changes so the products you use may change. 

Nov 20, 2011

KayNicole J.

I love my natural hair. I went natural without the big chop 2 years ago, my hair is completely grown out now, no relaxed hair left, and it's down to the middle of my back. I found that once I stopped relaxing my hair, it grew like crazy. I've done two strand twists occasionally, which take alot of time, but I really like them, and they last several days. I didn't find the two textures of hair to be that big of a problem. You should definitely try going natural, it might be amazing for you, or you might hate it, but at least you'll know for sure!

Nov 20, 2011

Shelley W.

The last time any chems touched my hair(color and relaxer) was in 2006 and I haven't looked back since. I actually get more compliments as a natural than I did when my hair was long and straight. I use only hair care products that have zero sulfates since its so drying for my hair. I use products from Miss Jessie's and Hair Rules and my hair couldn't be happier. My hair has always grown like a weed even with the relaxers and coloring but since I've been natural the length is just crazy. Once you go natural you never go back.

I did a full transition, just doing my usual trims. At the time, I wasn't connected to the natural hair community, so there was a lot of trial and error. I had no idea what I was doing, and was tempted to chop it a few times. I don't think either option is better than another, each just requires its own routine & technique.

Pros: no more relaxer, no more burns, no more breakage, no more forcing my hair to a standard that isn't me

Cons: none

Everything I wanted from having straight hair (movement and shine) I have in spades with my natural hair. It was just a matter of figure out what it was my hair needed, and working with it (instead of against it). Natural, my hair is happier and so am I.

The best anyone can do is to research what they want to do, and keep the expectations realistic.

Nov 24, 2011

Indya S.

will my hair be the same as when i has a baby, because i had loose curly hair. and idk if my hair will be the same from all the relaxing 

There's no way to predict it. Some people's hair doesn't change much from when they were younger, where other people find that is can drastically change.

It all comes down to why YOU want to go natural. Those reasons will dictate a lot of how your transition happens on the mental side of things. If your expectations are not met, will you still want to be natural?

Nov 24, 2011

Indya S.

i'm going natural know matter what i want to be natural beacuse i don't want to use relaxer anymore i want to see what my natural hair and what God gave me looks like. i have been getting relaxer's since i've been 6 and i wish that i never got one. even tho my hair is heathly and long but its not mine its what i get when i put relaxers in my hair. i'm at a stage in my life where i want to be REAL 100% and that's why i want to go natural. if i don't have the loose curls it won't matter to me beacuse it's MY hair and i'll find a way to style it.  

Nov 26, 2011

gee m.

I guess you can say I went natural by accident, lol. I was wearing braids in my hair and decided there was no need for me to relax my hair if I am going to be wearing braids so I pretty much just grew mine out. When I stop wearing braids I decided to cut my hair in a short cut grew it out and about 10 years ago decided that I would just cut my hair really low like a dude. For me I don't really have an issue with my hair being natural the shorter it is it waves up and once it starts to grow it will curl up. So if i need a hair cut it will curl up and that will start to get on my nerve but other then that I guess you can say I have the regular here and there bad hair day. My hair is thick and course so I do have to make sure my hair is moisturized and I also keep a scarf with me because if it gets too hot my hair will start to curl up. 

Dec 27, 2011

Djarum S.

I have this serious urge to chop my hair down to like 4 inches or less, I don't know how it will look.. but i am so ready for it, i have this serious feeling in my gut that if i do it, I will be free from so many stigmas. I have had long hair my whole life, once a beautician cut my hair REAL short, I didn't know what the hell to do, i was mad for months, but I kind of wish I would have enjoyed it more, (that was a year or two ago). I have never relaxed my hair, only press and flat iron, and thats pretty much the only damage to my hair, I have always frowned upon relaxers, it just seemed like taking the whole straight hair situation too damn far. Now I am on a quest for liberation from societies imposed beliefs on black women and their obsession with hair and how straight it is. I want nappy ass hair! RAT NOW! (sleeps on the idea of the Big Chop) 

Jan 4, 2012

Shelley W.

@Nichole H. I feel your pain. My hair is super thick...don't let the picture fool you. When I wash it I IMMEDIATELY have to add product to it to keep the frizz down or else I come out looking like Chaka Khan after a 3 hour concert. The flip side that at least with thick hair if it thins out a bit due to temporary shedding we still have a lot to work with. 

Jan 12, 2012

Likewater B.

I transitioned without the big chop in October 2011. After two months I could not handle the stress of dealing with my natural texture. I hate nappy hair literally. I could not handle the stress so I permed my hair. I started watching Youtube and came up with my own hair regimine. Now I am at two months with no chemicals and my new growth is thick but not course.You are gonna have to see what oils, conditioners, and moisturizers your hair likes. My hair is usually dry not anymore, since I deep condition over night sometimes for two days. I use lace front wigs and keep my hair in a hair clip for protective styles. You have to be dedicated and committed to go natural. You will need to moisturize and seal everyday, detangle, deep condition, use hot oil treatments, and cut straggly ends. I cut about a half an inch every 4-6 months. But you will see a difference in your hair, when you faithfully commit to it. I use Wave Nouveau moisturizer and finishing spray daily and a mix of olive oil and cocnut oil to seal my ends. Some cons: you pay your hair much more attention so you will need to make time for it. I have to do something to my hair daily even when I do not want to. Pros: You will see your hair come to life. Your hair will become longer and thicker. You will see your actual curl pattern that you were born with. Everyone around you will see a difference in your hair so you will notice it too. After seeing what healthy hair looks like you will never go backwards.