Like Britney Spears 10 years ago, we've all felt the urge to hit the reset button on our hair at some point. This is especially true when you decide to stop relaxing your hair. A delicate choice then presents itself: should you go for the big chop or not? This involves cutting your hair very short to remove all your relaxed ends. It's a very difficult step to take, but one I'll help you navigate in this article. Let's dive in!
The complete stop of relaxers is a question many women with curly and coily hair ask themselves at some point. This choice is often motivated by hair damage or simply the desire to return to our natural hair. Because, as I already told you in one of my previous articles « Relaxer: good or bad idea? », this practice is irreversible. Once started, you must then arm yourself with patience to regain your natural hair. In this case, two solutions: the big chop or the long transition.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIG CHOP AND LONG TRANSITION?
The big chop is a very short haircut, even shaved, to remove all relaxed hair from the head, while the long transition consists of letting our hair grow and gradually cutting off our relaxed ends. Obviously, this latter process takes more time but allows those who do not want to lose their length to accept the change little by little. The choice between the big chop or the long transition is often very difficult to make, but know that both solutions are equally valid.
ADVANTAGES OF THE BIG CHOP
Even if the step seems difficult to take, know that the big chop has many advantages. The first is that you end up with only one hair texture on your head. All your hair care is thus radically simplified. Moreover, even if a woman's hair is one of the greatest symbols of her femininity, it is not complicated to keep that touch of glamour, even with short hair. You just need to play with accessories, jewelry, or makeup. We have examples with stars like Rihanna, Solange, Jill Scott, or Lupita Nyong’o. One can only succumb to the charm of the big chop.
THE STEPS OF A LONG TRANSITION
When you opt for a long transition, your hair will be more easily prone to breakage. But this will allow you to learn how to style your hair yourself, especially by doing protective hairstyles. Indeed, during this transition, your hair will have a strange appearance: straight ends and curly/coily roots. You must therefore focus on camouflaging your two textures. You must also manage to take care of two types of texture at once, which means twice as many suitable products.
The duration of the transition will depend on each of you. It will vary depending on your patience, the length you deem acceptable for your natural hair, and of course, your growth rate.
