To chop or not to chop

So, I know lots of women who wrestle with the question of the BIG CHOP.

I gave it serious consideration.

Did I really want to cut off all my hair? All at once?

How would that look? How would I look? Would I like how I looked?

Did I have the patience to wait out long months of transition?

People who know me will tell you many things about me. I possess some really good qualities (thanks Nana!). Patience is not one of them. sigh.

What I did was get a really short cut....my hair was still relaxed. But I worked an ultra-short do for a little while. As it started to grow out, I did not relax it but rather kept the edges well-trimmed. I experimented with various ways to comb it. Toward my face, away from my face...you know how we do!

Gradually, the new growth altered the style of the cut until it was no more....

Then a funny thing happened. I started to feel like the old relaxed growth was blocking my new do!

Girls, I dug around until I found the case I keep the clippers in. I bought clippers years ago to keep my son's hair from getting crazy.

I barricaded myself in the bathroom and commenced to freeing my new do.

I tried the largest clipper guide and worked my way down. Just a bit, so I could see new beginnings. Sure, I left some of the relaxed hair, but not much....

2 weeks later, I was at it again. Me and those clippers, in the bathroom.

I used the guide that would remove, once and for all, all the relaxed growth.

I felt like I had sprouted wings, had removed the chains, had come out of my cocoon!

I was free.

And I love it!

Through the Years...1993

The birth of my daughter marked the beginning of a new era for me....BRAIDS! My love for braids blossomed and to be totally honest with you, I can't say I'm over it yet.

I lived in Miami, FL and the braid style at the time was big and chunky! The place to get them done? The indoor flea market....Seriously. You could get one HUGE one down the center of your head, frozen in place by an entire container of gel. You could get cornrows...in whatever size you chose....You could get one that went around and around your head until it peaked at the back and cascaded into a synthetic pony-tail.....Sigh...

I have always like variety, as I've mentioned in a previous post....to that end, I always went for single braids, box braids, whatever you'd like to call them....back then micros had not yet made it to the fancy world of the indoor flea market.....

I would often scoop the braids away from my face for a top knot, or off my neck for a pony tail....

curling the ends of the braids was simple....synthetic hair, wrapped around foam rollers and dipped in cups of boiling water.....

Those were the days, lol!

Through the Years...high school

In high school I thought I was the coolest!

Didn't we all? I changed my look to suit my mood and truthfully, I still do that to some extent. My Nana used to hot comb my hair in the kitchen..ouch! It was time well spent with my beloved grandmother so I can hardly complain about that aspect of it.

She had a sense of order about her. You kept your appearance neat and orderly. Your clothes, shoes and hair should all present a well-ordered life....i rebelled at 15...I changed my clothing style, went a little wild....I cut my hair and demanded time at the hair salon...I wanted a relaxer and a new hair cut too! What was I thinking!

Why

I have always been one to change things up. The route to work, how I write my name, apply my make-up....all of these are subject to change. I love variety!

Lately, I've noticed a number of African-American sisters changing their look. They're going natural....that is, they are kicking their addiction to creamy crack (relaxer).

Many years ago, I did the same thing. I wore my tresses very short and curly. I'd tired of the hours spent getting my hair braided, not to mention the expense and the aggravation of taking the braids out. UGH!

The last set of braids, at that time, came out with scissors! Yes, I did the BIG CHOP myself and wasn't even aware there was a name for it, hahaha!

So to that end, I've been doing quite a bit of research and have discovered a number of fascinating sites all devoted to changing or transitioning from relaxed hair to natural.

And you know what? Its that time again. Time for a change.

Right now, I am rocking a short style, very chic but still featuring relaxed hair. I have experimented with color in the past and don't really see discontinuing that...variety variety variety!

Pictures coming soon!