Feeling free? Feeling of Liberation?

There are many naturals that have done their big chop and have stated they are free or they feel free and are finally liberated. This is a feeling I have yet to encounter since I have done my big chop in October and I transitioned for 16 months. Can anyone explain this feeling? Or what exactly are we to be liberated from? Is it relaxers? I question this becuase to be liberated or to be free is to stop being forced to do something you didn't want to to do. Since an individual feels liberated or free when they did their big chop how were they feeling when getting relaxers? I personally didn't feel bad or boggled down or felt I was being forced to get a relaxer when I was relaxing so I guess this is why I didn't feel liberated when I did my big chop. What was your feeling of liberation when you did your big chop?

Maybe my feeling of liberation is the breakage I encountered from relaxers but just because I went natural doesn't mean my hair won't break.

Any thoughts would be great ladies!

Well I think that's a thing of to each his own. I never felt liberated when I big chopped. In fact I only BCd because I liked that style. And consequently I did it 4-5 more times!!!! I never did it for the reasons of being all natural like most people do. But yeah. I do think that those who say they fell liberated are perhaps referring to the relaxer. Or they can be talking about being free from just having to style their hair everyday. free from having to keep up the relaxer on a regular basis at the salon. Free from the image or idea that we as black women "HAVE" to have long straight hair for it to be pretty. Who knows, it may be a million reasons for a million women why they say they feel free.

Thanks misskris. You are right though, there could be a million different reasons and the few you mentioned are great points.

i know i LOOOOVED not having to do anything to my hair to style. i'd get in the shower, mousse or whatever if anything at all and that was it. SO low maintenance!!! but now I'm trying to see how long iit will get!!! lol

I haven't cut my hair yet still in transition , but i think the liberation they are talking about may be the freedom to choose not to relax when for so many years and so many of those women felt they had to to obtain certain look , positions etc
I have yet to BC , but when i decided to go natural to stop relaxing my hair to fit in into the mold society has created for black women "straight hair " i felt liberated and free because i was no longer conforming i was deciding for me with my hair

Tmochava, our transition/BC times are identical. Cool.

Like you, I never felt like I was getting my hair relaxed in order to fit in or avoid ridicule. The only liberation that I feel involves styling. I can do natural styles and I can still rollerset or flat iron like I did when I was relaxed, the only difference is that it looks better (and my relaxed hair looked good, so that's saying a lot. lol).

I never did feel a sense of liberation, but rather a sense of enlightenment. I'd been playing with the idea of "going natural" (it's in quotes b/c during that time I ddin't know it as that, I just wanted to see my hair w/o a relaxer) since I graduated from high school. Over the years I would let my relaxer grow out longer and longer, but never was curious enough to cut it all off.

It wasn't until I separated from my husband and moved to a new city that I finally was curious enough to see what was going on with my own hair. After going natural, I realized that the way I looked now is how I've always felt on the inside. So now I match myself, lol. Since then I've started to go back to school for a second career path, one that fits the new me, the real me.

I agree that there is probably a different reason and feeling for every woman who has gone natural.

I feel free from time-consuming maintenance. I wet my hair in the shower, throw my stuff in and step. No curling, wrapping, perming. No salons and very little $$. Plus, let the wind blow, work out swim. No problem. That liberating to me.

misskris wrote:i know i LOOOOVED not having to do anything to my hair to style. i'd get in the shower, mousse or whatever if anything at all and that was it. SO low maintenance!!! but now I'm trying to see how long iit will get!!! lol

I'm also trying to see how long my hair will get. Its at a length now where it hasn't been in a long time while it was relaxed. Speaking of hair, I need to change my profile pic, lol.

naturalesque wrote:Tmochava, our transition/BC times are identical. Cool.

Like you, I never felt like I was getting my hair relaxed in order to fit in or avoid ridicule. The only liberation that I feel involves styling. I can do natural styles and I can still rollerset or flat iron like I did when I was relaxed, the only difference is that it looks better (and my relaxed hair looked good, so that's saying a lot. lol).

That is pretty cool that our transition and big chops are identical. Your hair is gorgeouse girl. I have yet to wear my hair out. Last time I washed it and did a protein treatment it was so curly and pretty, I need to wear it out soon.

The versatility of our hair is great. When its flat ironed it looks so much better than when it was relaxed, so thick, full, and healthy. I'm glad I can acheive looks I wasn't able to achieve while relaxed.

@TLogg77...Saving money is defintely liberating! It feels good to me.

You ladies have definitely helped me to see exactly what I could possibly be liberated from and I agree with you all.

DAMAGE. That was the reason I BC'd. I refuse to let anyone else be in control of my hair again.

It's my hair, I'm in control.

Maybe it is liberation? I never thought of it as being liberated...

I am free from driving 45 minutes to the salon
I am free of sitting for hours waiting my turn
I am free of stylists taking lunch breaks while I'm waiting my turn
I am free of all the salon gossip; some can't wait until their last patron leaves just to gossip about her.

I'm liberated.

Oh, I forgot about the saving $$$ part!

@ Umph, "I am free from driving 45 minutes to the salon
I am free of sitting for hours waiting my turn
I am free of stylists taking lunch breaks while I'm waiting my turn
I am free of all the salon gossip; some can't wait until their last patron leaves just to gossip about her."
Now THAT is true!!!! LMAO

I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE lol

I didn't big chop, but I recently started wearing my hair naturally and in natural styles (I was previously a heat girl) and I do feel free and liberated. I feel like focus has been taken from my hair. I feel like now I'll be more than just the girl with nice hair or cool hair colors, hopefully. Because there is a lot more to me than hair.

naturally.yours wrote: I feel like focus has been taken from my hair.

It's funny that you say this because for me I find that I do focus a lot more on my hair now that it is natural. However, the focus is out of love and learning. But it just goes to show how every one of our journeys is truly a unique one. Beautiful.

misskris wrote:@ Umph, "I am free from driving 45 minutes to the salon
I am free of sitting for hours waiting my turn
I am free of stylists taking lunch breaks while I'm waiting my turn
I am free of all the salon gossip; some can't wait until their last patron leaves just to gossip about her."
Now THAT is true!!!! LMAO

I have to second that! I think I was aggravated each and every time I went to the salon. In the words of Charlie Brown AARRRGGGHHH! Lol. It is definitly liberating not having to deal with that anymore.

I have always wanted wash and go hair and never knew that I actaully had it! Was forced to get a perm when I was a child and really didn't know anything else.

I was liberated 5 years ago when I moved to Colorado from Louisiana and didn't want to keep a perm in such a dry climate. It was the best thing that my hair could have ever been through.

i didnt feel free or liberated after the bc but i was happy with my bc. i bc'd over a yr and a half ago. i went natural because i seen the ladies on yt natural hair and decided thats how i wanted to wear my hair. my relaxed hair wasnt damage. i had a simple regimen so my hair wasnt time consuming. i never relaxed to fit in or because i had a problem with natural hair. so i really dont know whats to feel liberated about.

naturally yours wrote:i didnt feel free or liberated after the bc but i was happy with my bc. i bc'd over a yr and a half ago. i went natural because i seen the ladies on yt natural hair and decided thats how i wanted to wear my hair. my relaxed hair wasnt damage. i had a simple regimen so my hair wasnt time consuming. i never relaxed to fit in or because i had a problem with natural hair. so i really dont know whats to feel liberated about.

I think that was the problem I ran into about feeling liberated. I didn't relax to fit in, it was just all I knew, and I never had a problem with natural hair too. That's why I looked to these ladies to get their different feelings of liberation and what could an individual possibly be liberated from.

LOL! Waiting ur turn while ur hairdresser takes a lunch break!

I remember those days. Seems like some of the best hairdressers have attitudes cuz they know they're in demand and peep r desperate to get they hair did.

Not my most recent one tho. She was nice and professional.

"I didn't relax to fit in, it was just all I knew"

ditto

I didn't have, and couldn't understand, that feeling of liberation either. I bc'd because my oldest (10yo at the time) didn't want to get relaxers anymore, and my youngest (6yo at the time) needed to see that her hair was beautiful even though it wouldn't flow down her back like her friends with a looser curl texture. I felt it'd be hypocritical of me to teach them their hair is beautiful as is while wearing a relaxer.