what was running through your mind right before the BC?

[lilsparkle825]

i made a thread about my transition-related breakage...and in about 30 min my mom and i are going at it. about 5 minutes ago is when i became length-obsessed (since i wont be back to grazing APL till at least fall or winter), among other things....i'm happy/excited because i'm anticipating the WNG but i'm sad cause i won't be able to swing my ponytail. what were YOU thinking?...i will post pics after the hair is gone.

 

[Newtogrow]

I wore braids until my bc. It was about 4 inches long when I cut. I was tired of wearing braids and just want to cut off my straight pieces. My permed hair was about four inches also.

I think it was Spring Time Freedom that I was thinking about.

 

[lilsparkle825]

how long did it take you to get those 4in back?

 

[ladylibra]

people were getting laid off at my job and i was afraid i'd be next (i was). my period was late and although the home pregnancy test i had taken came out negative there was still a nagging feeling that i might be pregnant (i was). my SO was being a d!ck at the time, or maybe it was just that we were under so much stress but we were really grating on each other's nerves... in fact we were arguing about something as i was struggling to detangle my hair at 2-something in the morning... when i had to be at work later that day.

i think i just snapped. and my hair was the one problem i could fix right then... i thought to myself, "*** this!" and started snipping away.

 

[RegaLady]

people were getting laid off at my job and i was afraid i'd be next (i was). my period was late and although the home pregnancy test i had taken came out negative there was still a nagging feeling that i might be pregnant (i was). my SO was being a d!ck at the time, or maybe it was just that we were under so much stress but we were really grating on each other's nerves... in fact we were arguing about something as i was struggling to detangle my hair at 2-something in the morning... when i had to be at work later that day.

i think i just snapped. and my hair was the one problem i could fix right then... i thought to myself, "*** this!" and started snipping away.

That is a story! Shoooo, I would, too!
The first time I BC'd, I was tired of going with the norm. My friend, at the time was a shallow girl, and I wanted to prove to her that having straight hair is not all that. (I was a teen at the time, and wasn't thinking clearly). I was confident, though! It has always been liberating to cut my hair. Also, I kept thinking how SO at the time, now DH, would love me more.( He just loves some natural, kinky hair)!

 

[lilsparkle825]

That is a story! Shoooo, I would, too!
The first time I BC'd, I was tired of going with the norm. My friend, at the time was a shallow girl, and I wanted to prove to her that having straight hair is not all that. (I was a teen at the time, and wasn't thinking clearly). I was confident, though! It has always been liberating to cut my hair. Also, I kept thinking how SO at the time, now DH, would love me more.( He just loves some natural, kinky hair)!

lol! my SO loves long dark hair (nearly left me when i cut my hair and dyed it blonde)...poor guy never even got to see me @ APL because he's off at school with an internship right now. i sure did call him to tell him i cut all my hair off though....lol...im mean.

 

[plastic]

the last time i had gone back natural

thoughts before: i want this ish off now ! (three months transitioning)
thoughts after: oh my ... *looks at ish on the floor* ... oh my

 

[Mom23]

I just didn't want to rollerset my hair again...I was tired of the detangling and shedding, and thought why not?? I don't mind short hair, and it's the best thing I could have done. I don't worry about my hair at all anymore,(because it's so short) and it has made this summer so easy and carefree for me. I felt the biggest relief afterward. I was very happy with my decision.

 

[Reslnt1]

my hair kept breaking and i felt it was pointless to keep washing and d/cing hair that wasn't responding well to all of the tlc that it was being given. i was disgusted about the way my hair looked when i took one last pic and just couldnt take it anymore

 

[vlucious]

i cant wait to cut this off!!

i was really exited. i hated my relaxed hair with a passion.

 

[Desarae]

my hair kept breaking and i felt it was pointless to keep washing and d/cing hair that wasn't responding well to all of the tlc that it was being given. i was disgusted about the way my hair looked when i took one last pic and just couldnt take it anymore

YEP, THIS SOUNDS LIKE ME. THEN I WENT IN THE BATHROOM, SHUT THE DOOR, AND EMERGED LIKE NOTHING HAD HAPPENED.

 

[cieramichele]

Before: "Welp! here we go. This sh!t better curl up like I want it to. She bes not cut any of my new curls off..just my relaxed ends. I hope she understand that I dont want to lose ANYTHING that I grew out."

During: "Hmmm...man, I thought I told her not to worry about cutting it even and just cut the relaxed ends off no matter how odd shaped my hair might turn out . . what the FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG is going on with the front? ...Ugh we gonna have to wash it again. it better curl up."

After: "This spiked mess. sigh. Maybe it'll curl up good when it dries up"

Post: Ima have to get it cut AGAIN but I dont want to.
I did not know my natural hair was SOOOOOOOOO soft. I love how it feels.

 

[Nonie]

My thoughts in blue italics:

Before: Excitement galore! "I've always wanted to shingle my hair but too lazy to follow the instructions online. Can't wait to see how long it really takes and also to learn the right way to do this."

During (this was after a DC and my hair was feeling nice and soft): "Oooh...she said she'll give me a trim. I'm so glad I was told by her advocates that she understands that length is important and that I am trying to grow my hair. So glad she seemed to understand that I wanted to shingle now because now is when my hair has good length to dangle how I'd like. Maybe I'll have So1913's style and be just as cute as she is!" I was beside myself with even more excitement, then regretted that I was missing the whole show. "Bummer....I should've sat at a mirror so I could see how this is all done. Nah...I probably don't need to learn how to do trim to a style, coz I doubt I'll ever do that on my own. Besides, surprises are so much fun. I cannot wait to see the end result!"

After (this was after she did finger twirls/coils or whatever you call that crazy do and had me sit under a dryer--none of it done in front of a mirror--then brought me a mirror when it was all done and announced, "There you are!"): "YIKES! Uhmm...There I am? Where? That crazy looking head is me?" I asked "That's it?" She beamed and said, "Yes. The curls [What curls?] will drop in a day or so and it'll be all nice and fluffy." I stared in shock and disbelief and thought, "OK, I was told she was good. I was told she's a pro. I have to ignore my better judgment and trust." I thought it was a clever trick that she got my hair to look so little but I was afraid to touch to figure out how she hid my length. It was winter time so I put my woolly cap on w/ her permission after buying the products she recommended and left. (Just as well that I had a cap coz I looked like an escapee from a mental institution.) All the way home I kept repeating to myself, "She said they'd drop. Curls. Probably will be a little above chin length, those curls." I convinced myself that even though it looked like I had lost a lot of hair, it was only coz of the do. "Why else would she talk about curls dropping? My hair when short doesn't drop; it puffs up. Any fool can see that. Heck! She is a pro, or so I've been told. So she obviously knows what she's talking about."

Two Days Later: "^&%*^$%^$*%&%^!" Reality set in and I realized that I had gotten a BC I never expected or wanted or asked for. It was then that I vowed never to let anyone do my hair again. I don't care who they are. (But I digress. The discussion was about what I was thinking....)

For those interested in before and after visuals:

This was my hair pressed a few weeks before that visit and this was my hair twisted after a wash a week or so before that visit. This was me two hours later (my completed do) and BTW, the curls (?) hadn't dropped two days later. For all my wishful thinking, I got no dropped curls, no shingling look, no So1913 resemblance. And when I untwisted the madness, no hidden length either.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

Congrats on your BC, your hair is beautiful.

What I was thinking before my BC is that I wasn't going to tell anyone that I was going to do it, because I didn't want any negative comments to make me not go through with it. Afterwards, I felt so liberated!

 

[thaithaismom]

I BC'd when I was pregnant with my second too. I think it was all in the hormones! Lol, I had him chop down to 1/2 inch. At the time I had APL. I drove over there, and I stayed on the phone with my mom the whole time. I took a deep breath and said, well, here I am. No turning back. I went to a men's barbershop and the man (who was really cute) asked if I was sure. And I said yes. He was very gentle and used scissors to get down to the naps and began cutting. Truly liberating. I loved my afro! I got different looks after that to be sure, but I loved it! I have 4b hair, and no curl definition whatsoever. But I was in love and sold. Unfortunaltey, no one else was. My DH was not thrilled at all....So, after I had my baby, I got a relaxer again. But I still miss my puffs.

If you'd like to see my twa, it's on my myspace page.

people were getting laid off at my job and i was afraid i'd be next (i was). my period was late and although the home pregnancy test i had taken came out negative there was still a nagging feeling that i might be pregnant (i was). my SO was being a d!ck at the time, or maybe it was just that we were under so much stress but we were really grating on each other's nerves... in fact we were arguing about something as i was struggling to detangle my hair at 2-something in the morning... when i had to be at work later that day.

i think i just snapped. and my hair was the one problem i could fix right then... i thought to myself, "*** this!" and started snipping away.

 

[Poohbear]

I was thinking this: "I can't wait to see what my hair looks like short and natural."

That day when I did the BC, I too was totally fed up with transitioning and the breakage and dealing with natural new growth and relaxed ends. I was obsessed with length as well, and on that day, I just didn't care anymore about holding on to length when my ultimate goal was to have natural hair anyway. So I big chopped away!

 

[lilsparkle825]

Before: "Welp! here we go. This sh!t better curl up like I want it to. She bes not cut any of my new curls off..just my relaxed ends. I hope she understand that I dont want to lose ANYTHING that I grew out."

i cut off a curl by accident...i almost cried. LOL!

For those interested in before and after visuals:

This was my hair pressed a few weeks before that visit and this was my hair twisted after a wash a week or so before that visit. This was me two hours later (my completed do) and BTW, the curls (?) hadn't dropped two days later. For all my wishful thinking, I got no dropped curls, no shingling look, no So1913 resemblance. And when I untwisted the madness, no hidden length either.

i like the cut! lol@ looking like So1913.

Congrats on your BC, your hair is beautiful.

What I was thinking before my BC is that I wasn't going to tell anyone that I was going to do it, because I didn't want any negative comments to make me not go through with it. Afterwards, I felt so liberated!

thank you! i didnt tell anyone either but i told EVERYONE afterwards.

I was thinking this: "I can't wait to see what my hair looks like short and natural."

That day when I did the BC, I too was totally fed up with transitioning and the breakage and dealing with natural new growth and relaxed ends. I was obsessed with length as well, and on that day, I just didn't care anymore about holding on to length when my ultimate goal was to have natural hair anyway. So I big chopped away!

this was what happened to me too. i did two twists in the back thinking i would just two-strand twist it up...gave up and grabbed the scissors.

 

[SouthernTease]

Cute thread...
I haven't BC'ed yet...
but I often contemplate it
I'm a very impulsive person...
I've hidden my scissors...
wrapped them in fabric and tied with bow
so that they are hard for me to get to...
I found myself also hiding the regular house
scissors too... tempted but disciplined
I wanna wait until April '09

 

[lilsparkle825]

Cute thread...
I haven't BC'ed yet...
but I often contemplate it
I'm a very impulsive person...
I've hidden my scissors...
wrapped them in fabric and tied with bow
so that they are hard for me to get to...
I found myself also hiding the regular house
scissors too... tempted but disciplined
I wanna wait until April '09

you were one of the long term transitioners whose pics i was looking at to keep myself from cutting. didn't work (lol) but your ends dont look like mine did either.

 

[The Princess]

i made a thread about my transition-related breakage...and in about 30 min my mom and i are going at it. about 5 minutes ago is when i became length-obsessed (since i wont be back to grazing APL till at least fall or winter), among other things....i'm happy/excited because i'm anticipating the WNG but i'm sad cause i won't be able to swing my ponytail. what were YOU thinking?...i will post pics after the hair is gone.

My hair was jacked up after a no base or oil on scalp, LYE Perm, on my head, that ate my hair and scalp on one side. Im very impatient after me trying to find hairstyles for my jacked up hair, I walked into a salon found the first black person, and said I want my hair like your, her hair was shaved in the back w/2-3 inches on the top, now mind you at the time I was at SL and inching down to the next level. I was excited about getting my hair cut and having a chance to start over and take care of my own hair myself. She gave me a beautiful cut, and I was happy. The only thing I was worried about was please don't let her give me a whack cut. I was excited, and happy cause I didn't have to deal with that hot mess on my head and I felt like I was on top of the world, I walked in that salon and came back a more confident person. Hair is our crown and beauty now matter short or long.

 

[Whimsy]

I was planning on transitioning for a year but at 6 months I got all impulsive:

thoughts before: where are my scissors, i hope my dad doesn't get home till i'm done, i hope my head doesn't look funny, maybe i should dye it...

thoughts during: oh **** is that my dad getting home? gosh i have to keep wetting this hair so much!

then my dad came home and instead of talking sh*t on me, he helped me cut the back!

thoughts after: YAAAAAAAAY I can't wait to donate this hair... oh **** how am i going to style this short ass hair!?!!

 

[Crackers Phinn]

what was running through your mind right before the BC?

alcohol

I'm quite toasted in my BC pics.

 

[justNikki]

^


I was actually really excited by the time I did it. Although I actually BC'ed because of a relaxer disaster, I had been contemplating transitioning for some time before that, so, it just came much earlier than I planned.

 

[cottoncoily]

I always wanted to go natural but I never new how to do it. Last week for some reason I got really tired of my long hair. I never did anything with but put it in a ponytail or some other protective style. So I told my extended fam on my mother's side that I was going to do it and my cousins told me not to because "natural hair looks dirty and is very ugly". Whatever doubts I had about cutting was all thrown out the window because I felt I needed to prove a point. I didn't tell my immediate fam I was doing it so they were kind of shocked when they saw it. I was thinking that they were going to kill me when I was getting it done. Surprisingly everyone loves it now. My mom and my sister were the only ones to really react because they wanted me to keep my long hair.

 

[lilsparkle825]

I always wanted to go natural but I never new how to do it. Last week for some reason I got really tired of my long hair. I never did anything with but put it in a ponytail or some other protective style. So I told my extended fam on my mother's side that I was going to do it and my cousins told me not to because "natural hair looks dirty and is very ugly". Whatever doubts I had about cutting was all thrown out the window because I felt I needed to prove a point. I didn't tell my immediate fam I was doing it so they were kind of shocked when they saw it. I was thinking that they were going to kill me when I was getting it done. Surprisingly everyone loves it now. My mom and my sister were the only ones to really react because they wanted me to keep my long hair.

yeah i noticed you did a drastic cut. add my name to the list of people who love your hair!

 

[justsimply]

I relaxed in Dec2006 almost immediately regretted it. Although my hair was healthy both natural and relaxed, I REALLY missed my texture. Everytime I talked about cutting it off people would say "don't".

My thoughts before bc'ing was this is my hair and I want to be natural NOW.

1st pic was Aug07, my last touch up was 31Oct07. The 2nd pic I was about 6 mths post and had shrinkage. May 13, 2008 I bc'ed.

 

[melissa-bee]

Bumping for more experiences.

 

[faithnchrist910]

During my BC I was still in undergrad and I was so anxious to chop my hair off, I was sick of the two textures, the shedding and I was sick of wearing extensions. Twenty minutes after my last final exam, I just grabbed the scissors and went to work. When I seen my bestfriends for the first time after my BC they were shocked like, "You actually did it!". I was so proud of myself. My boldness encouraged both of my bestfriends to BC two months later.

 

[Taina]

I am one of those persons that walk up one day decided to do something and go for it. So the weekend before my Big Chop i had a haircut so i was not attached to lenght because i had none hehehehehe so i was just thinking that i wanted to get rid of that hair and did it. I felt free after te process.

 

[L.Brown1114]

my relaxed hair kept tangling and it was so thin and weak compared to my natural hair i got TIRED of it so i thought "why the hell are u hanging on to some hair thats constantly tangling and your about chop off??"