THE BIG CHOP 7-29-2005

I DID IT !!!!!

I finally did the big chop. I know I had intented on transitioning for a year up until February, but I woke up Friday morning feeling frustrated and just got a pair of scissors and lopped it off.
I had two things that concerned me. First my bf was NOT happy about me cutting my hair, in fact he said on many occassions that he would break up with me! lol. Needless to say I cut it anyway and we are still together. The second thing was my own fear. I dont know what my hair will do or what to even do to it, which is a damn shame to say the least but I was afraid of cutting it and then walking around looking crazy all the time. lol. But I sucked it up and did it! I cut it and then I got braids to help grow it out to be even and get some length on it, that plus Im too lazy to do it for work in the morning.

I do have pictures of the BC and the braids and I will get them up once I upload them from my camera. I will share.

Clarify

I took the braids out and rocked a scarf ala Alicia Keys to work both Thursday and Friday. No pics. Lol. I wished I could have worn my hair like a braid out to work but it was dirty that it needed to be washed pronto. I got it cornrowed going back on Friday but I almost didn’t want to. I wanted to lay around all day and touch it and see where it is going. I was tempted to just go ahead and do the Big Chop but alas I didn’t, in part because I am afraid of not being able to work with it and walking around looking and feeling crazy. I will take a picture of these braids before I take them out which will be this Friday. I am only keeping these things in for a week. They are itching already I think I need to clarify the next time I wash my hair, so I will wash and condition it on Friday and leave it be until Sunday when I figure out what I am doing to it.

Hair Itchies

Today makes a week since I have been rocking my cornrows up into a puff and I am struggling. I have the major itchies and I want to take them out. So of course I want to take them out the only issue is what will I do then? I am trying to keep each style in for AT least 2 weeks. I want to hit that 3 week mark but that is SOOO pushing it. lol.
So after talking it through with my fellow natural partner (my friend reenie is going natural as well) I am going to tie the puff up and wash the cornrows...I am going to make a new batch of my daily spritz making sure that I add the jojoba and sweet almond oil to it for their properties. I need to get on From Nature With Love and order some of that shea butter so I can make a concoction out of that....maybe sometime this week I will do that.
But for now I am going to go ahead and wash these braids and I will be sure to post some pics.

Mugshots

My early Mugshots..
I have no idea what texture my hair is...all's I know is it wasnt really growing all like that. Its not too thick but the perm managed to thin it out even more, so I had to jump thru hoops to make it appear thick and healthy. Well...I will relearn my texture and all that shortly and then try to work with my hair and not against it.

Happy Place

The other day I was waiting for the bus and a perfect stranger started gushing about how much she loved my hair. AWWWW that made me feel hella good. She got on the bus and she started asking me about going natural and I told her it was NOT an easy thing. It's a choice you have to make for yourself and the intial journey is hard but the end is fruitful. She has a daughter of about 6 and she wants to perm her hair...I pleaded with her not to! but you know....what else can you do. I started thinking about my history with my hair and all the things I have gone thru with it.

I have some pictures that when I get the chance I will try and upload them for inspirations sake but the one phase I don’t think I have on film is my short cut with the Long Island Red color in it. Lol. Yes ya’ll….after a braiding session gone wrong (read: I took the braids out and my hair had totally broken off) I had to cut the hair…the only style I could get was a short Halle cut….shaved in the back and whole 9. Then I made the mistake of telling my then Fantasy Show Hairstylist to put whatever color she wanted. She chose a color called Long Island Red. People to this day still call my Red because of that style and till I went to college and chopped it off again I still had red in my hair. Lol…

My hair and I have gone through so much….its a wonder it still grows!!

The perm, the colors the dyes, the braids…..just everything!SMH.

New Style

I took my cornrows out and decided to copy a funky lil style I saw my friend with. Here were the results

My Chicago Cornrows

This was my cornrow style that I got for Chicago. I figured they would be quick and easy and no fuss and they were. They lasted 2 weeks and then I needed to get them out. After this I was soooo tempted to just cut the rest of my hair off but I chickened out and decided to continue transitioning a lil while longer. I decided to get another cornrow style that I saw my friend wearing that I loved. After that I will get box braids and rock those for awhile....perhaps I will try and honey color for the summer....oohhh the bravery. lol.

Oh I got a wig.....smh....I dunno. I feel silly with it....perhaps I will take some pics and show and tell...

The Truth About Relaxers

1. Relaxers are designed to straighten the curl pattern in hair using a chemical called sodium hydroxide.

2.Once relaxed, the hair is permanently straight, there is no way to reverse the process, therefore, the only way to remove a relaxer is to cut it out.

3.You cannot use vinegar, lemon juice, beer, or mayonnaise to remove a relaxer because the chemicals in relaxers permanently change the molecular bonds of the hair.

4. Relaxers never grow out they break and split off, damaging the natural hair.

5. Once the hair is relaxed, it loses its elasticity, meaning it is stretched to capacity and is in a weakened state.

6. Natural hair has the strength of five fingers. If you relax it, remove two fingers. If you color it, take away another finger. If you curl it daily, remove another finger. Your hair is then left with the strength of one finger.

7. Just think, if relaxers are so wonderful, why do they have a whole line of products to correct problems from relaxers?

**Found on http://www.aunaturaleinc.com/**

Hair Update

I took my braids out, I know it's only been like a month but they were starting to get on my last nerves. I think the problem with them was that the hair was so soft and they put knots on the end of them and after a while they started sliding out one by one. So that kinda sucked!

For my trip to Chicago I got my hair cornrowed. They arent bad at all. I took some pics of it and I will post them as soon as I get my cam back. I will probably keep it in for another week and then get them redone prolly next week sunday. My girlfriend has these cute braids up and then got a afro piece attached to it which gave her a cute lil ponytail. I am sooo going to have to bite it!