Michelle Seay prepares for her Big Chop

Michelle Seay prepares for her Big Chop at ‘Fro Fashion Week

Atlanta, GA – “I am going natural because I want healthier hair. My hair wants to be curly and I want to set it free.”

After two years of transitioning, it's time for the Big Chop

Stylist Key Martin and blogger Cassidy Blackwell feel Michelle Seay’s hair before the Big Chop

That was how Michele Seay ended up on a stage, surrounded by dozens of women who wanted to be a part of her Big Chop. More than two years after her last relaxer, she was ready to take the final leap.

The big chop begins

Key Martin takes out her shears and begins to cut

Seay was in good hands, with texture specialist Key Martin in charge. Martin, who works at Atlanta’s Beautiful Dollhouse Salon, started off by “letting her hair talk to me.” She felt her hair, looking for the demarcation line between the relaxed hair and the new growth, feeling the different textures.

The big chop begins

Key holds up the first strands of hair

Then she took out her shears—the point of no return. The emotional moment brought tears from some in the audience, and the first cut brought a loud gasp and cheer as everyone showed their support. Flashbulbs went off in all directions as the crowd captured the moment.

The Big Chop brings out emotions

Michelle Seay’s Big Chop was an emotional moment for this onlooker, who snapped a photo

Seay held the strands in her hand, letting them drop to her lap. Throughout the next hour, she cut off the relaxed hair and shaping the new growth. She wanted a Halle Berry look that she could wear curly or spiky.

Michelle Seay loves her new look, post big chop

Michelle Seay loves her new natural look after the Big Chop

Before she even saw her new look, Seay declared “I already love it.”

Big Chop is almost done

The crowd shows their approval as the Big Chop comes to a close

After the Big Chop

Michelle Seay sees her Big Chop for the first time: Photo courtesy of Erika Collier



This entry was posted on Saturday, February 19th, 2011 at 9:02 pm and is filed under Big Chop, Extensions, Kinky Hair (Type 4a), Styling, transitioning. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.


No comments yet for “Big Chop Takes Center Stage at ‘Fro Fashion Week”