A reader asked if hair grows faster after "The Big Chop". After I chopped off all of my relaxed hair, I noticed that I retained more length quicker than when I was transitioning. My hair appeared to be growing faster, but really it was just an increase in length retention. Cutting off your ends has absolutely nothing to do with the hair growing out of your head. That deserves to be said again because if you're reading this blog then I'm going to really need you to know that trimming and cutting has nothing to do with the hair growing out of your scalp. It's all about retention: keeping the hair that you are growing for the longest amount of time. Why? The longer you keep the hair on your head that you are growing, the longer your hair will be. So, again...
Cutting or trimming your ends has absolutely nothing to do with the hair growing out of your head. Cutting or trimming your hair WILL NOT make your hair grow faster!
That being said, if you are taking care of your hair after your "Big Chop", then you should see longer lengths quicker. Why? Mainly because after the BC, you are no longer dealing with polar opposite hair types. What works for your relaxed hair may not necessarily agree with your natural hair and vice versa. Doing the BC should eliminate this issue so that you can focus on products that work for your natural hair, leaving your hair in better condition, thus increasing length retention. Also, after the BC, you no longer have to deal with the line of difference (where relaxed hair meets natural hair) and the horrendous matting at the line of difference. The more detangling you do, the higher the chance that you will suffer breakage and hair loss.
You have no idea how glad you said this. But the sad fact is people still will continue to think that their is something other than simple human biology that makes hair grow. And I will never understand why. I find myself deleting more and more blogs from my RSS feed after the blogger makes some statement about certain potions and formulas making their hair "grow". But you hit the nail on the head, the hair isn't growing faster, it's just breaking off less and retaining the length.
ReplyDeleteI love that you explain that cutting hair won't make it grow. But I would most definitely disagree that the big chop will bring about the End of Matting. At least not for (my) 4a hair. I can't speak for the 3c's of the world but, if anything, not having those straight ends to weigh it down has made it worse. I never experience matting with relaxed hair or while transitioning, but I am literally picking dreadlocks out of my hair daily with natural hair.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I was talking specifically about matting at the line of difference. Of course it will not put an end to matting, anybody's hair can matt up if they let it, natural or not. We really shouldn't be giving our hair the opportunity to matt up if the goal is grow fuller and perhaps longer hair. Plus, it's just plain uncomfortable. There are ways to prevent matting like not wearing wash and goes, braiding/twisting hair at night and washing in loose braids. I will post a poll asking readers about their experience with matting before and after transitioning. I'm intrigued by your experience.
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