What happened after your big chop?

[Eolan]

After having felt bad about my hair for a long time, I have decided to have all the thinness/damage cut out. I had a big shed about a year ago, and my hair hasn't really recovered from it. I just don't feel good about my hair anymoore and feel like cutting it is the only solution. I have mixed feelings about this. It feels good to have decided and to soon get fuller ends again, to only have healthy hair. But I also feel sad over losing alot of lenght and not being near my goal of tailbone lenght hair. Will I ever get there? Will I ever be able to grow my hair that long? I have been taking good care of it for the last two years at least, but I still had this big shed. Darn stress/psoriasis/diet change.

Has any of you had a big chop? What happened afterwards? Was it beneficial for you?

[RadiantNeedle]

In 2009 in my pre-LHC days I was at tailbone, but using sulphates, blow drying every other day and was generally clueless about my natural texture and needs. I was shedding like a bandit, suffering from a tender, painful scalp, my hair was frizzy and brittle with chemical damage, but most of all my hair was so hard to untangle that I would nearly cry each time I brushed it.
SO! I chopped from tailbone... (yes, that's actually tailbone! See the longer layer under the lighter coloured one? That's the result of a very, very unfortunate visit to a super cheap hairdresser.)
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6184&pictureid=80895


...toooo midback! Please excuse the sillyfayce! I felt really awkward having this pic taken!
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6184&pictureid=80896


Considering how much trouble I'd been having at the time and my lack of knowledge, it was the best decision I could have made and I felt fantastic. I felt more attractive with the nasty ends removed and some flippy, fun layers. My hair was easier to manage, and I honestly think this saved me from going crazy and just shaving my head. I was truly getting that frustrated.

Now that I know more about my own hair type, my chemical sensitivity and the gentler, less damaging ways to take care of hair, I'm growing it back to tailbone. I'm pretty close now, maybe 3 or 4 inches away and my hair is MUCH more manageable. It looks thicker now that I've stopped using cones, it's softer, less damaged (except for my bleached streak!) and my scalp no longer suffers agonising chemical burns.
I'm still shedding like a bandit, though, so that's my next hurdle.

This big chop was absolutely beneficial for me and I didn't regret it at all. I felt lighter, bouncier and liberated by getting rid of something that had been making me miserable.
Now that I understand more about hair I probably wouldn't cut quite that much off. I'm taking better care of my ends than ever before, and I think I'd only trim for thickness and shaping.

[virgo75]

In 2008 I went from past waist length to a 3 inch pixie.
I did it gradually - 1st cut was to BSL, 2nd to shoulder, 3rd to chin length bob, 4th to ear length bob, then the rest went. I had heat and chemical damage and wanted to start over. I also tend to be a bit drastic with things. :D

I'm happy I did it, but I don't think I would ever do it again.
Going through all the little growing out phases and then having to keep trimming because I had a 'mullet' and wanted my hair all one length was annoying.

Considering I actually want my hair to be tailbone length or longer, if I had it to do again I would have just let it grow out slowly and trim a bit at a time so that it would maintain at waist or BSL until all the damage was gone.

Now my hair is at APL even with many, MANY trims.

If your hair feels damaged or unhealthy, maybe you could start with some deep conditioning treatments and a small trim. Sometimes just an inch or 2 makes a big difference.

Hope you're able to get to tailbone length with happy, healthy hair. :flower:

[Jules diamond]

I felt bad, got consoled by LHCers and felt better. A lot of them pointed out that although there was a chunk cut off in length, the hemline and curl pattern looked much nicer.

[Fufu]

I had a big chop in May 2010. My hair length was at BSL+ and I chop it to collar bone. I didn't regret it, I needed the big chop to have a fresh start again. Although i do have to say the waiting for the hair to grow back to the same length again sure takes time.

Perhaps, trimming an inch or 2 first instead of going for the big chop, unless you feel that your hair is beyond repair and you need to have a fresh start.

[UltraBella]

I had a big chop from hip length to BSL several years ago.......... And I *LOVED* it ! I have honestly been considering doing it again. My hair looked and felt amazing. I probably got more compliments on my hair than I do now. It was easy to wear down, it was easy to put up. Sigh, I feel a huge trim coming on soon........

[KittyLost]

If you feel your hair needs it and go for a big chop it's usually always the best decision.

Even though it sets you back a little I love big chops, you feel better about your hair after despite the worrying beforehand.

[Eolan]

I am off to the hair dresser right now. I'm both nervous and excited. She is one of my best friends, so I'm sure she'll take good care of me.

Thank you all for the encouragement! I feel a bit better already. :)

For those of you who suggested small trims: I have already tried that, I've had a bigger trim last summer (about two inches) and a smaller trim after that. It did not work, unfortunately. I still don't feel good about my hair, the thinness is substantial, especially in the front.

[Madora]

I've had 3 major chops. one in 1977 frompast waist to shoulder length, one in 1996 from waist to just below my ears, and the last chop was in 2000 from just above waist to just above shoulders.

The first chop was out of necessity (I was taking a 6 month trip to Europe, staying in pensions, and there was no way I was going to be able to thoroughly wash my very thick hair properly).

The second chop was wanting to have shorter hair as I didn't have time to do it justice when my compute time started at the crack of dawn.

The final chop was in 2000 because I developed a nasty pain in my shoulder which made styling unpleasant.

Hair grew out again, just as thick every time.

If I were you, I'd just cut off any damaged ends and let the rest be. However, if a major cuts makes you happy, then go for it!

[Dragon]

I am off to the hair dresser right now. I'm both nervous and excited. She is one of my best friends, so I'm sure she'll take good care of me.

Thank you all for the encouragement! I feel a bit better already. :)

For those of you who suggested small trims: I have already tried that, I've had a bigger trim last summer (about two inches) and a smaller trim after that. It did not work, unfortunately. I still don't feel good about my hair, the thinness is substantial, especially in the front.


Good luck :)

[Amraann]

This was a long time ago maybe 13 years?

I chopped my waist length hair to just above my shoulders. We live in Florida and my A/C had broken. Since I owned the house it was my responsibility to pay to fix it and that was not in the budget. I had 4 children to chase, a sick MIL living with us and a farm full of animals.
So I had my SIL hold a mirror for me and I cut it all off. (I thought she was going to cry)

I did not regret it. I just was not into having long hair at the time. The cut itself came out great. although in retrospect I do not think I look as good with short hair.

From then within 3 years it was back to my waist and healthy.

I did cut it to BSL due to a bad dying issue about a year after that but since then I have not chopped it except to maintain and it been between waist and tail bone ever since.

There is a lot to be said for healthy shorter hair. Hopefully having healthy hair will make you happy enough to not worry about the loss of length and of course it will grow back!

[spidermom]

If you call 4-5 inches a big chop, I've done that several times in my 10-year hair-growing journey from pixie to classic length. I can't tolerate fighting with dried out, Velcro ends, so when it gets so bad that clarifying followed by a moisture treatment doesn't help, I have them cut off. This is almost always followed by a growth spurt that astounds me, so while I might miss the length for a day or two, I end up being glad that I got the cut. Plus no longer having to fight with bad ends makes up for any regret I might feel.

[Muse]

How is your hair now that you went to the hairdresser?

About 2,5 years ago I cut my hiplength hair to shoulderlength. At that time the loss of hair was bothering me and I wanted to get rid of it. Then again I was in need of a big change. At that time my relationship had been stranded a year ago and unfortunately our house was still for sale. So major stress and I wanted to go further with my life. I also thought about dying my hair red, which I eventually didn’t do. I didn’t regret the cut. It was just part of letting the past go. :)

About a year ago I again experienced more hair loss then I normally have. Probably because of the season. I used an avc-rinse and it stopped. I don’t know if it’s coincidence but maybe this is a useful tip for you in the future or for somebody else who is also dealing with hair loss. :o

[DuckyDot]

I cut my waist length hair to SL in June '09 and then my APL length hair (It had grown out.) to quite a bit above the chin in Feb '10. I don't regret it. It was planning for my cut that led me to NaturallyCurly.com and thus to LHC. :) ! My hair is healthy and happy!

[Eolan]

Good luck :)

Thank you!


If you call 4-5 inches a big chop, I've done that several times in my 10-year hair-growing journey from pixie to classic length. I can't tolerate fighting with dried out, Velcro ends, so when it gets so bad that clarifying followed by a moisture treatment doesn't help, I have them cut off. This is almost always followed by a growth spurt that astounds me, so while I might miss the length for a day or two, I end up being glad that I got the cut. Plus no longer having to fight with bad ends makes up for any regret I might feel.

A couple of years ago I would not even shrug at it, I'd just cut it and been happy. Having long hair and wanting longer makes me a bit of a wuss, I guess. But I agree with you, once you have it cut you normally don't regret it.


How is your hair now that you went to the hairdresser?

I'm already starting to love my hair again! She did a great job cutting it. All the thinness is out, it feels and looks thick and healthy. She also did'nt cut as much as i thought she would. I thought I was going to end up at shoulder, but I'm still just at BSL at my longest lenghts. "I don't want it to be that short", she said. She cut some face framing layers and some subtle layers in the back, "to meet the regrowth". Overall I'm so happy with it. Obviously it's shorter, but it's so worth it. :D My hairdresser loved it, and my boyfriend too. He had cut his own hair too, yesterday! He did a surprisingly good job, so now we both have great hair cuts. He's not as afraid of loosing lenght, it seems. :p

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories! I find it most interesting to read them. :flower:

Oh, and I'll try to upload pictures later. I'm at work now, so no can do at the moment.

[MajorasMask]

In 2008 I went from past waist length to a 3 inch pixie.
I did it gradually - 1st cut was to BSL, 2nd to shoulder, 3rd to chin length bob, 4th to ear length bob, then the rest went. I had heat and chemical damage and wanted to start over. I also tend to be a bit drastic with things. :D

I'm happy I did it, but I don't think I would ever do it again.
Going through all the little growing out phases and then having to keep trimming because I had a 'mullet' and wanted my hair all one length was annoying.

Considering I actually want my hair to be tailbone length or longer, if I had it to do again I would have just let it grow out slowly and trim a bit at a time so that it would maintain at waist or BSL until all the damage was gone.

Now my hair is at APL even with many, MANY trims.

If your hair feels damaged or unhealthy, maybe you could start with some deep conditioning treatments and a small trim. Sometimes just an inch or 2 makes a big difference.

Hope you're able to get to tailbone length with happy, healthy hair. :flower:
WOW I'm going through the exact same thing! Growing out a mullet. Just made a huge chop from Loooong BSL to shoulder.

[UltraBella]

I am so excited to see it !

[Eolan]

Okay, so I have finally uploaded some pictures of my old and new hair. Not the most technical person apparantly, since I have'nt figured out how to turn my pictures around. :p

Anyway, here they are.

Before.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7031&pictureid=92966

Ends look okay in this picture, they looked much worse in real life.

Like this from the front. Barely nothing left. But hey, I have nice nails and a crazy PINK phone!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7031&pictureid=92967

Here be the after! I don't know what I was thinking when I said I was still at BSL, I was either drunk or had on a REALLY wonky bra that day.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7031&pictureid=92968


From the front. Face framing layers. Kicky!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7031&pictureid=92969

I love it overall, but I miss the lenght. I hardly know what to do with it now! How does one put up APL hair? I don't remember! :p But I will, I guess.

[weatherwax]

I think it was harder going from BSL to APL than going from waist-length to a chin-length bob! APL is tricky to put up, at least for me. But the little chop made such a big difference in the texture of my hair that I haven't regretted it at all.

[Eolan]

I think it was harder going from BSL to APL than going from waist-length to a chin-length bob! APL is tricky to put up, at least for me. But the little chop made such a big difference in the texture of my hair that I haven't regretted it at all.

Luckily it'll grow out again so I wont be at this awkward lenght forever. At what lenght are you now, you know, bodilywise? (It's a word, I think.)

[KittyLost]

It looks really good and much thicker :)

[Maverick494]

Definitely an improvement! When it comes to condition of your hair vs length I go for condition. Your ends in the before pic were thin, but the chop has made them much thicker again. When it comes to hair, it's the beauty of it that I admire, not the length. Long hair is only magical to me if it looks healthy and shiny. Your hair looks healthy and shiny now. :)

[Eolan]

It looks really good and much thicker :)

Thank you! :flower:


Definitely an improvement! When it comes to condition of your hair vs length I go for condition. Your ends in the before pic were thin, but the chop has made them much thicker again. When it comes to hair, it's the beauty of it that I admire, not the length. Long hair is only magical to me if it looks healthy and shiny. Your hair looks healthy and shiny now. :)

I agree with you, for me too the overall condition and look of the hair comes before lenght. But I do want both... :)
And yes, the cut was beneficial for my hair. I'm happy you think so too!