I was a little nervous when I sat down in that chair. I was cutting my shoulder length hair off, and going natural. I didn’t tell anyone in my family, and only told one friend. I mean, I’ve talked about it, but everyone – white, black, whatever – told me to keep that relaxer in my hair and keep it moving. That I did NOT want to go natural and cut my hair off.
Well, my last relaxer was in April. So it’s been a good two months since I had one. I used to get them every 4 or 5 weeks. It’s been rough trying to style my hair without a relaxer – especially since I was never very good at styling it on my own with a relaxer.
I was tired of trying. It was itchy. It was dry. It was breaking.
So as I sent my girls off to Cleveland this morning, I was eagerly anticipating sitting down in the chair, and getting my hair cut off. It never even occurred to me that she would use clippers to cut my hair. Or that it wasn’t going to be that big of a deal – the action of getting my hair cut off. I glanced at the hair on the floor of the salon, and while I was a bit awed, I wasn’t in shock. The best part is that, since I wear glasses, and I took them off to get my hair cut, I could barely see what I looked when I glanced in the mirror as she took me over to the shampoo bowl. She gave me a good conditioning. Then she arched my eyebrows.
Heather, at Cost Cutters, had just done the BIG CHOP herself, a few months ago. So I felt I was in good hands. She used the #8 clippers to bring it down to 1 1/2 inches, then went a little bit lower to get the remaining relaxed hair out. She suggested that I color my hair to cover up the massive grays. I’m not sure if I’ll go that route since the whole point was to be natural, but we’ll see.
I drove over to Sally Beauty Supply to get a co-washing and styling product. They’re supposed to be natural, but I can’t exactly tell that by looking at the ingredients.
Sigh. It’s over and done. I’m pleased. I know the change is dramatic. But I’m pleased with my teeny weeny afro (TWA).
I just ordered some sample shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve, right near my hometown. I can’t wait to get started playing with my hair!
update: Yikes! I just realized I should probably change the header graphic!
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Congrats!
I’ll bet ithe haircut feels much better and cooler too! It looks fine but I never saw the “before” picture. It has to be a big pain to keep getting relaxers on your hair.
Did you ever decide on an RV yet? Are you still looking?
I liked getting up this morning and doing a basic wash ‘n go! And not going to bed with a scarf tied around my head. And no heat to apply. And, yes, it’s cooler too.
I’m definitely getting one with the 2nd bedroom. But I’m still looking. I have quite a few bills to either pay off or get down low. I probably won’t be able to purchase for another 10 months or so. I want the 5th wheel. But I met a guy (a notary customer) who has Class As, Class Bs, and Class Cs in his backyard (I’m jealous), and who recommended that I get the Class A with the bunk bed. I just don’t know how I would EVER afford that. EVER. Unless I win the lottery.
Thanks for asking!
You’ll need about 5 MORE blogs!!! LOL!!!! AND another job!!!!!
Honestly, the Duggars had an episode in which he went online and looked up repossessed RV’s and busses!!! That’s an idea!!!! He had to travel to Michigan, here where I live!!! OH!!! Plus, a few years later he came back HERE and BOUGHT THE PISTONS Basketball team’s bus!!!!! SOOOO cool!!!!!
IF I see the episode again, I’ll try to find out where he went online!!! He said it in the episode!!!
WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE ‘IS’ A WAY!!!
Laurie
Congrats! A major change I am sure but looks great!
thanks Stephanie!
Major change but it looks great!!!
Your new afro looks so easy are carefree. You don’t have a lot of gray hair, so I’d say stay natural!
I do have a ton, but I don’t think I will color it. Most of my gray is above my right temple and by both ears.
You look FABULOUS!!!
I love it! I use clippers to cut my hair. You are now a member of my hair club girl friend. Welcome to the” Low Maintenance Mommas” I think you will really love it and when you get out of the shower you just have to shake your head to dry it. You look great!!
And I need to PERM MY hair to have you girls’ hair!!!! LOLOL!!!!!! I can’t just dry and shake my hair and have this POKER STRAIGHT hair do a THING!!! LOL!!! You know those of us who have curly hair want straight hair, and those of us with curly hair want straight hair!!! LOLOL!!! It’s ALWAYS been like that!!! Honest to God it is! I went to Beauty School in ’85-86 and we ALL agreed with that!!! It was always SOOOO funny!!!
There are pro’s and con’s to ALL of it!!!!
Monique, you look mauve’elous!
Laurie
Very cute Monique! I love the cut and I am sure it feels WONDERFUL during the hot summer months!
Hello, you found me through the Escapists and I had to check you out. As a natural who has done two big chops in her life (but then did micro-twists that are now being locked) I say congrats! It is not as simple or hard as people make it out to be. Easy to just do it. Hard to deal with everyone else’s opinion on something they really should have no opinion about other than it’s healthier for you to not use a relaxer and how great for you to defy conformity. Enjoy the TWA stage, it gets interesting after. YouTube should become your best friend for growing it out and styling. I hope you love the natural and it lasts. Also, as we are soon to be RVers (and a family of color) I am so thrilled to find your blog. Looking forward to reading your experiences.
Yeah – I’ve been all over youtube. I can’t help myself. I’ve found some good tips. I think I might end up with more products for my natural hair style than I used before!!!
I look forward to reading about your experiences too. Maybe we’ll meet on the road!
Well, I sure hope you all RV to Michigan sometime! I’m not a woman of color, in fact I’m as white as a ghost! I’ll SCARE YOU!!!! LOLOL!!!! I am honest to God ‘allergic’ to the sun!!! The sun makes my skin break out SOOOOO bad!!!!! It is SO bad that when I fly in an airplane, my skin breaks out for over a WEEK! We are that much closer to the sun!!! I have to SMOTHER myself in sunscreen because I BURN!!!! The doctors could NOT believe it!!!!!
That would be a DREAM to get to meet you, Monique!!!!! With ALL the talking online we do!!!!! I would LOVE it!!!!! I’m right near the Blue Water Bridge to Canada!!!! Let me know!!!!!
That IS one thing I would LOVE to do!!! RV!!!! I don’t know how well it would work with my handicap – needing a wheelchair, but I guess we’d have to rent one sometime! I always tell my hubby we should try it out! Heck, LIVE IN ONE!!!!! Wouldn’t that be GREAT!!! Travel ALLLLLL over!!!! A DREAM!!!!!
Take care, everyone!
Laurie
I like the look
With the godawful heat around here, I’m about ready to chop all mine off… but I’ll never actually do it. Guess I’m still sort of stuck in the big hair 80′s. I like to delude myself that a big head makes my body look smaller…lol
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woooo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I WOULD color it!!! You know why? This is the HONEST TO GOD TRUTH!!! You look SOOOO YOUNG!!!! And BEAUTIFUL!!!!! DON’T let it go gray!!!! You are TOO YOUNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to go ‘au nature’l, wait another 10 years!!!!
Color it, keep it like it is and you don’t have to mess with relaxers, and enjoy!!!! It really opens your face up!!!!
That took GUTS!!!!
I’m going to start to call you ‘Gutsy Momma’!!!! LOL!!!
Love ya!
Laurie Carlson
Hey Gutsy Momma!!!!
I LOVE your new blog design!!!!! You can tell I have been talking to you via email and Twitter and not made it TO the blog! SHAME ON ME!!! But, I LOVE it!!!!
Please go here: http://lauriehere.blogspot.com/p/blogs-i-follow.html
See what I did!!! YOU are #1 !!!!! I did not see one of those before you changed your blog around! LOVE this!!!!!!! You’ll have to tell me how you got SOOOO creative!!! I haven’t a clue????
Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I bet with this summer HEAT you feel a LOT better, too!!!
LOVE your new look, I really really do! I am NOT JUST saying that either!!!
Love ya!!!!
XOXOXO!!!
Laurie Carlson
My Twitter photo does NOT look like ME anymore!!! Now “I” look like YOU used to!!! LOLOLOL!!!!!
I’m worried about Winter and FREEZING!!!! Although, with ALLLL these HOT FLASHES, I NEED TO CUT ALLLLL MY HAIR OFF!!!!!!!!!! I’m NOT kidding! I’m going thru ‘the change’, and it’s AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or, at least “I” am having a REALLY HARD TIME WITH IT!!! Black Cohosh ONLY works for about 6 months I read. I wondered why it didn’t seem to help anymore??? I looked it up MORE and then found out it only works for 6 months. Now I have to find those ‘estrogen replacing creams – Yew creams???? I can’t remember what they are called, but if I go to Lucky Vitamin I’ll find it.
I have NOT shopped at Amazon since BEFORE last Christmas!!! Reason is I quit smoking cigarettes!!!! YEAH!!!!! What I am doing now instead is Vaping!!! It is liquid water vaper! It is Propylene Glycol (I spelled that WRONG!!!) It is HARMLESS!!!! It has been medically tested and IS harmless and they even treat pneaumonia with it!!! I spelled that wrong, too!!! LOL!!! NO 2nd hand smoke, NO TOXINS!!!! NO tar!!!! Nothing bad!!! You can get nicotine in it or NOT!!! You can get whatever mg of nicotine you want!! I already dropped by 2 levels!!! YEAH!!!! My asthma is GONE!!!! I feel GREAT!!!!!!!
So that is where my money has gone! Into trying all these different ‘vaping’ devices, the liquids, and the stuff you need to do it with! My house never smells like smoke anymore!!! Yeah!!!!
OH!!!!! You can even get this in ZERO nicotine!! They have FLAVORS!!! Caramel, my FAVORITE!!! Raspberry Cotton Candy, Watermelon, Apple, Butterscotch!!!! It is AMAZING!!! TASTES SOOOOO GOOD!!!!! You can vape it without nicotine just for the flavors as they taste SOOOO good!!!!
Anyway, it was a HUGE step for me to quit cigarettes but I did it and NEVER have gone back! I did it in February when I had all that Dental surgery!!! This actually helped to HEAL the surgery!!!!!
This stuff is in snow cones and SOOOO many foods!!!
So now I am a Vaper and an EX-smoker!!!! YEAH!!!! let’s HOPE I did it in time!!! If ANYONE has ANY questions or needs help in making the change from cigarettes over to Electric cigarettes which is actually called “A Personal Vaporizer”! They want to get AWAY from the WORD – CIGARETTE!!!
When you first TRY to do it, it is SOOOOOO CONFUSING!!! This is why I am publicly offering my help to ANYONE WHO WANTS MY HELP!!!
I’m even going to leave my email address for anyone who wants to ask for help! I make NO money off of where I will direct you, except for ’1′ place, I THINK. It’s not even much anyway. I’m offering the help because when you get online to go TRY to make the switch, you don’t know what you are getting into!!!!!! There are a TON of Youtube videos, but THEY are confusing and the people doing the videos will tell you it IS CONFUSING!!!!! So to get started, I will help if anyone wants it!
It is SOOOOO important for your health!
I learned a LOT! I thought ’1′ cigarette had a LOT of toxins, but it is EVERY PUFF YOU TAKE THAT HAS ALLLLLL THOSE TOXINS!!!!! I NEVER knew that!!!
I really DO feel better!!!!!
Thanks for listening to my rant!!! LOL!!!
Good luck to anyone who does it! It DOES WORK!!!!
Monique, talk to you soon!!!!
Love ya!
XOXOXO!!!!
Laurie Carlson
laurieisreading at gmail dot com
Congrats! I think the best way to go is to keep it to yourself too… that’s what I did…I never really cut my hair, but I had a pretty good style while I was growing the relaxer out before anyone noticed. I also personally love gray hairs, I wish I had more! I think it looks very graceful.
I love the new look! Congrats!