I have dyed my hair a total of four times and I have cut it twice. The reason is because, like most people, I got tired of it looking a certain way.”
Undoing decades of being brainwashed into thinking that your natural hair was somehow incorrect and needed to be fixed is one hefty habit to break.
Once you overcome that hurdle and make a full transition into wearing your unaltered hair with confidence, it can also be a bit exhausting keeping up with the ever changing trends in hairstyles, product options, and techniques talked about and passed around within the community. Dealing with these things could make anyone want to give up on their journey–and rightfully so. Just ask Ambria, a YouTube creator who can thank the natural hair community for gaining leverage in the world of social media influence.
“I went natural in May of 2012 and since then, I have dyed my hair a total of four times,” says Ambria. “I have cut my hair twice. The reason is because, like most people, I got tired of it looking a certain way.”
Ambria blames part of her dissatisfaction in returning natural on her obsession with length retention.
“The first couple of years of being natural I was all about length, and figuring out what type of styles I could accomplish. Then after a while, I became more focused with the health of my hair, but I still wanted to try something new.”
After switching gears to focus on the health of her texture still didn’t satisfy a craving for change, Ambria did another Big Chop. “I decided to cut my hair–into a tapered cut–and I began playing with color.” While this did the trick for a while, she quickly realized the constant maintenance that now came with the modifications.
I soon realized that having color in your hair means you have to constantly make sure your hair is moisturized…I failed to do that to the best of my ability.
Still, Ambria wasn’t ready to quit her natural hair just yet.
“To combat this, I cut off about 2 to 3 inches of my ends, which got rid of some of the color, but not all. After a while, I noticed that twist outs did not look good on me like they used to, even if I switched around products.” Once Ambria hit the styling plateau with her natural hair, her momentum had slowed down. “Pretty soon, I began wearing my hair up, tucked away or just refrained from styling it all together. I knew how much I loved my tapered cut so I decided I would get it again, but this time I would go even shorter!”Is Ambria done with natural hair for good? Nope.
Just three days ago the YouTuber Big Chopped yet again, and now feels a boost of confidence as a result in her TWA. “So, Saturday, May 7th, I got a haircut and it’s not in a TWA and I couldn’t be more happier! I feel more like myself than I ever have! I think I’ve found the style for my personality and lifestyle! “
Since the above video was posted, Ambria has continued to embrace her TWA! Below, watch her latest tutorial geared to other naturals hoping to ease their own ‘awkward phase’ in hair length.
