An Impromptu Hair Chop Changed My Outlook On Hair Health

This past Saturday I had the awesome idea to straighten my hair. I haven’t pulled out a flat iron* since that time I attempted to wear my TWA straight for my sister’s wedding back in 2014, which was ultimately a fail.

Anywho, I honestly wanted to try something different with my hair and, not to mention, a good length check would be the inspiration I needed to continue on this natural hair journey which admittedly has been a love hate relationship.

As I straightened it I loved the fact that I could feel my hair lightly brushing the tops of my shoulder blades. My hair hasn’t been this long since 2009 before I chopped into a pixie.

The length was great, however, I couldn’t help but notice frazzled ends. Yes, super dry and not holding any curl once I raked a comb or a brush through it.

WTF! I said in utter confusion as I stared at myself in the mirror. My grand plan turned out to be a mistake.

I mean, I do regular trims, I follow a good health haircare plan, and I ensure that I deep condition regularly. How are my ends so terrible?

As I took a step closer to the mirror I noticed the clear line of demarcation where I had once colored my hair blonde and then dyed it back to brown which was obviously fading. The color was the culprit.

Though I didn’t bleach my hair, I knew the risks of using a chemical hair dye to physically alter the cortex of my strands and knew the possibility of damage. The damage that I couldn’t see when my hair was in its curly state was well apparent now.

At this point, I had two options: chop or just revert back to curls and carry on as usual as if nothing happened.

I ultimately decided to go with the former and rid myself of the horrible “frazzledness” that I knew would continue to haunt me.

The only thing was I was staring at about 2-3 full inches that I needed to chop. The pain!

Those who are on a journey towards hair growth know the frustration of having to chop off inches that you worked so hard to gain.

I grabbed the scissors and started snipping. Tears started to build up in my eyes as I looked at the pile of hair on the floor and vowed to never color my hair again.

A couple of days later I washed my hair and went back to my curly fro. I noticed a big difference in my hair. Not only the obviously shortened length, but also the feel and look of my coils.

They looked and felt…well, healthier! I even got a ton of compliments from my coworkers so obviously, the change was a noticeably positive one.

In the end, the chop taught me 3 things:

1. A proper trim is necessary.

I’ve been trimming my own hair since I’ve been natural. My mother trimmed it once in the beginning but other than that it’s been all me.

I love the twist and trim method where you install two strand twists throughout your hair and snip off the tapered ends, thus ridding yourself of split or damaged ends. However, if you have lightly colored or bleached your hair, your strands will experience alterations as well that are more expressed in the ends.

You may not be able to hit these well when doing the twist and trim method because you’ll only really notice it when you straighten it. Which leads to my next point.

2. Color “always” has its downside.

No matter how careful you are whenever you color and alter the natural state of your hair some effect will take place. The addition of chemicals to your hair ultimately changes the strands. Lighter hair will be prone to more dryness and breakage as it’s harsher on the strands.

I feel even if you get your hair professionally colored versus attempting to do it yourself, you still will notice a change in the health of your hair, especially with kinkier hair types.

If you chose to go the color route, try to avoid permanent dyes or the ultra light blondes if your hair is fine and sensitive to chemical damage.

3. It will grow back.

Lastly, you have to come to the realization that it will grow back. It’s hair and each month it grows at least a quarter of an inch and with optimal care you can boost growth.

Yes, there was a noticeable difference when I looked into the mirror, but with the loss of those inches I gained health. I’d rather not hold on to frazzled ends trying to imitate long hair at the expense of healthy hair.

It was worth it and I’m sure it will increase the growth of my healthy hair and I know it was worth it in the long run!