So You Big Chopped…Now What?

So you finally got up the nerve to do the big chop? You loved for a total of 5 – 15 days and now you’re over it!!

Been there. Done that. Now what?

For me personally, I tried it all. I did wash-n-gos. I did accessories. I pinned the front up a bit (as much as the front can be pinned with a big chop). I threw in a twist or two – switched my part from the side, to the middle, to none at all.

Then I was out of options. I YouTubed. I googled. I Pinterested. (The red underline in my draft is telling me that Pinterest is not a verb, but as an avid Pinterester, I disagree. If YouTubed is a word, then Pinterested is definitely a word.) All of this to say, I ran out of styles.

My big chop quickly lost its luster. Sound familiar?

Perfect. I’VE GOT SOLUTIONS all learned from firsthand experience.

1. Never stop learning.

There is so much information out there. There are thousands of YouTubers out there. Thousands of Instagrammers. Thousands of bloggers, hairdressers, product lines. Even better than that, there are thousands of people rocking their natural tresses. Some of them have similar textures and journeys to you. Some of them are at the same point you are. You can learn together. You can grow together. Others are much further along. You can absorb all that they have to say like a sponge.

Here is a list of some of my favorites:

Favorite Instagrammer: brosiaaa

Favorite YouTuber: TBD (I watch SO MANY depending on what I am looking for or none at all for weeks at a time depending on my mood.)

Favorite hairdresser: Baby Bangz

Favorite product line: The Love of People

2. Keep trying new things.

Quite early on, I wrote a piece called 5 Ways to Sassy Your Short Hair. A year later, and I am still learning. I was a wash and go girl for the longest because that is what my hairdresser showed me how to do when I did my big chop. I tried a twist out one time when I called myself transitioning – epic fail. As such, I avoided twist outs. Imagine my shock after my first round of feed-in braids which left my hair stretched, wavy, and soft. I thought to myself, “people do this all this time.” So I gave twist outs another go, and now I love the style as much as the next person. Next stop for me – bantu knots. I am still a little nervous about that plunge so I have avoided it for over a year now. Either way, keep finding what works for you. Continue to discover the beauty of your hair.

3. Protective styles 101 – aka weaves, braids, and faux locs.

In my mind, I was a traitor to my curls when I traded them in for feeds ins, box braids and locs. I felt like I had somehow stabbed my natural hair community in the back by not wearing my all natural all the time. I was wrong. (There you have it in writing.) My hair needed a break. I needed a break. And even with all the lessons I learned with my big chop, shoulder length hair is still my favorite.

(Favorite protective styler: braidsbybricherise)

A big chop is a big adjustment. We all pretend that we love it every day. We smile as people compliment us. We tell everyone it is one of the best decisions we ever made. We encourage those trying to make that same big step, but then we get stuck. A year of the same 4c fro is a bit much for those of us used to the freedom of multiple styles.

And that is OKAY. Natural hair is a journey not a destination. Healthy hair is an ongoing process not an end goal. Your big chop is a small piece of a much bigger picture.

It is only a piece of you. It does not define you. So whatever you decide to do with the “now what?”, whether you twist it up, fro it out, color it, or add a lite extra, is solely up to you.

Just make sure that your “now what?”, your journey, your process, you bigger picture is worth seeing.

***

What are some things you do during the “now what?” phase?

Comment below or connect with me: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat: mrsbonnaffons.

Leave your email so I can send hair care strategies straight to your inbox.