Hair cuts are heavy with symbolism about fresh starts and life changes and there’s perhaps no better example than the big chop; a term used by those with Black hair to describe cutting off their chemically-treated lengths to transition from relaxed or permed hair to fully natural in one swift gesture. Relaxed hair is unable to revert back to its natural form, no matter what products or techniques are used; to revert back to natural texture, the quickest solution is cutting all of the hair off and starting again with a TWA – teeny weeny afro. It’s not an easy decision; long hair is loaded with emotion and meaning and the big chop is perhaps about as drastic as it gets.