My Big Chop

o finally, I get around to this, I have been trying to set up this post for a while but had misplaced the photos! Trust me.

Anyway so over a week ago (September, 8th 2012) to be exact I did my big chop. I had lamented on the facebook page and on the blog a couple of times that I wanted to cut my hair and finally I did it.

I was unable to make time for my big chop as the only time I could go to the barbers was over a weekend which are my less consumed days, but somehow for over a month I couldn't make time for it. On this Sunday though, I hadn't actually planned to cut my hair, but around midday, I started feeling really unwell, I had a huge pain in my abdomen and it was suggested that I should take a pain killer then take a walk to ease the pain.

And thus, my journey to the big chop begun. After taking my pain killer I wondered where to walk to, as my hometown tends to be quite dusty thus not really an ideal place to take aimless midday walks, then I remembered of my plans to cut my hair, and I was really feeling unwell and I couldn't shampoo and deep condition my hair as I wanted to I thought, let me take a walk to the barbers.

I asked my brother which barbers he frequents and he gave me the directions, I asked how much he usually pays and he told me KShs.100/, I was like whaat??? I thought  it was KShs. 20/ lol!!! That explains how long it has been since I saw a barber. I asked him what they do to his head, he told me that they usually just cut it according to the style required then shampoos their head. Only that for KShs. 100/ lol...

Anyway I decided to go ahead, figuring in my head, since I would tell them only to cut my hair and not shampoo it, then I could cut costs and probably pay KShs. 50/ (the kahustler in me), but not first before my brother told me not to get it cut as I would look like a boy! huh??? Who listens to their brothers anyway.

So yep, took my walk and found myself at the barbers, as it was a unisex salon I found one women getting her weave fixed and a dude seated in one of the chairs, the lady who was weaving asked me what I needed, and I told her, I wanted to cut my hair. She pointed me to the guy. The guy welcomed me to a seat and I removed the headwrap that I had on. Till then they hadnt seen my hair. When they saw that it was actually abit long and very healthy, they started telling me not to cut it, and giving me unsolicited advice of how I should plait it, blow dry it, loc it... and the barber goes, you know if you find it hard it manage, you should RELAX IT! woooahh!!! I was like I have never relaxed and I don't let chemicals near my head, and you should have seen the looks on their face. ha ha ha... anyway I told them, the reason I was there is because I knew what I wanted to do with my hair and that is cut it.

And so the barber wrapped me with a towel and an outer wrap and the process began. I will let the photos below tell the story of how it went down. I told the barber to leave an inch of hair on my head as I was to scared to go all in on it and since I have been "full natural" for the past year thought the one inch is quite unaffected as it is. But all I can say is that it came out okay. I love my short hair for the last one week we have been together and I look forward to experimenting with it more.

My mom, didnt quite like it, but what could she do. My dad doesnt ever seem bothered by my hair. My brothers are over the "first day jokes" and are now accustomed to my look. What do you think?

When I first removed my head wrap, and I was being given unsolicited advice 

Final look at my mane.... hadn't done anything that day (I miss my hair) 

When the machine first touched my head.. High on vibration... I almost told  him to stop. Look at my Wince.

And then it really hit me.....

There goes my hair... falling on my lap as it goes.

Finally new and improved me :) 

There goes a ball of my hair... and as the paranoid fool I am, I carried it home to go and throw it away, "properly" lol.

The anti-fungal soap I washed my head with when I got home from the barbers.

If you are thinking of doing a big chop, here are some tips for you.

Live, Love, Laugh,

Its only Natural,

Natural Toto

DOING THE BIG CHOP

A big chop is when a girl decides to cut off most if not all of her hair, so as to begin re-growing it or just to keep it short.

The name Big Chop came around recently when some African (American) women decided to stop relaxing or chemically altering their hair and embracing their hair in its natural state. As most of the ladies who decided to go natural had damaged hair from extended use of chemicals, leaving their hair damaged, weak or lifeless, some decided they will cut it all and start afresh, and they termed it as the big chop, as the decision to cut off all your hair is a big deal for most girls.

However, a big chop is not only limited to cutting off relaxed hair, and is a term that cuts across to both relaxed and natural heads in their decision to cut hair and grow it afresh.

A big chop can be done in two ways:

Big Chop at the Barber Shop

This is the most advisable way to do a big chop, going to the barber shop saves you the worry of cutting your hair wrong and keeping it at the minimal length you wish for. A barber for the most part has the experience and knowledge of cutting hair so he/she is a sure bet of not messing up.
However, what most people worry about when going to the barber shop is the hygiene/cleanliness of the barbershop’s equipment. It’s always good to ensure that you check this. Before settling for a barber shop, ask around, investigate to ensure your safety.

Big Chop by yourself

If you don’t have money to spend or are more into DIY you can then go ahead and experiment and cut your own hair. This can be tricky though, so you might want to get a friend to help you with it, lots of mirrors around you so that you can be sure to cut it all at the same level and just get an overall good look.

After the cut, ensure that you wash your head with an anti-fungal soap/shampoo so as to ensure that you avoid any sorts of infections from the cutting machine. However if you do this at home you don’t have to worry so much about this as you will be using your own machine. But all in all after the chop it is necessary to shampoo and condition your head, this leaves you feeling great and like a load of stuff has been taken off your head.

For those who make the decision to do the big chop, I say go ahead, it’s not such a big deal, after all its only hair and I can promise it will grow back, and with proper care it will be even more healthier and beautiful.

And on that note is to just let you know that I did my big chop this previous Sunday, will post on it in the coming days. Here are some of my favorite big chop heads in Kenya, don’t they just look lovely???
Click to enlarge photos.

Wanuri Kahiu

Lupita Nyong'o

Valarie Kimani

Patricia Kihoro

Live, Laugh, Love,

Its Only Natural!

Natural Toto

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GOING BACK TO NATURAL: 7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Some of my friends with relaxed hair have been saying am considering going natural, but they never do. I guess it’s due to fear they face when deciding on going back to natural, not knowing what to expect, how it will be accepted.

First thing I want to say is a cancelation of an old myth that natural hair is not for everyone, which basically bashes some unspecified hair type, meaning if you have such a hair type you should never wear out your natural hair. This is a lie! Anyone who wants to go back to wearing their natural hair out can do so!!!

However, if you have had relaxed hair for a long time there are a few things you should know after making the decision that will help you along the natural hair journey.

1. Measure your expectations

So you are walking along Nairobi, you see this girl with a beautiful afro, or nice twists, you go close to her to see what type of WEAVE! It is lol, but you can’t seem to make it out so you gather the courage and ask her to tell you which weave it is, she looks at you shocked, shakes her head, and if she just doesn’t leave you hanging, she tells you it’s actually her hair! Natural hair! You are like Whaaaaaat???? She says yes. You ask her, what do you do to it, she says, nothing much just water and oil and she goes ahead. You are amazed and excited, and decide natural is the new thing for you………kaaa!!!!! Hold up!!! Don’t play yourself, that is not how or a good reason of going back to natural hair. You will just end up disappointed.

As much as it is a good thing to be inspired to go back to natural, maybe it’s by your neighbor, a celebrity you know or just a random beauty you interacted with, learn to measure your expectations. Natural hair is diverse, how you see it on someone else’s head is not necessarily the same it will come out on yours. Be prepared emotionally and physically for the change, which brings us to the second thing you should know.

2. Research, Research, Research

Before going natural do your research properly, know what it entails, the best ways of going about it. Learn about your hair first, we have previously discussed on general facts about African hair and hair types. From there research about how to take care of natural hair, styles and any other hair related issues. You are in luck, we live in the information age and thus a host of natural hair material is all over the internet, from blogs to you tube videos, you can’t run out of ideas.

3. Ways to go back to natural

After you have finished with your research, identify how you want to go natural. By this time you will have ample information, know whether you want to transition or do a big chop. We will discuss this two items in the future posts. However in generally transitioning involves taking baby steps towards achieving the natural look by slowly trimming relaxed hair as your natural grows out, while the big chop means going full throttle and just cutting your hair and starting from scratch.

4. Support

Man is not an island and when making life altering decisions its always good to have a form of support whom you can lean on when needed. Be prepared to not have many support though, I have come to learn that most of the people you expect to help you will actually tell you to go back to relaxing as it is easier and at the end of the day it is just hair! Personally, most of my friends are relaxed and couldn’t understand my decision to stay with natural hair. My mother wasn’t supportive either so I had to find alternative forms of support, I resorted to interactive facebook groups, and some online friends (Shout out to Jess!!!! Love you siz!) and actually the reason why I decided to start this blog was to create a support forum for anyone who is natural. Ensure you get friends that are supportive of your decision to go natural around so as to motivate, advice and support you.

5. Ask!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, remember that no one knows everything. All naturals start out by asking questions, and in the process you learn new thing and teach others. Even when you think you question is silly, if it is something that is bothering you, don’t be afraid to ask.

We have a facebook page, and email: naturaltoto@gmail.com I welcome anyone to ask a question if they are finding some problems in their hair journey. I can’t promise to have all the answers but will definitely help you out where I can.

6. Bad hair days will be there

Going natural is not a guaranteed pass that your hair will always look great and you will always feel awesome. Just like life there will be frustrating times, times when you will be late to go somewhere and your hair is a mess, days when you don’t for the life of you know what to do with your hair, days when you will get snide remarks about your hair. Don’t get discourage, know that like all natural cycles of life disappointments and hardships will be there. Just be strong. Remember, confidence will always carry the day. Just be confident about yourself, know tips and trick to help you get through the day.

7. There is no ‘one fit all’ solution

Just like size and colour, African hair is diverse, what might work for you might not work for someone else, so research enough information on natural hair care and styles but don’t take up all of it as it will be just too much. It is good to learn and understand your hair. Just like you learn about your body, pay attention to your head, learn what it accepts and what it doesn’t and use these tips to know what to do to your head and what not too, what products to use and what not too. This will help you grow a healthy head of hair.

8. Go for it!

When you have taken all the afore mentioned into consideration and feel confident that you can do this, all I can say is go for it!!! Don’t hesitate. I promise you it will be an exciting journey. But a journey which nonetheless needs patience, you will be surprised how over time you will fall in love with your coils and curls. All I can do is hope for the best for you.

Feel free to share your natural hair journeys with us. We will be excited to feature them and learn from you.

Live, Laugh, Love,

Its Only Natural!

Natural Toto