Going Natural

The key to going natural is learning how to properly care for your natural hair. This section focuses on ways to go natural including going natural without the big chop, how to go natural, transitioning to natural hair and creating a natural hair regimen.

Going Natural

The Only Hair Typing System Article You’ll Ever Need

by Kenneth | Learn how to go natural and grow long hair in less than 30 days. (Click Here)

What’s your hair type? Are you a 3b or 4A hair type? Maybe – that is if you decide to use one well-known hair typing system. Your hair type could also be an “OS” or an “IS” according to a different hair typing system.

We’re asked very often about hair typing systems. More specifically – many naturals are interested in how to determine their hair type. Generally speaking – we don’t discuss hair typing very often because there are many things that each person must do to care for their hair regardless of their individual hair type.

Having said that, we do recognize that there are some differences associated with caring for certain types of hair. Furthermore, many women utilize hair typing systems to describe the way their hair looks.

I think it’s important to be clear about a few things before we begin discussing hair types. There are multiple hair typing systems – including the Andre Walker Hair Typing System, LOIS, and FIA’s Hair Typing System.

We don’t endorse or recommend any particular hair typing system, however we recognize that the system created by Andre Walker is substantially more popular well-known and communicated than the other hair typing systems.

Note: This doesn’t imply that Andre Walker’s system is necessarily the best or most accurate.

During this guide I will discuss very specific details associated with the most popular hair typing systems – beginning with Andre Walker, then LOIS and finally FIA.

Disclaimer: It’s very easy to incorrectly determine your hair type if you only look at the pictorial representations that have been provided. Please don’t rule out a particular hair type simply because your hair doesn’t look like the pictures below.

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Andre Walker Hair Typing System

Andre Walker is famously known for creating a hair typing system or infamously known depending on your perspective. Andre reveals his hair typing system in a book titled Andre Talks Hair!.

Andre makes it very clear in his book that everyone has good hair regardless of ethnicity. He was hoping to immediately debunk the often ridiculous good hair vs. bad hair debate prior to diving into a discussion about hair typing.

Unfortunately, many people believe that Andre’s Hair Typing System is hierarchical and intentionally places kinky hair in the bottom (“worst”) category. Andre has made statements over the years that have offended many Type 4 women – including the following comment:

Andre Walker on Type 4 hair: “I always recommend embracing your natural texture. Kinky hair can have limited styling options; that’s the only hair type that I suggest altering with professional relaxing”. Type 4 hair types include the most common hair types found in black hair.

That statement started a tremendous amount of buzz on the internet. He later issued a statement to clarify his initial comments immediately following the Elle article on his personal website. Regardless of his original intentions, his comments definitely offended many women.

Even if you have a negative opinion of Andre Walker, I encourage you to read the book yourself and develop your own opinion of his hair typing system in Andre Talks Hair!. Andre’s system isn’t communicated accurately on many popular blogs that have written articles about the system. Having said that, let’s discuss the hair types defined in Andre Talks Hair!.

Type 1: Straight Hair

Type 1 Straight Hair: Generally speaking Type 1 hair is straight; however Andre categorizes this hair type into three very specific segments – Type 1A, Type 1B, and Type 1C.

Type 1A hair is described as fine, very thin and soft with a noticeable shine.
Type 1B hair is medium-textured and has more body than Type 1A hair.
Type 1C hair is the most resistant to curly styling and relatively coarse compared to other Type 1 hair types.

Type 2: Wavy Hair

Type 2 Wavy Hair: Type 2 is wavy hair that usually isn’t overly oily or very dry. The thought is that Type 2 hair falls right in the middle of Type 1 and Type 3.

Type 2A hair is fine and thin. It is relatively easy to handle from a styling perspective because it can easily be straightened or curled.
Type 2B hair characteristically has waves that tend to adhere to the shape of your head.
Type 2C hair will frizz easily and it is fairly coarse.

Type 3: Curly Hair

Type 3: Curly Hair

Type 3 Curly Hair: Curly hair textures have a definite “S” shaped curl pattern. Since the cuticle doesn’t lay flat, you will noticed that curly hair isn’t nearly as shiny as Type 1 (straight hair) or Type 2 (wavy hair) hair types.

Type 3A hair is very shinny and loose.
Type 3B hair has a medium amount curls, ranging from bouncy ringlets (spiral like curls of hair) to tight corkscrews (spiral-shaped corkscrew curls).
Type 3C hair isn’t a part of the Andre Walker Hair Typing System. Please see the “what’s missing” section below for more information.

Type 4: Kinky Hair

Type 4 Kinky Hair: Type 4 is “kinky” or more appropriately full of tight coils (tightly curled hair). Typically, Type 4 hair is also extremely wiry and fragile. Often times, it appears to be coarse, however it is really very fine, with several thin hair strands densely packed together. Note that type 4 hair is one the most common hair types found in black hair (african american hair).

Type 4A hair is full of tight coils. It has a “S” pattern when stretched, much like Type 3 curly hair.
Type 4B hair has a less defined pattern of curls and looks more like a “Z” as the hair bends with very sharp angles.
Type 4C hair isn’t a part of the Andre Walker Hair Typing System. Please see the “what’s missing” section below for more information.

What’s Missing? Now, Let’s Discuss Hair Type 3C and Type 4C

You’ll notice that Type 3C and Type 4C hair types aren’t mentioned in the discussion above, that’s because they were not included in the original Andre Walker system.

Type 3C was created after Andre Walker released his hair typing system by a community member at NaturallyCurly.com. The prevailing thought was that the original hair typing system left this hair type out. Consequently, Type 3C hair has been defined as tight curls or coils that look like corkscrews.

Type 4C, like Type 3C, isn’t an actual hair type according to Andre Walker’s Hair System. His comments are actually very simple regarding Type 4 (Kinky) hair – if you can see a definite curl pattern, then you have Type 4A hair. If you can’t identify a defined, specific curl pattern, then your hair type is 4B. I would imagine that the Type 4C hair type was created by a member within the natural hair community – just like the Type 3C hair type.

Hair Types

LOIS Hair Typing System (often spelled as L.O.I.S Hair Typing System)

The LOIS Hair Typing system appears to be dying a slow death, although there are many naturals that advocate for it over the more well-known Andre Walker Hair Typing System. LOIS was created by a website that is no longer active. The hair typing is considered by many to be very user friendly – due to its simplicity.

The LOIS hair typing system defines hair using three characteristics: (1) pattern, (2) strand size, and (3) texture.

Hair Patterns

The LOIS system defines the hair pattern by the letters LOIS. I’ll explain:

L = If your hair is dominated by right angles and substantially bends with nearly no curve, then you’re considered a pattern “L”.
O = If your hair strand curls or coils significantly and appear to be shaped like the letter “O”, then you’re considered a pattern “O”.
I = If your hair has no distinctive curls or bends and primarily lies flat against your head, then you’re considered a pattern “I”.
S = If your hair strand has “S” shaped curls or waves with defined hills and valleys, then you’re considered a pattern “S”.

Finally, it’s important to note that you may have several different LOIS hair patterns on your head. When this occurs, the system allows you combine LOIS letters to determine your hair pattern.

For example, your hair pattern may be an “OS” LOIS hair type. In this example, your hair would contain primarily a combination of “O” shaped spiral curls and “S” shaped curly waves with defined hills and valleys.

Hair Strand Sizes

Identifying your hair strand within the LOIS system starts with using a strand of frayed thread. One piece of a frayed thread (like a piece of sewing thread) is used as a proxy to determine the size of your hair strand. The general thought (according to the LOIS hair typing system) is that a piece of thread is approximately the size of medium sized strand of hair.

Smaller than a piece of sewing thread = Thin, fine hair strands
Size of a piece of sewing thread = Medium hair strands
Larger than a piece of sewing thread = Think hair strands

Hair Textures

Thready – This thready hair texture has a low sheen and a bright shine when the hair is stretched. This hair texture should have low frizz and get wet easily. Even though this hair texture wets easily, the water will dry out very quickly.
Wiry – This hair texture sparkly glossy appearance with very little shine and low frizz. When the wiry hair texture is wet, the water will bead up or bounce off the hair strands. This hair texture is more difficult to get fully wet.
Cottony – The cottony hair texture has low sheen, a bright shine when the hair is stretched and is usually is highly frizzy. The cottony texture absorbs water very quickly; however it doesn’t get completely wet very fast.
Spongy – The spongy hair texture absorbs water (like a sponge) and has a high sheen and low shine.
Silky – The silky texture has low sheen and a bright high shine. The level of expected frizz with this hair texture can vary substantially. Silky hair becomes completely wet very easy.

How to Find Your LOIS Hair Type

Examine a few of the most common types of hair on your head. If you have multiple hair types within the LOIS system, then you should begin by examining the most common hair type of your head.

Prior to examining your hair, be sure that it has been recently washed (rinsed in cold water) and doesn’t have any hair products applied to it.

Another option is to wash a strand of hair that has been removed from the scalp and rinse it in cold water. Allow the individual hair strand to dry without touching it to get an accurate depiction of the LOIS hair type.

Fia’s Hair Typing System

There is one other hair typing system that had a consistent following several years ago. Actually, there are still several women on some natural hair forums that are advocates for Fia’s Hair Typing System.

Fia’s Hair Typing System appears to expand on Andre Walker’s Hair Typing System and incorporate components of the LOIS Hair Typing System also. The system defines hair using three classifiers: (1) the definition of your curls (think Andre Walker), (2) the appearance of most of your hair strands, and (3) the overall volume of your hair.

First Classifier: The first classifier which defines your hair type by determining the curliness of your hair strands (or the lack thereof – if that’s the case) is analogous to Andre Walker system utilizing Type 1 – straight hair, Type 2 – wavy hair, Type 3 – curly hair and Type 4 – really curly hair.

Second Classifier: The second classifier focuses on the appearance of the majority of your hair strands. Actually, this classifier is very similar to the hair strand sizes used within the LOIS system, but there are some minor differences in terminology.

F – Fine: Fine, thin hair strands that feels almost like an ultra-fine strand of silk.
M – Medium: Medium sized hair strands, which generally feel like rolling a cotton thread between your thumb and index fingers, are ones that simply fall in between the fine and coarse categories according to Fia’s Hair Typing System.
C – Coarse: Think hair strands that feel hard and wiry.

Third Classifier: The third classification of Fia’s Hair Typing System measures the overall volume of your hair. Simply place your hair in a ponytail. Include as much hair as possible in the ponytail. There is no need to worry too much about how your hair looks, because the goal is to have the majority of your hair included in the ponytail.

Once you have the majority of your hair in a ponytail, the next step is to measure the circumference of the ponytail. You can use a soft tape measure or another method that won’t damage your hair to measure the circumference of your ponytail.

Simply wrap the soft tape measure around your ponytail below the elastic (ex. Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics) used to hold the ponytail together. The number shown on the soft tape measure is used to determine whether your hair fits into the thin, normal or thick according to Fia’s Hair Typing System.

Thin – The circumference of the ponytail is less than 2 inches (less than 5 centimeters)
Normal – The circumference of the ponytail is between 2 – 4 inches (between 5-10 centimeters)
Thick – The circumference of the ponytail is greater than 4 inches (greater than 10 centimeters)

Note: The circumference is simply the measured distance around a circle or edge of an object that is roughly circular.

Emerging Hair Typing Systems

There are other emerging hair typing systems, but honestly most of the new ones aren’t well known. If these emerging systems achieve an adequate social following, then I will update this article to include a complete discussion of those hair typing systems. At the moment, any hair typing system that doesn’t have a legitimate following within the natural hair community is considered outside of the scope of this guide.

Lately, many hair product manufacturers are creating proprietary hair typing systems in order to sell more hair products to individuals looking for personalization in their natural hair regimen. That said, several manufacturers have decided to use the very well-known Andre Walker Hair Typing System to recommend their products on a personalized basis.

Hair Porosity: The Insider’s Guide to Understanding Porous Hair

by Kenneth | Learn how to go natural and grow long hair in less than 30 days. (Click Here)

Hair porosity, in scientific terms, means creating pores within the structure of the hair. This definition of porosity also accounts for breaks and cracks as far as measuring whether the hair absorbs more water due to its porosity.

What is Porosity?

Porosity is the hair’s ability, or the lack thereof, to absorb and to retain moisture or chemicals into the hair’s cuticle layers and cortex.

It is important to understand that porosity is a form of hair damage. As your hair ages, the hair’s cuticle layers begin to crack, peel and lift away. So, older hair usually has higher porosity than newer hair.

The health of your cuticles is a good indicator of your porosity level. Healthy cuticles lay flat and retain moisture. Unhealthy cuticles do not lay flat and allow moisture to escape, easily causing frizz and excessive dryness.

For most people, the goal is to find that delicate balance between low and high porosity conditions, so your hair can thrive. Let’s explore why this is the case.

The structure of the hair is fairly complex as it includes a hyaline layer, cortex, medulla and several other intricacies.

What is Low Porosity Hair?

Low porosity hair (flat tight cuticles) will not absorb moisture as easily as high porosity hair. The cuticles are not damaged but the hair experiences dryness as if the cuticles were damaged. The hair takes longer to saturate with water and conditioner may have little to no effect on the hair. The cuticles are tightly sealed and it’s more difficult to penetrate them.

While it’s true that everyone’s hair is different, all hair naturally experiences porosity and permeability. There are many reasons why porosity occurs. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most common causes and our recommendations to combat typical porosity issues.

What is High Porosity Hair?

On the other end of the spectrum is high porosity hair. The cuticle layers have begun to crack, peel and lift away. They are probably no longer attached to the strand of the hair, leaving the cortex unprotected. The damaged or missing cuticles are the cause of the chronic dryness. The cuticle is not intact and is unable to perform its job, which is to seal shut – retaining the moisture. With high porosity hair, the hair absorbs moisture quickly, but also loses moisture (or dries out) at an even faster rate.

Dealing with Hair Porosity Problems

The more porous your hair is the more moisture is usually absorbs. When your hair is highly porous it will often feel dry. However, it could very well absorb a great deal of water.

You might be thinking, “Great. Now my hair will absorb more moisture!”.

While it’s true that your hair will absorb more water when wet, unfortunately it will also lose water at a faster rate as it dries. Your hair cuticles cannot adequately retain moisture.

As your hair absorbs water, it expands to accommodate the water. If this process occurs too often, the hair can be damage due to the amount of stress being placed on the hair. (source)

Common Reasons for Hair Porosity

1. Periodic Usage of Shampoo, Towels, & Combs

Shampooing, towel drying, and combing your hair can damage the cuticle. These techniques are common since most people use them to some extent.

Although, high porosity hair is often caused when the hair is scrubbed vigorously with shampoo, rubbed with towels while drying and when fine tooth combs are used to remove tangles. If you’re too aggressive while performing these common techniques, you’ll potentially cause lots of unnecessary hair damage leading to higher porosity levels, especially as your hair ages.

2. Older, Longer Hair is Generally More Porous

Your hair will incur more cuticle damage as it grows longer because it’s been shampooed, dried and combed multiple times over the years. This hair damage is cumulative, so it increases with time.

3. Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation Causes Cuticle Damage

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation can also damage your cuticles starting at approximately 200 hours of UV exposure. Consider wearing a loosely fitting hat with you when you need to be outdoors for an extended period. Also, stay away from tanning lamps and beds.

4. Certain Chemical Treatments Encourage Porous Hair

Certain chemical treatments, like hair bleaching and creamy crack (i.e., hair relaxers) are causes of porosity. Cuticles layers can end up cracking, peeling and lifting away when these techniques are used.

5. Other Factors

Outside of the above causes, porosity can also be caused by exposure to dirt, flat ironing and blow drying with too much heat, cyclical thermal stresses, and humidity. It’s important to note that everyone’s hair is different as well, meaning certain factors will cause more porosity in certain people than others.

This image represents a hair in its follicle, showing the epidermis, dermis, cortex of the hair, bulb, and sebaceous glands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can porosity be fixed?

When the hair’s cuticle becomes damaged, this cannot be fixed. While the cuticle does thin naturally when the hair becomes longer due to normal weathering, broken, chipped or missing cuticles cannot be replaced. It is possible to temporarily patch the hair using hydrolyzed protein; however, you must remember that this is only temporary and not a permanent solution.

Is it possible to open and close the hair cuticles?

Note that this is not the manner in which a hair cuticle works. By suggesting that the cuticle opens and closes, you’re essentially implying that it operates as a door with a hinge and can be opened without any damage, then closed again. This is simply not what happens.

A hair cuticle can be raised to a slight degree; however, this requires highly sensitive instruments for detection as the distance to which it is raised may be as minute as one millionth of a meter. It is impossible to feel a raised cuticle by running fingers across the hair unless you have severely damaged cuticles.

Is it possible to stop the hair cuticle from being raised?

The hair cuticle rises when the hair is wet, and people will need to wet their hair and handle it regularly. It is possible, however, to take steps to reduce the amount of damage done to the cuticle.

1. You can use coconut oil as a pre-wash to prevent the hair shaft from swelling. This pre-wash treatment may reduce the extent that the cuticle is raised.

2. You can use of a conditioning shampoo that contains silicones. Silicones help minimize protein loss from the hair, caused by chipping and breaking cuticles.

Can apple cider vinegar help close the hair cuticle?

In the past we’ve recommended utilizing a periodic apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse to treat porous hair by temporarily reducing the porosity level and making the cuticles smooth to increase water retention. Although, we haven’t been able to find a case study or scientific evidence that provides substantive proof that the low pH of ACV helps to close the hair cuticle.

It’s important to note that an ACV rinse may still help close the cuticle, although it’s not likely caused by the low pH based on research. Products with higher pHs (9 and above), like hair relaxer, can raise the cuticle and potential destroy it altogether. pH is a common abbreviation for potential hydrogen.

Can cold water assist in closing the hair cuticle?

There doesn’t appear to be scientific evidence that supports that cold water can help to close the hair cuticle. It is seen, however, that heat is influential in raising the cuticle irrespective of the level of heat and the duration of exposure. Of course, due to the lack of evident for the impact of cold water on a cuticle, it is not possible to say that cold water does not influence the hair cuticle.

Can protein treatments assist with porosity?

Yes, they can. As is mentioned above, the hydrolyzed protein can be a temporary treatment for hair cuticles that are damaged as well as patching up areas where cuticles are missing.

This image shows a magnified (200x) human hair strand.

Conducting Hair Porosity Tests

You’ve probably heard that you can test for porosity at least two different ways, using the: (1) strand test, and (2) float test.

Before I explain the potential problems with these home porosity tests, it’s important to understand how these tests are often conducted.

The Strand Test: Hold a strand of hair between your index finger and thumb. Using your opposite hand, slide your index finger and thumb along the hair strand. If you feel irregularities that appear to be typical twists, turns and angles of naturally curly hair, this is normal. If you feel snags, your hair may be porous. If you don’t feel anything and it’s smooth sailing from tip to the root, your porosity is low.

This is a very unscientific process with an extremely low accuracy rate. We don’t recommend using the strand test as a reliable determination of your hair’s porosity level.

The Float Test: Harvest clean hair from your comb after you shampoo (allow hair to dry). Place the dry hair in a bowl of room temperature water (since cold water will purportedly close the cuticles) to see if it will float or sink to the bottom. If it sinks, your porosity is high. If it floats, the porosity is low.

This float test, like the strand test, is unreliable and unscientific as a test for hair porosity. Hair strands will almost always float in water, due to the fact that the hair is typically covered in oil. This oil is the naturally occurring sebum and any other hair products you may choose to include in your hair care routine.

Most people conducting this test report that the hair strands float for a period of time and only sink after some prodding.

Since oil will always float on water; therefore, the hair strand will continue floating. This does not necessarily mean the hair has a low level of porosity; it means the hair is light and has a full coating of oil that repels the water.

What If the Oil Is Removed Before Performing The Test?

If the hair’s oil is removed before the test is conducted, would this make the test valid or would it influence the porosity of the hair strand and the potential for the hair to sink?

If you choose to conduct the float test with a strand of hair that is freshly washed with shampoo, but not conditioned, then the test is potentially invalid if you typically use conditioner after shampooing.

In this instance, you would have altered the hair strand that you’re testing making the results of the test questionable.

Does the Temperature of the Water Matter?

Some people claim that the temperature of the water will not influence the result of the porosity test; however, this probably isn’t true from a scientific perspective.

We were not able to find scientific evidence that supports that cold water can help to close the hair cuticle, but it’s unlikely that the water temperature has no impact.

For example, warm water can remove oil from the hair strand. Furthermore, hair is a protein and most proteins experience small structural changes as temperatures change. Nonetheless, the most likely result of this test is that a single strand of hair will float.

Does Water Absorption Cause the Hair to Sink?

When placing strands of hair in water, the hair strands will absorb water. As more water is absorbed, the hair strands will get heavier. However, the hair strands may continue to float due to the oil coating.

If your hair sinks, it could be related to hair damage, but it could also be related to the natural density of hair. This float test is unreliable, so don’t interrupt the results as facts.

Is There a Scientific Test for Hair Porosity?

There are scientific tests for hair porosity, but they’re usually complex and expensive. These aren’t the kind of tests that can be reliably conducted at home. One final point of clarification, if your hair is damaged, they are no permanent solutions to repair damaged hair. With damaged hair, you can only use these tips to patch-up the weak spots and manage your problems temporarily.

Big Chop Tutorial: Use This Step by Step Guide to Get Started Immediately

by Kira | Learn how to go natural and grow long hair in less than 30 days. (Click Here)

If you haven’t heard the term big chopping before, let me explain exactly what it is. The big chop is the act of taking your natural hair journey from transitioning to officially 100% natural in a matter of minutes. The term “big chop” is the act of cutting off all of your relaxed hair, leaving only your beautiful new growth – which is natural hair.

This is the quickest way to go natural and extremely unlike the alternative – transitioning from relaxed to natural hair. It’s not only different in physical approach, but it’s also different mentally.

To big chop you have to emotionally detach yourself from your hair’s length and also being a little sporadic helps. There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to a women’s hair length. Clearly, one length does not fit everyone. For those of you who decide to take the plunge and big chop – there are many benefits.

Top 5 Benefits of the Big Chop

5. Immediate Gratification

As you know, we now live in a world where many people want immediate gratification. We no longer want to wait for our hair to grow and would rather install weave to have immediate length. If you’re one of these people, then the big chop is definitely for you. When you big chop, your natural hair journey starts immediately. You begin your natural hair journey with whatever new growth you have at the time.

4. Superstar

Have you ever wanted to feel like a superstar? If so, you should definitely big chop. Everyone who knows you will want to discuss your new teeny weeny afro (TWA) hairstyle. People you know will be amazed at your new cut and will probably view it as a badge of courage.

3. Products work better

Listen up – product junkies. One of the biggest benefits of big chopping is that you only have to deal with the texture(s) of your natural hair, instead of your relaxed hair texture also. It’s very difficult to cater to both relaxed hair and natural hair textures. Many women decide to big chop because of this issue, since dealing with multiple textures can be frustrating to many women. With only natural hair on your head, you will have a better understanding of how products actually work for you and your hair.

2. Girl Power

Don’t you just love accessories? What about head bands, slinky earrings, eye catching lip gloss and cute eye shadow? Big chopping allows women to accentuate their natural beauty which can be covered up by our hair at times.

1. Confidence

To big chop a woman needs to carry a great deal of confidence and fierceness. Need I say more?

Kira’s Big Chopping Experience

When I spontaneously big chopped, I chopped off a chunk of my hair on the left side of my head.

My logic was to cut my hair in an even afro. However, once I began cutting, I felt the urge to cut more and more. I was cutting chunks from the same area, and there was a dent in the front when I picked out my natural afro.

To make the chunk of hair that I cut out less noticeable, I simply patted my afro down, extra tight, and I also wore afro puffs.

My mistake can make your journey easier. Spontaneity can be an excellent quality to have, but in hindsight, I needed a plan that explained how I was going big chop.

I needed to understand what tools to use and a visual guide to ensure that I didn’t cut off more hair than necessary. So, I needed a gauge that helped me determine when I had chopped off enough; so I could put the scissors down and back way.

After giving it much thought, I came to the determination that I could’ve used rubber bands to aid in the big chopping process. Below I’ll explain how to use rubber bands for your big chop.

You will need the following:

Freshly washed hair that has been allowed to air dry. We don’t recommend blow drying, flat ironing or stretch your hair before big chopping because you will need to see the line of demarcation clearly. The line of demarcation is where the natural hair and relaxed hair intersect.
Rubber Bands are needed so that you can easily mark the line of demarcation.
It’s important to use quality hair cutting shears. Please do not cut your hair with dull scissors. Dull scissors or low quality hair cutting shears may damage your hair.
It’s helpful if you can see your hair from different angles, so I recommend using two mirrors. Having one hand held mirror and a one wall mounted mirror is optimal to achieve the viewing angles needed to easily big chop.
You’ll need a wide-tooth comb to make parts as you section off your hair.
Butterfly clips or duck bill clips will help keep your hair together when you section through your hair.

Items:

How To Do the Big Chop Yourself

Step 1. Using the comb, section off your freshly washed hair into four large sections using the diagram below as a guide. Remember to leave the plastic cap on the areas of your hair not currently being sectioned.

Part or section your hair from ear to ear. Use the blue line starting with 1 and ending with 2 in the diagram below as a guide.
Next, using the orange line starting with 3 and ending with 4 in the diagram, part your hair down the center from forehead to nape.
Use the butterfly clips or duck bill clips to keep each section separated.

Step 2. After the hair has been separated into four sections, working from the right front section just above your ear, make two parts so that you will have three equal sections. Use the diagrams below as a guide.

how to do the big chop yourself
Step 3. Working within the three sections, starting on row one, section your hair into square parts and place a rubber band right above the new growth. The new growth represents your natural hair. The size of each square is determined by the amount of new growth you have. If there is very little new growth the squares may be smaller. If there is a lot of new growth, the squares may be larger. The goal is to have each square sectioned off with a rubber band so that the line of demarcation is exposed above the rubber band. Having the line of demarcation visible allows you to use it as a guide as you cut the relaxed ends off of your hair. big chop now what
Step 4. Continue to rubber band the entire right front section. Keep in mind two things: (1) If you want uniform hair, align each rubber band with the one beside it. This will make all the rubber bands even. When banding a new section, be sure to use a previously banded section as a guide. (2) If you are not concerned about having even hair, then rubber band the hair just below the line of demarcation. This way, you have the greatest chance of cutting off all of your relaxed ends. Once you finish, there may be a need to go back and snip a little.

Step 5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the remaining sections of your hair. Remember to use the mirror so you’re able to see the back of your head as you create sections.

Once your entire head has been sectioned off into banded squares, cut off your relaxed hair, including the rubber band.

Natural Hair Community State of the Union Address

by Kenneth | Learn how to go natural and grow long hair in less than 30 days. (Click Here)

Last night, I had a dream that I was the president of the natural hair community. The constitution of the natural hair movement declares that from time to time, the President shall give to its member’s information about the state of the union. So, like any respectable president I must now address the union.

State of the “Natural Hair” Union: President Byrd’s Full Speech

President Byrd’s State of the Natural Hair Community Union Address

To the Vice President, readers of the Curl Centric blog, distinguished guests, and fellow naturals:

Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the natural hair community. (Applause)

Our Progress has Been Tremendous

It’s tempting to look back on the progress of the natural hair movement and assume that the progress that we’ve made was inevitable — that the wonderful women within the natural hair movement were always destined to succeed. But when I look back at some of the things we’ve encountered over the years I’m encouraged at our progress. We’ve dealt with people making inflammatory YouTube videos or making off-topic comments simply to provoke an emotional response. I’ve heard some women refer to the group(s) of naturals who participate in these endeavors loosely as “the natural hair Nazis”.

Until recently, I had never met anyone who I would even remotely consider for this infamous label. Now I can confirm with first-hand knowledge that these naturals exist. There are literally some naturals out there who make over-the-top insults towards other naturals. This is truly the dark-side of the natural hair community, but as your President, I will work every minute of my term to build unity and eliminate bipartisan politics. So we face a big challenge, but what the individuals of the natural hair community can count on, is that their President will help them work through the differences and overcome the numbing weight of natural hair politics.

My most urgent task upon taking this office was to provide unity to the natural hair community. From the day I took office, I’ve been told that addressing this larger challenge is too ambitious; even that such an effort would be contentious. I’ve been told that things are too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while.

I have one simple question: How long should the natural hair community put things on hold? (Applause)

Natural ladies – it begins with you. If you have concerns about going natural, you’re definitely not alone. In this new decade, it’s time that naturals all around the world have a governing body that matches their decency; that embodies their strength. (Applause)

And tonight, I will address exactly how we can deliver on that promise.

Heat Damage

We can’t afford to be overtaken by heat damage – a story that we heard all too often during the last two years – where flat irons and curling irons were used at high temperatures. As hard as it may be to understand, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may become, there is really no way to ensure that your hair is protected from the heat being applied. I urge you to use heat protectant and I know you will, but also ask that you only apply heat to your hair on special occasions. Consistently applying heat to your hair, you will greatly increase the chances of having heat damage. We need to make sure that current naturals and soon to-be-naturals have the information they need to make decisions about applying heat to their hair. (Applause)

Water

In the coming year, we’ll also work to rebuild our natural’s faith in the institution of water. Many new naturals, who relaxed for many years, fear water and don’t want to get their hair wet. If you’re natural and avoiding water, this is a mistake. Our success towards accepting water will require reform and responsibility. It will also require that each natural approach water with a new level of engagement.

Stress

Of course, as I speak, stress and its affiliates continue to plan attacks against our naturals. Thanks to our intelligence agencies, we’re disrupting their plots with additional exercise and relaxation techniques. As this silent killer attempts to inspire acts of violence on our delicate natural hair, we are responding with the strength of our communities, with respect for the power of our enemy, and with the conviction that the natural hair community will prevail. (Applause)

Tonight, let each person in the natural hair community, speak with one voice – reaffirming that our community is united in support of every natural and their families. Let us serve them well, by giving them the information that they need to have a successful natural hair journey, by providing them with the care and benefits that they deserve and by enlisting our natural hair veterans in the great tasks of building the knowledge of our youth. We should have no illusions about the work ahead of us.

Breakage

The hair industry is changing. And for many, that change has been very painful. I’ve seen many women complain about hair breakage and the lack of hair growth. But this shouldn’t discourage us. Naturals, the future is ours, but to get there we can’t stand still.

We must continue to inform naturals about the benefits of protective styling, proper nutrition and sleeping on satin pillow cases or wearing satin scarfs at bedtime. We can’t allow cotton sheets and pillow cases to rob our naturals of moisture leading to dry hair. Just remember — for all the negative comments that we’ve received during the last few years and for all the naysayers predicting our demise and calling this movement a fad, the natural hair movement is as large and prosperous as it’s ever been. (Applause)

Furthermore, the natural hair movement was founded for the sake of instilling confidence in natural ladies all around the world — the idea that each natural deserves the chance to shape their own destiny. That’s why over the centuries natural hair pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to join the natural hair movement.

It’s why our naturals don’t just choose products, but research them fully before applying them to their hair. Naturals, the future is ours to win. The dream of a successful natural hair journey has never been about standing pat. It has required each natural hair blogger to sacrifice, and struggle, in order to meet the demands of naturals around the world. (Applause)

We plan to do big things.

From the earliest days of our founding, Natural Hair Community has been a story of ordinary people who dare to dream. The idea of a unified natural hair community endures. Our destiny continues to be our choice. And tonight, more than two years later, our journey goes forward, and the state of our union is strong.

Thank you. God Bless You. And God Bless the United States of America Natural Hair Community.

[Look for more from President Byrd in the future. Comment if there are certain topics that you would like to hear the President address. Also, let me know if you would like to see a live (YouTube) state of the union address.]