BIG CHOP vs. TRANSITION

[Incredible1ne]

when i was natural i wished i had transitioned. i knew my texture but it was still shocking for me to deal with. i'm considering transitioning back to natural again now. i voted for transition.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

BC

length is inevitable...

 

[Caramela]

Grow a little, cut a little.

 

[tocktick]

i have approximately 5 inches (just a little under because i trimmed a bit last night) of hair now and for me, that's a good amount. it's not in the twa stage any more and i can have my hair look big, i can have a baa and can get nice, full puffs. i'm hesitant to stay you should chop because we do not have the same texture and whilst i'm able to do these things, i don't know if yours would do the same.

i also think to BC you need to be a little confident in your decision and fully aware of the fact that your hair won't be too long. 5 inches is a good amount but it's still not long, imo. the long transition is usually done by those who don't want to BC because they don't want short hair. if you don't mind that then BC, imo. your natural hair looks very nice and when you're fully natural it will look even more gorgeous. i don't regret BC'ing after a 6 month transition. i've heard others say the same but on the flip side i've heard people say they should have waited. however, i've heard people who have transitioned for a long time say they should have chopped sooner too. whatever choice you make, just be secure and confident in your decision.

i hope you make the best decision for you.

 

[GoingNatural]

I did the BC after 11 months, but I weaved up my hair immediately after. I had about 5.5/6inches of hair, but curled up that doesn't mean much, and I knew I was going to be putting any heat of my hair.

If weave wasn't an option I would have continued transitioning, because I know short hair isn't for me. I do give props to anyone that can transition past a year--i know it was impossible for me and my impatient self.

 

[HAIRapy]

SouthernTease, I too believe you are doing a wonderful job on your hair! Honestly, If I'd gotten that far transitioning (I gave up after like 4 months, that's a hard task to take on), I'd do a BC. The reason why is it sux to have two textures in your hair. Another reason is because your natural hair is the same length as your start pic's length. Girl, let that permed hair go and let those curls flow! I love your texture and I want to see what it looks like with JUST the texture, I bet it's beautiful Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

 

[Mortons]

Keep transitioning. I transitioned for forever and now I currently have 1/2 inch of texlaxed ends left. As long as it is causing no problems keep growing it

 

[SouthernTease]

Yeah... I can't do the short hair thing
it's just not for me... wow...
the poll is split down the middle...
that's cool and interesting to see.
I thought for sure it would be more
on the let it get long first side...
since this is the LONG hair care forum...
anyway... cool...

 

[blackbarbie]

I say continue to transiton if you are not having breakage. If you are like me, I am sure the two textures can be a beast sometimes, but I haven't heard you mention that you are experiencing breakage so I would continue to do what works.

I have about 7-8 inches of NG, but weigh more relaxed ends and I looked at my NG in comparison to my relaxed ends when I did a wash n' go and all i could do was shake my head. I would love for the relaxed ends to be gone b/c they mess up my whole little style i was trying to have going on, but I am going to persevere with my relaxed ends b/c I just don't do short hair either.

Much continued luck and success to you on your transition; it's looking good!!!

BB

 

[Maxhug]

Continue transitioning your hair. You seem to master the two textures quite well. Good luck and much success to you.

 

[SimpleKomplexity]

Your hair will be gorgeous either way!! Since you're doing so good with dealing with the two textures, I would continue transitioning and BC once you get to BSL or MBL!! Plus you enver know how your texture will be after you BC, it might get harder to deal with....neva know. Just transition then BC HTH

 

[TaurusAngel]

Go with what u want more first, which is length. It seems like you're doing a good job with your hair so it won't be an issue not cutting it.

 

[pinkchocolatedaisy]

I voted transition b/c right now I am focusing on length. If I see significant growth by summer I may do a mini BC and then wear braids. I am anxious to see what my natural hair is like but too afraid of doing a BC.

 

[Jetblackhair]

I think if anybody can transition without the bc it's certainly you and you have proven it by the great job you have done so far. Your hair looks healthy and nice in every picture you've posted.

I went through my transition without the bc. I was so happy to see my growth that I couldn't cut the length.

 

[cupcakes]

i voted transition...
but then i really looked at ur beutiful natural curly texture and i think u should chop off the ends. ur natural texture is so pretty. just cut off an inch for every extra inch u grow so its not as drastic

 

[Prettyeyes]

I think you should trim small tiny amounts so when you reach your goal you will not have to chop so many inches off.

 

[silvergirl]

if your going for length,, then 5 inches of natural could end up looking like 3 or even 2 inches with shrinkage, if you can handle that then BC if not, id transition till you reach your goal.

 

[DozenRoses99]

Grow a little, cut a little.

This is what I have been doing. I had been doing mini-chops every few months to keep my hair at APL. In your case, I would recommend continuing the transition without the BC. Especially, since you have a goal in mind. If you have too many tangles, you may have to experiment with other shampoos and/or conditioners.

 

[Forever in Bloom]

Curious: Can you still call it a BIG CHOP when you make your goal length?

I know you will still be cutting off a lot of hair, but personally I considered going from my below shoulder length style to a 1 1/2" teeny weeny afro a BIG CHOP...

It doesn't look like you have much shrinkage either. I know you said you pretty much wear your hair in protective styles so that your true length is not seen by the people around you. So...why not take the plunge? Flat iron and wear your hair in a pinned-up (if you can pin up that length) style and go about your day.

I just couldn't deal with the 2 different textures after 3 months...it was too much. My hair was tangling, but it hadn't gotten to the point where it was breaking. I also was ready to get my hands in my natural hair and let those relaxed ends go!

The decision is going to have to come from you. To each his (her) own, right? I notice you have done a few polls relative to permed/natural topics, so you obviously must be fighting with the decision. But you've pretty much put it out there that you have no desire to chop it off.

If I had not stumbled onto this website and consequently your blog, I would have never made the decision myself to NOT TRIM for a year like you. It has been working since I did the BC. My hair is healthier than it has ever been with the tips you provided.

In the end you should do what's best for you and YOUR hair. You are still an inspiration whatever decision you make.

 

[changedlife]

BC
I done it 4 days ago and I feel free

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I guess it depends on how you are doing your hair.

I chopped it after those 6 inches showed up.... however I was in braids

So - I guess it depends................

 

[cmw45]

I BC'd. Having short natural hair was a great expeirence...and it looked good on me. It was great to get to learn about my hair while it was still short. It was less of a hassle and easier to test out products.

That being said...If I had five and five I might keep the relaxed ends as a way to protect my natural ends on my way to natural hair.

Either way, gorgeous hair!

 

[TrustMeLove]

Well, if I were you I would just continue to transition. You want length not necessarily being natural. Like you said it was an after thought.

I wouldn't cut it because you might eventually decided hey I don't want to be natural. So just wait it out and get to your desired length and see if you want to cut. You might end up having so much fun at your desired length that you forget the natural part altogether.

Now, for me If I did that I would B.C. Because being naptural was my first priority.

 

[Afro-Indi]

I would continue with the transition and worry about trimming it whenever you propose to do so.

If it were me and I BC'd those 5 inches now, I feel as if the downside would be that my natural ends would then be exposed to styling and all other manipulation; hence extra baggying and etc.

This may seem kinda silly, but I'd keep those relaxed ends on to protect the natural ends for as long as possible.
Then, once you've reached your goal length, you can start to worry about getting all the relaxed ends off.

 

[Rapunzel*]

for me id grow some and cut some

 

[dany06]

I say you should just transition until you reach a nice length. For starters you are use to longer lengths of hair and just chopping it off can be too drastic. Also you curls coils and kinks wont be as stretched and elongated as when you have relaxed hair weighing it down. This means once you cut that hair is going to rise up, look short, and is going to poof out. And what are you going to do on bad hair days? Those 5 inches may not be enough to pull back into a ponytail.

I've bc'd with about 3 inches of new growth and the dude cut off all of it. I had less than an inch after the hacking. I hid my short natural hair so many days because I looked like a boy, I had very little styling options and natural hair wasnt as easy as it seems. Im now relaxed and once again transitioning. I wish I would have waited. I could have mid back length by now with strong strands.

But in the end it is all up to you. Its not going to harm you by waiting but once you cut it its gone. You know you can grow it back but who wants to wait that long.

 

[Rapunzel*]

i didnt vote im kind of in the middle
i wouldnt do the bc with inches of so but if i had 5 inches of new growth i would and id braid it until i reached a length were i feel comfortable
but my method is grow some cut some that way you could always change ur mind about the bc

 

[vestaluv1]

As it stands, I'm letting my relaxer grow out and I do not intend to cut off my relaxed ends until I'm at least BSL. My hair is the same length as yours right now but since I'm only 13 weeks post relaxer, I only have a couple of inches new growth and so far I havn't had any problems.

 

[vestaluv1]

With 5" of new growth, I would continue to grow it out without BC'ing.

 

[BrockStar]

I'd say bc now because either way you'll still be BSL and MBL one day except when you get there you'll have reached your second goal too b/c you'd be natural already as well. That way you'd also know your all natural hair by then well enough to take care of it the way you want to without any surprises. At some point you''ll have to cut it and the longer you have it, the harder it will be to let it go. Next thing you know you'll be waistlength with 5 inches of relaxed hair still there because you won't want to let it go

I promise you, it'll grow and you'll get to your goals WAAAAY sooner than u think!

XOXO your hair looks beautiful by the way