I'm Cutting My Hair!

aloof one

aloof one

New Member
I am so scared! I made up my mind today, I haven't told anyone in my family and I told one close friend and asked another girl where to get it done. In fact I'm DCing right now so I can straighten and go get the cut! I am getting layers, and will probably be SL by the end of the night. I am most likely going to lose about 3 inches or more... After examining my ends, weighing all my options, and considering what would be best for me and my hair, I decided to abandon the APL challenge completely and work on health as opposed to length. My relaxed hair is so damaged at the ends that breaking off every other day has become inevitable. My natural hair is thriving, but my ends are trash!:nono: I mean, I don't even have a complete regimen yet, I am still a PJ in hiding, and I am in the middle of transitioning. There is no room for reaching for something that I wont even enjoy. Even if I got to APL I would have had scraggly ends with no body or thickness near what I would have wanted. :nono: I know this has to be done, and I know in a year from now when I am natural I will look back and not even remember what the big deal was! This is relaxed hair--- none of which I will have when I graduate, so the sooner I get rid of it the better right?

BTW This isn't meant to be a negative post like all those "I'm quitting LHCF" or "I'm So Discouraged" threads. I refuse to have a pity party, even though I really am sick to my stomach thinking about what kind of reactions I will get and how I will handle it. Has anyone ever had a big length goal they were close to and had a major setback that they DECIDED on, like BCing or chopping or relaxing, etc? How did you deal with it? Should I get a sewin or braids or just wear it out? How will I ever get over my shoulder again--- is there a thread on that?
 
I say go ahead and chop. It'll grow back. You won't even miss it. That's less hair you'll be attached to when you actually BC.
 
ShiShiPooPoo said:
So your cutting the relaxed ends off and will be 100% natural?

I'm happy for you!
Click to expand...

well not exactly...
Im not that brave lol... I think Im still going to BC at the end of next year so I'll be NL or something when I straighten. I just don't think a little afro suits me just yet

but I AM getting rid of a huge chunk of damaged hair tonight
 
bmoreflyygirl said:
I say go ahead and chop. It'll grow back. You won't even miss it. That's less hair you'll be attached to when you actually BC.
Click to expand...

lol you make it sound so easy--- but that does help, I do know it will grow back. its just so scary! i just cant wait till shes done so theres no turning back
 
Good for you and for knowing what's best for you and your hair! At first I thought that you were doing the BC but I now see that you want to wait a while until your natural hair has grown more. You may actually reach APL sooner if you cut off the bad ends. Good luck!!!
 
Yep...go ahead and do it. I was so relieved after I had my damaged, deranged, dry, relaxed ends chopped off! Now that you are learning healthy hair care, you should have no problem retaining length!
Good luck!
 
I just cut about three inches off my hair due to dead ends and my hair has NEVER looked healthier. I bet those layers are going to be pretty, I've always been a sucker for those kinds of styles. :)
 
Congrats on your decision! :) Do what you need to do for you,
and don't worry about what others are going to say or think.
They don't live in your skin.:lachen:
 
I feel your pain. From reading your post, it seems like it's for the best.

I went through something similar recently. It was all my fault, though. I was easily as brastrap length stretched but I wasn't combing my hair and detangling like I should have been. I had little locs on the ends of my hair. In some spots, I had to cut as much three inches to get rid of the locs. I hadn't detangled in so long that there was no way I could have unlocked my hair at the ends. Oh well, my dumb mistake.:nono: I think subconsciously, I was considering loc-ing my hair.

Anyway, I still have a lot of hair at a good length and I know it will be back before I know it. The same goes for you. Just concentrate on maintaining the healthy hair that you will have after you cut.

I'm sure your hair will look great. Just remember, at shoulder length, you need to be very mindful of your ends because they will brush your shoulders and possibly get dry and break. Try wearing your hair up more often if you're not already.

HTH.
 
I went from bsl to a twa. I did it early because I wanted healthy hair more than I wanted long hair. Go ahead and do it. It will grow back and the shorter cut may make the rest of your transition easier.Gook Luck.
 
soonergirl said:
I wish you all the best!!!! Keep us posted!!!
Click to expand...

Oh I sure will!

Thanks everybody for all the encouragement it really helped me and made it easier to do it! I got a blunt cut for the most part, I had wanted layers but the stylist suggested I take off as little hair as possible and try to get it all the same length so I can grow my hair out faster. I would like to have layers, but I just realized I am still trying to grow out the bangs and layers I cut in high school. She was really nice and understood how much I didn't want to have significantly shorter hair. I think she took off about 3 inches at most in the back, and about an inch in the front. I had just gotten past collar bone in the front (from growing out bangs since May) and was APL in the middle of my back, but I like this a lot better because my hair does look a lot better and I don't have scraggly ends. Basically if you subtract that little triangle of hair that was reaching toward my armpit... my hair looks the same, and I am content with this. I even tipped her 5 bucks, since the cut only cost 10 :yawn:

Unfortunately my camera's battery went caput after I took only 2 pictures, and when I tried to upload them the camera completely died. I will be going to the store to get batteries ASAP and take pics as soon as I get them.
 
Get the cut. It may seem like you're further away from your length goal, but you will be three more inches closer to your natural goal. :yep:
 
al00fone said:
Oh I sure will!

Thanks everybody for all the encouragement it really helped me and made it easier to do it! I got a blunt cut for the most part, I had wanted layers but the stylist suggested I take off as little hair as possible and try to get it all the same length so I can grow my hair out faster. I would like to have layers, but I just realized I am still trying to grow out the bangs and layers I cut in high school. She was really nice and understood how much I didn't want to have significantly shorter hair. I think she took off about 3 inches at most in the back, and about an inch in the front. I had just gotten past collar bone in the front (from growing out bangs since May) and was APL in the middle of my back, but I like this a lot better because my hair does look a lot better and I don't have scraggly ends. Basically if you subtract that little triangle of hair that was reaching toward my armpit... my hair looks the same, and I am content with this. I even tipped her 5 bucks, since the cut only cost 10 :yawn:

Unfortunately my camera's battery went caput after I took only 2 pictures, and when I tried to upload them the camera completely died. I will be going to the store to get batteries ASAP and take pics as soon as I get them.
Click to expand...

Cant wait to see pics.
 
al00fone said:
lol you make it sound so easy--- but that does help, I do know it will grow back. its just so scary! i just cant wait till shes done so theres no turning back
Click to expand...

I felt the same way you did. I was still on the fence about transitioning. I was getting close to the 6 month mark, which was time for my next relaxer but I hadn't made an appt yet. I had made it through the whole summer effortlessly without a relaxer so it wasn't really on my mind.

Then one day I got curious and started cutting a few pieces in the back because I wanted to see what my hair would look like. Girl, before I knew it all my hair was on the floor. I couldn't believe I had done it. I had already made an appt to get a weave that friday (before I had even decided to chop on thursday)

It took a little while to get used to it but after a while I felt like, why didn't I do this a long time ago? I mean it wasn't the first time I had cut my hair short but it was the first time it was that short. And to top it all natural too. Once I got over the initial shock I was fine, though. A year later, I'm glad I did it. My hair has never been healthier and I never had this much fun with my relaxed hair.
 
that is me on November 30th before the cut. I was 1 inch from APL and tore up from ate up ends weighing my hair down :nono:. I LITERALLY had three strands of hair touching APL and the rest just kind of pointed at it. The next one is me after the trim. Basically I am now three inches from APL and have a lot more fullness even though my camera is too crappy to show it.
pict0337sz1.jpg
dec7strt2xe4.jpg


here is a better view... notice all my hilights were cut off:yawn:
dec7back1fb5.jpg
 
my ends are all kinds of tow up, but i'm scared to cut... i'm glad your cut worked out, but i won't attempt mine until i'm APL... i'm such a wuss, lol
 
Now that I think about it it wasn't as big a deal. It's just hair. I really appreciate everything from you all! I will be protecting my ends the best I can from now on, since I am basically back at square one as far as length goes. But thats not a big deal either because for the first time my hair is actually thick, and not just poofy. I need to make my camera show better details, these pics didn't do it much justice. I also haven't straightened my hair since Wednesday and my roots have already shrank back up anyway. I will take some pics when my NG is flatironed so I can see exactly how long it is.
 
I'm about to get my scraggly ends cut off; you have definetly given me the chutzpah to just do it. Of course, my hair is way shorter than yours, but it's better to get it out of the way...beautiful hair, BTW.
 
Wantlonghair_1988 said:
I'm about to get my scraggly ends cut off; you have definetly given me the chutzpah to just do it. Of course, my hair is way shorter than yours, but it's better to get it out of the way...beautiful hair, BTW.
Click to expand...

Thank you! just remember whatever you take off will grow back but 100x better! You should totally do it, it took a load off. That bad hair was totally holding me back. I had forgotten what it felt like to have a pony tail that didn't end with three pieces of hair hanging on for dear life.
 
poookie said:
my ends are all kinds of tow up, but i'm scared to cut... i'm glad your cut worked out, but i won't attempt mine until i'm APL... i'm such a wuss, lol
Click to expand...

Well man... your ends look fine in ur siggy!:yep: I hope you get APL, congrats in advance! I think I'll get there all the way in June now.
 
al00fone said:
I am so scared! I made up my mind today, I haven't told anyone in my family and I told one close friend and asked another girl where to get it done. In fact I'm DCing right now so I can straighten and go get the cut! I am getting layers, and will probably be SL by the end of the night. I am most likely going to lose about 3 inches or more... After examining my ends, weighing all my options, and considering what would be best for me and my hair, I decided to abandon the APL challenge completely and work on health as opposed to length. My relaxed hair is so damaged at the ends that breaking off every other day has become inevitable. My natural hair is thriving, but my ends are trash!:nono: I mean, I don't even have a complete regimen yet, I am still a PJ in hiding, and I am in the middle of transitioning. There is no room for reaching for something that I wont even enjoy. Even if I got to APL I would have had scraggly ends with no body or thickness near what I would have wanted. :nono: I know this has to be done, and I know in a year from now when I am natural I will look back and not even remember what the big deal was! This is relaxed hair--- none of which I will have when I graduate, so the sooner I get rid of it the better right?

BTW This isn't meant to be a negative post like all those "I'm quitting LHCF" or "I'm So Discouraged" threads. I refuse to have a pity party, even though I really am sick to my stomach thinking about what kind of reactions I will get and how I will handle it. Has anyone ever had a big length goal they were close to and had a major setback that they DECIDED on, like BCing or chopping or relaxing, etc? How did you deal with it? Should I get a sewin or braids or just wear it out? How will I ever get over my shoulder again--- is there a thread on that?
Click to expand...

Dramatic much??? lol.
 
shorthairforever said:
Dramatic much??? lol.
Click to expand...

well if you think so:look:
It was my first time letting someone cut my hair since I was a kid so it was kind of a big deal. I had been cutting it myself for several years. I was just really nervous because I didn't know if I could trust anyone else with it
 
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