Starting over: the big chop and growing out heat damage

Maybe you straightened your hair for years. Maybe you relaxed it. Maybe one day you looked at a photo of yourself as a child, with all those curls, and wondered where they went. However you got here, you want them back. There are two roads to your natural texture. Straightened or relaxed lengths won’t curl again, so your curls come back as new hair grows. They may look a little different from your childhood curls, and that’s normal.

The big chop

The big chop means cutting off all the straightened or damaged length at once, leaving only your natural texture. It’s fast and it’s freeing. Your hair might be very short, and that can feel like a lot. It is also the moment many people meet their curls properly for the first time.

• Go to a stylist who works with curly hair and ask for a dry cut, so they can see your pattern.
• Expect your new curls to be shorter than you think. Shrinkage is real.
• Short curls dry fast, take less product and are easy to style. Enjoy that.

Growing it out

Transitioning means letting your natural texture grow while trimming the damaged ends little by little. It’s slower and you keep your length, but you’ll be living with two textures at once for a while.

• Be gentle where the two textures meet. That line is fragile.
• Styles that blend the textures help: braid-outs, twist-outs, flexi-rod sets. Keep them loose. If a style hurts, it’s too tight.
• Trim regularly. Each trim is one step closer.
• Skip heat if you can. High heat can permanently loosen your new curls. If you do use it, add a heat protectant and choose the lowest setting that works.

The in-between

There will be days when your hair doesn’t do what you want. That’s not failure; that’s the middle of the story. A headband or a scarf is not hiding. It’s choosing how you show up while your curls catch up.

Falling back in love

Somewhere along the way, it happens. You catch your reflection and like what you see, not despite the curls but because of them. That moment is why The Rebirth exists.