Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
When people ask me how long I've been natural, I usually give them the short answer- that I did my big chop in October of 2009. What I leave out is that that was actually my SECOND big chop! Yep. I went natural once before... but I hated it!
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
Last Saturday at the Healthy Hair & Beauty Affair, attendees watched like proud mamas as college student Amber Fraser got her relaxed hair chopped off to reveal a beautiful, young naturalista! I felt it only right that I chat with her a bit about how she got to this point… At what age did you get a relaxer and why? Describe the state of your hair during this time. My hair wasn’t damaged when I got my relaxer at age eight. I have a picture of my mom and I, around age four, where she did what many other mothers did: braid my hair and tie the braids with those cute bubble hair accessories. However, my mom worked a lot and as a result, felt that relaxed hair would be more manageable because she wouldn’t have to put in much time or effort to style it. How long have you…
I just wanted to pop in and give a little love to the ladies who are #teamtwa, #shorthairdontcare, or any other witty hashtag you can come up with. Whether you’ve just done your big chop (WELCOME!) or you’re a natural hair vet who simply loves the convenience of a cropped ‘do, we see you! ♥ I hope this serves as a bit of inspiration to those who are contemplating the big chop as well as those of you who are still in this state aching for the day to be able to pull your hair up in a pony. Patience my darlings. Rock that mini fro with confidence! You’re beautiful. 😉 xoxo Toia B.
There’s the misconception, among both women and men, that “going natural” means that a woman must chop off all her hair to a super short length. The fear that they will look “ugly” with short hair or won’t attract the fellas deters many women from going natural to begin with. Of course, all that couldn’t be farther from the truth. But you really don’t have to Big Chop (or BC) if you don’t want to! You can transition: gradually grow out your relaxed hair, cutting off a bit every couple months until you’re left with your natural kinks, coils or curls. Big Chop Just to clarify: while the BC is often associated with the result being a really short crop of hair or a TWA (Teenie Weenie Afro), the Big Chop is simply cutting off all your relaxed ends to reveal the natural texture at ANY point, whether you have a centimeter of new…
