I Big Chopped, Now What?

If you have ever asked this question, “I big chopped, now what? It can be a very scary feeling. The uncertainty and being unprepared is like driving at night with the headlights off in a new place It’s paralyzing and will have your back tracking your steps.

Experience with the big chop or going natural can be very exciting and brand new. But when the newness wears off and the dust settles, you can feel like you really messed up and you begin to regret your decision. Just recently, I had a great opportunity to speak with community member Jeanetta concerning her moments immediately before and after her big chop to offer guidance on shampooing and dry hair after the big chop.

When to big chop

Jeanetta asked a great question, “When should I big chop?” My answer was simple, “When you are ready.” Normally, when women transition mentally, the transition is about accepting their hair for what it is without the chemical relaxer.

I Big Chopped, Now What?

Jeanetta joined the community and shortly after, she relaxed her hair. The weeks before joining, after searching YouTube for  DIY quick weave hair styles, she stumbled across a natural hair video and she was intrigued ever since. Jeanetta admits, “I decided I wanted to go natural a day after my perm on June 16, 2011. Today is the 29^th and I big chopped. Two weeks after my relaxer, I big chopped!”

Jeanetta also asked, “Does anyone have a problem with dry a TWA or is it my hair type?”

Tighter curls/coils do have dry issues. But before we chalk it up to the coils and curls, lets exam your regimen and products. How often do you shampoo and when was the last time you used a clarifying shampoo? Jeanetta, admits, “I used to wash every day. Now, I only wash my hair twice a week.”Base on frequency of shampoos you can easily strip the natural sebum oil from the hair strands. If twice a week seems drying as well, you may have to further reduce the frequency to once a week or once every 10 days. Another avenue to consider is clarifying.

When your hair stops responding to products or starts to become dry and unruly, it may be time to clarify and start over. Removing product build up on your hair can give your hair a fresh new start. If you find that your hair does not have build-up and you wash it anyway, this can be drying to your hair because you are removing the natural sebum oil from your strands too frequently. If you feel that you need to wash your hair frequently, try adding a co-wash to your regimen.

Natural Hair & Product Experiments 101

Be prepared to experiment with products for your natural hair a great deal when you big chop. Many women when they big chop discover that many of the products no longer work the same. This is because the needs of your natural hair are very different from the needs of your relaxed hair. Most likely during the transition period, the new growth was straightened to blend the two textures vs. catering to the new growth and keeping the relaxed hair curled to blend the two textures. This experimenting can be costly because you are searching for the perfect product to moisturize and define your curls.

However, going natural and having natural hair does not have to cost a small fortune and here is how: my method of going natural allows you to become familiar with your natural hair before your buy a plethora of costly products that may or may not work. I advise women to use what you have first. The baseline needs are: shampoo, conditioner, water & oil and a styling product. If at all possible, if a product does not respond well, add a little oil to the product until you completely finish the product and don’t buy it again. At the beginning of your journey, I don’t suggest taking on the task of tackling sulfates, cones and ingredient reading just yet. That part of your journey will come soon enough. Allow the novelty of your big chop to subside before diving full speed ahead into buying products. Below, I have recommended baseline hair products that are cost conscience while experimenting:

How to Use the Bundle Package and Beginning Your Regimen

From the list, pick a shampoo, conditioner, an oil to add to your water (equal amount of water and oil in a spray bottle) and a styling product. From this list of effective yet cost conscience products, you will mix and match as needed. Choose a clarifying shampoo and deep conditioner first. Then, begin using the products that you choose as a bundle for at least a week before for changing a product or adding a new product.  The purpose of the bundle package is to minimize your products so that you can begin to document what works and what doesn’t work.

Document Your Experience

Writing down and taking pictures of what you have done in the past, helps you to remember. In this day and age, information is king – you can even vlog it! There is no wrong way to document your journey, except for not documenting it at all. The importance of documenting allows you to compare before and after pictures of your hair – showing you exactly what the product can actually do for you. Remember that no product can take your tightly coiled hair and make it loose wavy hair, expect chemicals. So be open and accepting to what you discover about your natural hair.

Jeanetta, thank you so much for chatting with me. I look forward to seeing you mastering your journey and to see it bloom over the months to come.

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