Reader Question: “I am a Beginner to Natural Hair and I have a Few Questions”

This week’s Reader Question is from Mya. She has a series of questions about going natural. These topics are frequently asked so I thought that it would make for a great blog post to share with you all:

1. The big chop? I cut my hair into a short style, a mow-hawk last September I believe. It’s growing back but is still somewhat short, like it is shorter on the sides due to the fact that i got it cut into a mow hawk style. Is this considered a big chop? Or do I still need to cut?

If you have cut off all your remaining relaxer or texturizer from the ends of your hair another chop would not be required. Unless you are seeing that you still have chemically processed ends this would not be necessary.

2. Does transitioning lead into a big chop or is it a separate process?

The reason you are asking this question is because you may know of someone who has transitioned for a while and then decided to do a big chop. This essentially means that they grew impatient of waiting to complete the transitioning process and they just decided to do a big chop to go back to natural right away. When you do a full transition you are slowly trimming off relaxed ends until you are completely natural. To fully transition this take a year or in most cases even longer depending on the current length of your hair.

3. Should I expect spiral like curls? Cause this is my goal.

Mya, I think it is best to expect anything! Your hair could be wavy, curly, or kinky. There is a possibility that you may not have a defined curl pattern. However you can create a curly look by doing twists outs, braid outs, roller sets, and bantu knots if you don’t have defined curls naturally.

4. Would texturizing help or hurt?

I would say that it depends. Some people myself included end up getting a relaxed/straight look rather than a curly look from texturizing. I tried this during the beginning of my journey and the experience could have been better. Ultimately a texturizer is simply a lighter form of a relaxer. My recommendation would be to hold off on chemicals including dye and straightening until you have fully transitioned to natural hair. The reason being is that chemical processes and heat can straighten the hair which will make it more difficult for you to differentiate your natural hair from your chemically processed ends.

5. Is it okay to all of a sudden desire a natural look, after being relaxed for so long?

Of course it is okay! It is your hair and you are free to express your personal style however you wish. I think most of us definitely have a natural curiosity about what our texture is like because the majority of us haven’t seen it in years and don’t even remember what it looks like.

I hope I have helped to answer some questions for you Mya! Do you have a reader question? Ask me here.