OK I think I am going to do it...

[Geminigirl]

I just took out my braids and my hair is severly damaged. I have alot of breakage around my hairline and throughout my hair. If I put my hair in a ponytail the breakage around the edges reverts up and it looks terrible. If i blow dry my hair straight in this TX heat my hair poofs up into a blowed out fro with thin relaxed ends. I think I am ready to let go but I don't know what to do. I want to cut it myself BUT what if my fro is uneven...ya know longer in some places. Also how do I BC? I see people showing some BC videos but I want to do my BC with wet hair. I am scared because I think I have been transtioing 8 months..yea 8 months and I have a TWA pretty much. I have a big head and I don't want to look like a boy but the hair on top of my head is a No NO right now. Any suggestions links or helpful search terms. I want to gather as much info as quickly as possible I want to BC today or tomorrow or soon. TIA

 

[Geminigirl]

Nothing? Really? Is it cause I don't come over here anymore lol!?!

 

[blissy]

Geminigirl,
As a big advocate of DIY, BC or any kind of cut is scary. I would have the same reservations that you've listed above. Can you wear a wig or lf until you see a professional?

 

[Ronnieaj]

If you've got thick, coarse hair like I do, it camouflages differences in length quite nicely. I took a pair of shears and just went to work on it. Mine was done on wet hair. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. I'm sure others will chime in.

 

[Geminigirl]

Nope don't own a wig and can't afford one. I was thinking of trying some braidouts with some headbands. something to stretch my hair so it's not soooo short.

How wxactly did you BC? I mean did you wash or did you just wet your hair. I read something about applyying condtioner through out my hair and then cutting. I have kinda thick hair. It's not jet black either. It's fine and soft but some thickness in certain places.

 

[Ronnieaj]

I washed my hair and deep conditioned. I then put a bunch of conditioner on it because that defined the curls more. I started from the top cuz it was easier to see it, lol. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty, but I stopped when I stopped seeing straight ends on the hair. If I knew how to trim my hair, I would've blown it dry and done a self trim, but I went to a professional a few weeks later. I transitioned for 7 months, so I only had a twa at the time too.

 

[silenttullip]

My sister did my bc she did it while it was dry then washed it if all you have are relaxed ends it will be easy to notice and clip the remainder of the perm BUT my advice is to go to a barber or natural stylist and let her cut ur split ends and continue to transition I let people talk me into bcing before I was ready and although I still had more than a twa I still wasnt happy. Try bcing after 4 more months so then u have a year transition or if you're ready do it now.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

If I were to bc my hair i'd split my hair into maybe 8 sections then run a lot of conditioner through each section 1 by one and trim the permed ends off.

 

[music-bnatural-smile]

when u do it try doing some twists and sets with small curl rods... they can be ultra cute and feminine... i don't think your head is too big...
plus when u chop it, it will seem like it grows so much faster if you treat it right...

 

[BrooklynSouth]

Gemini, yes...check YouTube..lots of great videos there to show you how. My hair was a bit moist when the braider did my BC so once she completed the twists it was easy to see where the relaxed parts were. I'm glad I did it and can hardly wait to release my twists to do a twistout this weekend and experiment with different looks.

 

[Geminigirl]

i parted my hair into four sections and I put condtioner all through it. I put on a shower cap and at 10 15 I am going to section my hair into smaller parts add more condtioner and then start to cutting. I will have pics. My texture is beautiful and I am getting excited. i plan to do a braidout for tomorrow for when I fill out apps and Ima rock a headband as well.

I wish I would have read to wash my hair first but since I already added tons of condish no need to let it go to waste. But I did rinse my hair out for like 2-3 minutes.

 

[glamazon386]

Wet it and put conditioner on your hair. You'll be able to see the straight ends. That's how I did mine.

 

[Ronnieaj]

i parted my hair into four sections and I put condtioner all through it. I put on a shower cap and at 10 15 I am going to section my hair into smaller parts add more condtioner and then start to cutting. I will have pics. My texture is beautiful and I am getting excited. i plan to do a braidout for tomorrow for when I fill out apps and Ima rock a headband as well.

I wish I would have read to wash my hair first but since I already added tons of condish no need to let it go to waste. But I did rinse my hair out for like 2-3 minutes.

Status?? Have you done it? Pics?!?!?! I'm so excited for you!

 

[mccray689]

BlackOnyx on youtube just posted a video on the big chop and how to style afterwards.

 

[SelahOco]

i wanna seeeeeeeeee.....

 

[Geminigirl]

Yes I did BC my hair. LOL It's soo ugly so I'ma have to figure out how to scratch my face out or something but I am still excited about it. I'ma try to rock with confidence cause I still have a pretty face....just an ugly haircut. Anyways I have it in cornrows now because I was attempting a braidout so I will take pics after that and post them later on today/tonight. My hair is thicker than I thought and I am def going to have to fill in my edges.

 

[Ronnieaj]

HOORAY FOR YOU!! I'm sure you look fab; can't wait to see pictures!

 

[Platinum]

Congratulations on your BC!

 

[Geminigirl]

Thanks. My "fro" is completly uneven it's hilarious. I also keep finding these stray straight hairs that I am cutting as I see them. I tried a braidout after my BC it came out really dry and stiff. Any suggestions on products to try would be nice for type 4 hair for braidouts. i think I will try my shea butter mix next time. Scab hair? What is this exactly. I have two patches on each side of my hair that have super defined tight coils and I was wondering if that was scab hair or just one of my many textures? I will get my sister to help me take a pic later to show you what I mean. I really don't like my hair cut. I wish I could get it shape up even. But for now I am just trying to figure out some styles. i want something really funky like some side cornrows or flat twists leading into a fro hawk or a twistotu fro or something. My hair is pretty short so i don't know. Here are the pics.

Here is me before the BC. Thin damaged hair. My hair stood up high from my natural hair and then i had the thin ugly ends.

This is what my ponytail has come too. My old ponytail that I took care of is in my fotki or however you spell that.

I can't believe I let my hair get like this

this is my hair with the condtioner in it thin and damaged

close up of my roots and relaxed hair

After the chop..I evened it out more up top but I would still like a professional to shape it better.

Half a braid out

half a fro that top has got to go. It has like no curl defintion and it just sticks up straighter then the rest. I wonder if it's damaged?

I'm probably going to remove this pic soon lol cause I don't like my gap or how i was caught off guard but this is the best pic for ya'll to see the short hair on me.

I cut off those scraggly ends the best i could and whenever i see them i cut them too.

But this is the new me and I am excited to see where my hair is in a few months. Any tips for styling a TWA would be helpful. I saw some videos but either their hair is shorter than mines or they have a different texture. I have the scraggly ends so the curly fro with the gel doesn't work and i want something cute and funky to try. I think I already said this but oh well. Anyways tell me what ya think!What do you think my hairtype is? I think 4a/b but not 100 sure.

 

[trey21]

Gemini, I think you look beautiful. There is nothing wrong with your gap...don't trip on yourself. It looks like the straight ends are pieces of relaxer still there but once you even it out I'm sure it will be all good. Congrats on the BC. I have no clue about hair types...no help there.

 

[lilsparkle825]

Girl, stop tropping, it looks great and so do you! Congratulations!

I was cutting relaxed ends for about a week after my BC. I saw a style earlier that I am definitely trying that I think would look cute on you, hang on.

Here is the pic, it's the first one in the set. I love it!

 

[BotanyGrl]

Gemini, your BC looks good!

 

[natural_one]

ohhh..it looks good! I am also transitioning for 8 mths before I cut mine. I cant wait..I really want to do it now.. oh the temptation!! lol

 

[Geminigirl]

Thanks everyone. I actually did a style like Nonie. I cornrowed the front and then sprayed the back with water and scurl threw on some IC gel and it looks cute. Cute enough that I feel like a girl and it fits my face. I threw on some headbands too. being that I did my hair I don't know if I will be able to show the spots I was talking about but thanks for the compliments. I do like that style in the pic and I think I am gonna have a stylist try it on me cause I am nowhere near that skilled with my parts yet.

I walked downstairs right now and the lil girl who lives under me was looking at me crazy. But I just chopped my hair off and I still have more hair then her damged overprocessed relaxer. She always be staring but this time we made eye contact for seconds longer then we should have.

 

[Geminigirl]

bumping for more responses. Ive had over 200 views since my intial post. I am not sure if they are aall lurkers or unsubscribed people but come on. Maybe I should have made a new thread. Oh well anyways i am going to post pics of my new style i am feeling myself.

 

[Ronnieaj]

I think it looks lovely on you. You have a beautiful face for it. And stop trippin off that "gap," you've got a great smile and should flaunt it! It's hard for me to tell your texture right now; I couldn't tell mine for a while (4a; classic 4a). It looks like its in the 4 range, but I want everyone to be in the 4 range, cuz then they can have fun hair like me.

 

[peony]

Hi,

Congrats on the big chop! I have a texturizer now, but was natural for MANY years, so I have a few braid out tips. First: Do not use sponge rollers at the ends! Use curly perm rods always with end papers. Sponge rollers, IMO, don't make a crisp curl and they take your hair out. When you do a braid out make sure your hair is very well moisturized and sealed with some oil before you do each braid. And tie a scarf down on top of it to smooth the hair at least for an hour after you do the braids, and make sure your hair is completely dry before you take it down. Also, IMO, products with glycerin are bad for braid outs because they cause the hair to revert by pulling moisture from the air. I'm speaking all of this mainly from a style perspective. I'm new, so I'll leave the growing advice to the experts

 

[nikki2229]

Hi Gemini,

Congrats on the BC. Your hair looks great. I think you should start a new thread because your pics are so far down in this one. I kept checking back to see what you decided. I'm pretty sure the people who posted in here did the same thing, hence all of the views.lol

 

[Platinum]

Great job! You look beautiful! I could kick myself for ending my transition by relaxing last year. Don't worry about the gap, I have one and I love it.