Were you REALLY happy when you BC'd?

[EbonyCPrincess]

I love natural hair. Always have. I didn't receive my first relaxer until high school and then inadvertently transitioned my sr year. I was natural my first year of college then relaxed again. I've never coveted a looser curl pattern, I've always thought my hair was thick and resilient. I also absolutely LOVE my relaxed hair. I truly do love it both ways. As my plan to "hide-my-hair" continues, like most relaxed heads that end up on long stretches I've been tossing around the idea of transitioning. I would definitely to be a long term transitioner....2.5+ years if I decide to actually transition. I wouldn't even call it a transition, just so many weeks post-relaxer and trim until its all natural. I've seen many a long-haired relaxed ladies lately up and BC to less than 2 inches of hair. And although they all SAY:
- they are happy
- its just hair, it'll grow back
- I did it once, I'll do it again
- I was just ready to be done with it
- I lhonestly love it, I'm glad I did it, etc.
Sometimes it just doesn't seem like everyone is keeping it 100% real. A couple of people looked downright sad and as if they regretted it, but never admit to it. For me, its not that I think natural hair is unattractive or would have to adjust to it....its that I absolutely hate short hair on me. Relaxed or natural, short hair has never been my thing. I would hate to embark upon this endeavor and in a moment of weakness or frustration BC and then hate the way I look afterwards. I can appreciate the honesty of women when they say they honestly didn't embrace their short natural. And my thought is why should you have to?! Lots of women don't embrace their short-relaxed hair! Shoot, I didn't!

So tell me, keep it one hunnid....were you LONG HAIRED RELAXED LADIES REALLY HAPPY WHEN YOU BIG CHOPPED? Do you wish you had transitioned longer?

 

[EbonyCPrincess]

I just want to hear fully from BOTH sides as I continue to contemplate while I hide my hair. Not that I can't hear from women who really are happy they BC'd and were happy with the short hair...not trying to skew the answers one way or the other.

 

[Bubblingbrownshuga]

Yes. I can truly, honestly, without a shadow of a doubt say I was happy when I big chopped.

 

[chebaby]

i was relaxed most of my life. i was here for about a year before i went natural and my hair grew to right above bsl. when i bc's i did so down to an inch was the most happiest with my hair that i had ever been. ive never regretted it. a little more than 2 years later and i have more hair than i had before i did the big chop.

 

[SmileyNY]

I was spontaneous & BC'd on a whim with 0.5 inches of NG. I didn't even have any previous thoughts or plans to go natural. I loved it. Not because I thought I looked cuter (I didn't lol), but because I felt free & I enjoyed going against the grain of what everyone thought I should do with my own hair.


Sent from my iPhone 4 using LHCF

 

[Napp]

i didnt have long hair either time i bced. i was APL the first time and SL the scond. yes when i initially BCd i was happy that i didnt have to deal with the 2 textures. that excitement faded quickly as i realized that i did not have the skill nor patience to style my short natural hair.

i will never bc again unless something serious was to happen where i needed to cut all of my hair off(surgery or some other medical problem) short hair looks awful on me and i didnt mind bcing at the time because i didnt really care how i looked at that point. i did not feel cute for quite some time after i bced both times.

 

[danniegirl]

I was super excited I didn't have any bad experiences as a child in regards to what was done to my hair besides having a waterbug living in it for a week. I didn't really know what my natural hair looked like I saw pics it was either a hot mess or had pretty pressed shirley temple curls but that's just good hair days vs bad hair days and I survived the jerri for the most part.

Anywho when I decided to bc I was scared and I thought my hair was going to be a dry unruly mess but it wasn't I had a head full of curls my hair is still dry but I do what I need to do and it's getting better.

Overall my hair exceeded my expectations and I loved it my only regret is I dc'ed in the fall and only rocked my twa for about a month before it got to cold to wsg and to go uncovered.


Sent from my iPod touch using LHCF

 

[naturalTAN]

I didn't have long hair at the time of my big chop because I got my hair cut into a bob and colored it "for a change" after my HS graduation (I was in military school so all I could do was bun). I got bored with the cut pretty quickly. Then I met a senior at my college who was natural and talked to me about transitioning and I decided that since I didn't trust anyone to give me a touch up, that I would just go natural. I had about 2 more cuts on breaks home to maintain the bob because my new growth made my ends appear thin. Then I ended up sharing an apartment for the summer with another natural senior who convinced me to cut it because my twistouts looked pathetic with the thin ends (they did ).

I was shocked when I bc'd because I had to do two. I transitioned for 9 1/2 months, but since I heat styled and continued to color throughout it, I had a lot of straight ends and color damage. I had no choice but to go even shorter the next day to get rid of the color/heat damage. I didn't know what to think of it, but my roomie gushed over it and made me like it. After a couple weeks, and a few new hair accessories and cute earrings, I loved it!

So I said all that to say that yes I was sorta happy when I bc'd, but it took a while to LOVE it.

ETA: If I had to do it all over again, I would not have bc'd. I prefer longer natural hair on myself, but I don't necessarily regret bc'ing because it made me quit relying on hair to feel cute. I had always had long, full SL hair (non-LHCF long), and I thought that was what made me cute/sexy. I realized that there was a whole lot more to my appeal than just hair and now my long, BSL natural hair doesn't make me hot, it simply ADDS to the hotness that I had to learn I had.

 

[koolkittychick]

The two times I did it I can say that I was happy...for about 1 month. Not to say that I didn't like my natural texture, it's just that short hair does not look cute on me at my present weight (I am a biig girl with a big head that needs big hair) and I really didn't know how to care for my natural hair at time once it got to longer lengths.

The second time I tried, I managed to grow my hair to APL and was rocking a banging big blonde afro puff, but because I didn't know how to detangle, condition and care for my hair properly, it ended up a matted, dry mess that I eventually cut off. I went back to relaxers after that and am now back to APL, but I am toying with the idea of transitioning again.

This time I would leave the BC alone and use my length to help me transition long term (at least 2 years) so that I would have something to work with (and know how to work it!) when I cut the last of the relaxer out.

 

[naturalTAN]

The two times I did it I can say that I was happy...for about 1 month. Not to say that I didn't like my natural texture, it's just that short hair does not look cute on me at my present weight (I am a biig girl with a big head that needs big hair) and I really didn't know how to care for my natural hair at time once it got to longer lengths.

The second time I tried, I managed to grow my hair to APL and was rocking a banging big blonde afro puff, but because I didn't know how to detangle, condition and care for my hair properly, it ended up a matted, dry mess that I eventually cut off. I went back to relaxers after that and am now back to APL, but I am toying with the idea of transitioning again.

This time I would leave the BC alone and use my length to help me transition long term (at least 2 years) so that I would have something to work with (and know how to work it!) when I cut the last of the relaxer out.

I am a big girl as well with a rather large cranium , but I actually really grew to love my short hair (not more than how it is now though). My favorite pictures of me are with short natural hair.

 

[lesedi]

I only 'transitioned' for 12 weeks so I had about 1.5 inches of hair. It was a shock at first, but I really was happy. I'm nearly six months into my natural journey now and i'm still really happy

 

[Beverly Ann Properties]

I was relaxed and had AP length hair the majority of my adult life. I transitioned for 17 months and did the BC. I was happy with my decision but also astonished with my new look. I wore wigs, phony ponys to hide and protect my hair for 1 year. Wearing wigs was fun, because I brought a new wig every 2 months for a new look. I am just learning how to style my natural hair, w&g, braid outs and twists outs. I can say, I was happy because when I BC I could see a dramatic difference in the thickness of my hair. So I would say yes, I was really happy to BC.

 

[havilland]

Ebony....I'm so glad you posted this. You and I feel. EXACTLY the same.

I transitioned long term to texlax from bone straight and hated every minute of it. It took me three years and I was just above apl when I trimmed the last relaxed hair off.

I would big chop in a minute if I could deal with short hair. But I don't want to cut all my hair off. I had a short cut long ago and my head is huge. I looked horrible and I hated short hair on me.


I wish I had transitioned to natural back then 4 years ago but at that time I had never considered it. I wasn't as exposed to the option then.


I'm not political or judgemental of people's hair choices. I love my natural hair and I love my relaxed straight hair and I love my texlax hair. I just love it all ONE TEXTURE AND LONG. (not that my hair is that long)

The only reason I'm not natural right now is because I do not want to big chop and i do not want to transition long term and deal with two textures again for 3 years only to be right back where I am now...shoooot I'm old. Lol!

Anyway....good post


Sent from my iPhone while out living my best life!

 

[Whimsy]

I was over the moon back when I BCed the first time. I was so excited to try stuff on short hair.

 

[KimPossibli]

The first time I was uber excited but unprepared... so that led to disappointment

this time around I wasnt quite as excited initially but I was better prepared.. and since I have been getting the hang of making it cute.. I am happy.

Itwas still bitter sweet to see hair you cared for fall to the floor though.

 

[Mane.Attraction]

When I BC'ed, I was happy at first, but then when I realized that I had limited styling options, I was a little disappointed. I didn't have enough hair to twist or rock a puff so if I ever had to do it over again, I would have transitioned for a year so I would have had more hair to work with!

Overall, though, I don't regret it. It was just made me step out of my box as far as styling goes.

 

[MyInvisibleChyrsalis]

Heck no! lol. I stayed up late psyching myself up on Ytube videos and got the courage to do it. I feel excitement while I snipped but when it was ll said and done, I was scared. All these insecurities bubbled up the surface. It took my hair growing out some for me to feel better. That short natural was a shock!

 

[FoxxyLocs]

I was really happy when I Bc'd. I was nervous about how other people would react, but it ended up being all positive. It was also fun playing with different styles and such. My relaxed hair was not damaged, but I was still glad to see it go. Honestly if I had it to do over again I would cut it shorter. I haven't missed my relaxed hair at all.

FYI, my relaxed hair fluctuated b/t APL/MBL. My last perm was almost 7 years ago.

Sent from my HTC Evo

 

[Your Cheeziness]

I was an emotional bc'er. I'd had a horrible day, came home and washed my hair haphazardly causing tangles. Out of frustration I chopped and I was NOT ready. I was not happy and I was in kinky twists less than 24 hours later.

Because I chopped alllllll my hurr off before I was mentally ready, I spent the first 6 months of naturalness in and out of braids and weave styles. If I could do it all over again, I'd have stuck to transitioning until I was ready to big chop.

I was not ready. Period.

 

[ms.blue]

I didn't have any intention of doing a bc so when I had to, I was upset since short hair does not look good on me. The very next day, I went to get individual/micros braids that came to like waistlength. I congratulate all the women who did the bc willingly.

 

[EbonyCPrincess]

Your Cheeziness - that's exactly why I relaxed at the start of my hair journey! I was forced into a 7 month stretch and was contemplating transitioning then. I had a HORRIBLE detangling session....then I tried to flat iron and it looked awful. At that point I was like if it takes ALL this heat and ALL this manipulation I need to gone 'head and hit up Mizani! I've not regretted it at all and not even considered transitioning again since that time. I don't want to end up in one of the "I was tired of the two textures" moment and then stare at the mirror afterwards talkin bout WHAT DID I DO?!

 

[VirtuousBeauty]

When I BC'd I cut everything off including whatever new growth I had so I didn't have any hair I could grab with my hands. I really liked it though. Short hair or lack of hair in this case fits my face. I had friends who I knew wouldn't like it, but they at the very least thought i looked decent. Yay for small heads lol.


What I do NOT like is my twa now. I don't like brushing my hair and in order for it to be decent for work I need to. I liked it when I cut everything off, but this in between phase (I guess this is my awkward phase) to longer hair is annoying. Thankfully I've remembered the beauty of gel twists last week and thanks to LHCF I knew it was possible to do it myself. Think I paid like $70 or so when I got them done years ago at a salon. Wish I had known what I know now.

 

[EbonyCPrincess]

Ebony....I'm so glad you posted this. You and I feel. EXACTLY the same.

I transitioned long term to texlax from bone straight and hated every minute of it. It took me three years and I was just above apl when I trimmed the last relaxed hair off.

I would big chop in a minute if I could deal with short hair. But I don't want to cut all my hair off. I had a short cut long ago and my head is huge. I looked horrible and I hated short hair on me.


I wish I had transitioned to natural back then 4 years ago but at that time I had never considered it. I wasn't as exposed to the option then.


I'm not political or judgemental of people's hair choices. I love my natural hair and I love my relaxed straight hair and I love my texlax hair. I just love it all ONE TEXTURE AND LONG. (not that my hair is that long)

The only reason I'm not natural right now is because I do not want to big chop and i do not want to transition long term and deal with two textures again for 3 years only to be right back where I am now...shoooot I'm old. Lol!

Anyway....good post


Sent from my iPhone while out living my best life!

Yes girl, I used to be a lye girl and my hair had a lot more texture. Now I use no-lye and I love the process, its so painless and my hair is still healthy, but it gets my hair straighter than I would like. But I can't see myself transitioning to texlaxed. That to me is harder that going natural because like Traycee said on her blog, you have THREE textures to deal with. But your results are PERFECT!

 

[RubyWoo]

I was between apl and bsl before I transitioned. I transitioned for almost 8 months when I bc'd. I had 2.5 inches of hair when I chopped and I really loved how I looked. I got soooo many compliments and a lot people said that short really looked good on me and I agree. It was the best I ever looked. I will definitely bc again when I get tired of long hair. I still feel that my twist and twistouts looked the best when my hair was short.

 

[yaya24]

I BC'd after 11 weeks.. it was ummm interesting.

I was excited to start a new journey, but was scared from going from a little past full APL of healthy relaxed hair to 1-1.5 inches of natural hair.

The forums were very supportive. My male family members loved it.. my sisters and mom kind of gave me slack.

 

[ashleymichelle1]

I was unhappy when I BC'D because I have a big head and that was my first time having short hair ever. I just don't have the face for super short hair. I wore weaves & wigs for about 6 months, then one day i realised how much my hair had grew and I looked great w/ my hair and was happy w/ the length...

If I could go back in time an do it all over again I would have transitioned for a long time probably..BIG and/or long hair suits my face so much better. I would have transitioned as long as possible doing curly sets & rollersets on my own hair..

 

[Chameleonchick]

The first BC not really. I don't think I was ready because I had nooooo styling skills. It wasn't until after I learned how to braid and style on m sons and friends hair that I convinced to go natural even with a relaxer in my hair lol did I feel comfortable. So my second BC yes I was ready.

 

[tapioca_pudding]

I couldn't deal with the two textures anymore, so I was glad to bc because of that. And I love natural hair, everything about it. So I was excited to go through my journey.

I look okay with short hair and I get alot of compliments. But my own self confidence isn't very high right now, so I'm constantly insecure and I walk with my head down. I'm carrying alot of extra weight right now, so that has something to do with it too. I constantly refer to myself as 'fat and bald' without even realizing it (subconscious thoughts).

With that being said, I think once I lose some weight my confidence will increase. I still prefer myself with long, curly hair (if my hair is short, I like it to be straight, like a Halle cut). But I'm willing to go through this awkward stage (hair and body) and come out pretty on the other side.

I have no idea if I answered your question or just vented my issues... lol.... Sowwy.

 

[Poohbear]

Yes, I was happy after I did the big chop. It was more like a feeling of relief more than anything. I did want to transition longer than the 7.5 months that I survived, but as time went on, I started to care less and less about length and just was ready to get rid of those relaxed ends that were hanging on. I was tired of dealing with the two textures of natural new growth and relaxed ends.

 

[Anew]

Yes, extremely happy to be over with the transition process and finally be able to claim natural hair