NATURAL HAIR DICTIONARY

A

Accordion Method – This is a technique where you use a squeezing motion to scrunch the product into the tresses of the hair to encourage body and natural waves.

Accordion Technique – scrunching product into the hair as if playing an accordion.

ACV – Apple Cider Vinegar. This is used as a rinse to close hair follicles.

AO – Aubrey Organics

AOHR – Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner

ALS – Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. These are lathering agents in shampoo that can contribute to hair damage and hair loss.

APL – Arm Pit Length. This is a way of describing the length of a person’s hair. If a strand of hair can be stretched out to reach an armpit it qualifies as APL.

B

BAA – Big Ass Afro or Bad Ass Afro

Baggy Job or Baggying – This is a method of soaking the hair with moisturizer and then sealing it in a plastic bag, shower cap, Saran wrap or even a simple plastic shopping bag for several hours; ideally the head and all hair should be covered all night. Baggying can also be applied to just the ends of the hair.

BC – Big Chop. It means cutting off all the relaxed hair; regardless of the amount of new growth.

BNC – Braid–n–Curl. The hair is braided to get a pleasant kink in it and then the ends are set with rollers or rods to add a curl. Often this is done on the hair wet and then unbraided in the morning.

Breakage – This is when the hair breaks–off without being completely intact. The white bulb which should accompany the hair is not present. This is often times caused by hair that is dry and brittle or roughly handled.

Braid Out – Braids that have been left on overnight or a few days that are gently unbraided so as to not disturb the natural kinky nature of the hair. The result is a crimped looking hairstyle.

BSL – is Bra Strap Length hair. BSL hair reaches the bra strap in the back when the strands are pulled straight down.

BSS – Beauty Supply Shop or Beauty Supply Store. This is an offline or online place where styling products and tools can be bought.

C

Carrier Oil – These are also known as base oils. They are used to dilute pure essential oils (like rosemary) that if used on their own might irritate or burn the scalp or skin. Common carrier oils are olive, grape seed and Vitamin E oil. The oil can be a mix or it can be a single vegetable oil.

CBL – Collar Bone Length Hair. This describes hair strands that when stretched touch your collar bone.

CLH – Classic Length Hair. This is a desirable length that is achieved once the hair, when stretched reaches the point where your thighs meet your buttocks.

Cones – These are products that contain silicone that help smooth, protect and shine the hair. However they also can weaken the hair shaft. Sulfates are needed to remove cones from the hair strand as they ask as a barrier to block moisture out.

Co–Wash – This is the act of washing your hair with conditioner only so that it is not stripped of its natural oils. It is often done on dry, damaged hair. This method can be used daily and is often referred to as conditioner wash.

CW – Conditioner Wash. This means skipping the shampoo and washing with conditioner. Also referred to as co-wash.

CWC – Conditioner, Wash, Conditioner. Hair is pretreated with conditioner before shampooing so it loses less moisture. It is then conditioned again after washing.

Cornrows – The hair is intertwined closely to the scalp using braiding techniques that may involve three or more sections of hair.

Cottony Hair – This frizzy hair type has a dull sheen. When tied taut in braids it can develop a glossy shine. An identifying characteristic of this type of hair is that it may take several soakings to get it completely wet because it absorbs water rapidly.

CON – Creme of Nature.

CG – Curly Girl. This describes Lorraine Massey’s regimen of avoiding cone laden shampoo and only using conditioner to wash your hair.

Curliness Classifications

• Straight – stick straight (1a), straight with a light wave (1b) and straight with visible S–shaped waves (1c)
• Wavy – loose and long S–shaped waves (2a), shorter more distinct S–shaped waves (2b) and distinct S waves with occasional spirals (2c)
• Big Curly – large and loose spiral curls (3a), bouncing ringlets (3b) and wrapped corkscrews (3c)
• Small Curly – coils of S–shaped curls (4a), bending Z–patterns (4b)

D

DC – Deep Conditioning. Hair is saturated with oil or conditioners, place plastic cap on to cover hair and then put on heated cap so that it becomes to penetrate deep within the hair strands.

Depilatory – Hair remover products and relaxers commonly contain sodium and calcium hydroxide. These chemicals dissolve the protein in the hair strand and then allow the hair to be easily wiped away off the skin and scalp by chemical destroying the hair.

Demarcation Line – This is the place on the hair where natural hair growth and hair that has been relaxed meets. Breakage of hair strands is very likely at this line so be gentle when handling the two textures.

Dew Point – This is the temperature of the air at which water condenses and droplets form. It applies to hair styling when you are incorporating humectants into the tresses. The closer the temperature is to the dew point, the more moisture that will be in the air and the more effective humectants like glycerin will be.

Dusting – This is a hair trim where less than ¼ inch will be cut off. It is also known as a “light trim.”

E

EL – Ear Length. If a hair strand is stretched out and reaches the bottom of your ear lobe then you are said to have ear length hair.

EO – Essential oil. Essential oils are pressed from plants and added to conditioners and other hair products to keep hair healthy.

EVCO – Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

F

Frizz – This is a hair state caused by dehydrated hair strands. Be sure to drink plenty of water. Frizz products don’t correct the issue; they are designed to mask the problem, most often with silicone.

G

Going Natural – This is a common term for letting your relaxed hair grow out so you can enjoy its natural texture. It implies that you will no longer be using a relaxer on your hair. This is a journey/process that can last from a day to several years.

H

Henna – This is a natural hair dye made from green plant leaves that imparts shades of red into the hair strands. The shade of red that imparts into your hair depends on your hair color. A paste is created from the henna powder which can be further enhanced with tea, lemon juice and other natural liquids. Sometimes the coloring agent of indigo is added to make hair darker.

Hair Analysis – This is an assessment procedure that involves evaluating the hair through examining the hair’s texture, elasticity, density, growth patterns and porousness.

Hair Cuticle – These are hair cells on the hair strand that overlap and protect the inner layers of the hair known as the cortex and the medulla.

Hair Density – This is the number of hairs growing on the scalp per square inch. Density is qualified as thin (low), medium or thick (high).

Hair Elasticity – This is the ability of the hair to be pulled or stretched out and returns to its regular shape without breaking or snapping.

Hair Porosity – This describes the ability of the hair to soak up moisture. The more porous a strand is, the more quickly water will be absorbed into the cuticle.

Hair Sebum – This is a coating of natural oil that protects the hair and makes it shinier. The straighter your hair is the more easily sebum can travel down the hair strand. Spiraling curls make it difficult for the oil to be distributed evenly down the hair strand and all the way down the shaft to the ends.

Hair Characteristics – include (L.O.I.S) L (hair with waves, bends and angles), O (hair with spirals), I (hair with no curl at all) and S (hair with waves and curls)

Hair Strand Size – This is a determination of the thickness of your hair. If your natural hair is as thin as a piece of frayed thread then your hair is fine. If your natural hair is thicker than a frayed thread, your hair can be classified as normal. If your hair resembles yarn, then it qualifies as thick.

Hair Volume Classifications – Hair volume is determined by putting your hair in a ponytail and then measuring its circumference. If it is less than 2 inches then it is thin. If it is between 2–4 inches it is normal and if it is more than 4 inches it is thick.

HHG – Happy Hair Growing

HHJ – Healthy Hair Journey

HE – Herbal Essence

HEHH – Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner. This conditioner and detangler is a successful product for hard to handle wet hair because it provides great slip which is needed during detangling

HG – Holy Grail. These are products that are known to work well for a person to give them the hair they want. These products will differ from person to person.

HTH – Hope This Helps.

Humectants – These are ingredients in hair products that help draw moisture from the air and into the hair shaft. However your hair can become dry if the air is dry as well, so be sure that moisture is in the air.

J

JBCO – Jamaican Black Caster Oil

L

Leave–in Conditioner – This is a conditioning product that you do not have to rinse out of your hair. These types of conditioners contain humectants and help attract moisture back into the hair. This helps create a stronger, more flexible hair strand.

Listen to Your Hair – This is a proactive, introspective and intuitive action that allows you to be in tune with the needs of your hair. Being aware of the characteristics and behaviors of your hair helps you achieve stronger, healthier and manageable hair.

Low Manipulation – This means doing very little on an in frequent basis. Do not brush your natural hair with 100 strokes a day and you definitely do not have to comb your hair every day. The less you manipulate your hair; the less breakage you will have.

M

MBL – Middle Back Length. If a strand of hair can stretch past your bra strap it is called MBL.

Moisturizing – This is the act of retaining moisture (water) in the hair using and oil and/or butter. You can use a water–based or oil–based product as a leave–in conditioner after washing your hair.

MMF – Mizani Moisturefuse. A conditioning hair product.

MN – Miconazole Nitrate. A prescription hair growth product.

MNT – Mane N Tail. This is a well-known moisturizing shampoo. The company also has a line of products that are used on pets and horses.

MT – Mega Tek. A conditioning horse product used to grow and thicken the horse’s hair.

N

Nappy Hair – The word nappy is a pejorative description of African American hair textures. This word is offensive to some women.

Naturalversary (Natural Anniversary) – This is the anniversary of the day that you decided to no longer use relaxers, chemicals or processers on your hair.

Natural Hair – This is hair that has not been texturized, relaxed or been chemically altered in any way. Please note hair dye can in fact relax your curl pattern- dyers beware.

NHC – Natural Hair Community or NaturalHairCommunity.com.

NG – New Growth.

NL – Neck Length hair. When stretched a strand of hair is NL if it reaches your neck.

No poo – This is a slang term for no shampoo. You wash your hair with conditioner instead.

O

ORS – Organic Root Stimulator.

Over lapping – This involves applying relaxer to hair that has already been relaxed instead of relaxing only the new growth.

Over–processed – Leaving the hair relaxer on for too long causing a limp, overextended appearance.

P

PJ – Product Junkie (Junky)! This is someone who splurges on tons of natural hair products in pursuit of that one miracle product that is going to fix their hair!

Plopping – This refers to a technique for drying your hair. You use a t–shirt to dry your hair instead of rubbing a towel on it. This can tremendously reduce your drying time.

Pre poo – This refers to applying oils and/or conditioners to the hair before shampooing. Often times a heat source is used to allow the oils and/or conditioners to penetrate the hair and impart moisture.

Protective Hairstyle – This is a style that requires little manipulation, protects the ends of the hair by keeping them tucked away and allows regular moisturizing. Common protective styles are twists, coils, flat twists and cornrows.

Protein – This natural component is the building block of hair, specifically keratin protein. Protein is added to hair products to help mend, protect, and strengthen hair strands.

Pineappleing – This is a night–time hair styling technique that is used to protect or preserve the hair by gathering the hair loosely in a high pony tail on the top of your head. Sleeping on a satin pillowcase or using a satin cap can greatly improve the effectiveness of this technique.

R

Relaxing Bone Straight – Using a chemical relaxer to “relax” the hair until the natural curl pattern has been completely removed. Keep in mind that relaxers can act as depilatories and relaxing bone straight can haphazardly dissolve the hair. Relaxing bone straight is not recommended.

Relaxing Straight – Straightening the hair to a point, but stopping before the hair becomes bone straight.

S

SAA – Silk Amino Acid

Scab hair – Newly grown hair that is dry, wiry and crinkly. If you recently big chopped and previously had a relaxer, the follicle may have been damaged previously from using the relaxer. Scab hair doesn’t represent the actual texture of your natural hair.

Scalp Burns – These are first and even second degree burns that are the result of using chemicals that are too harsh on the scalp. The result is scarring and damage to the hair follicles and skin. Scarring can be permanent.

Sealing – This is a process of trapping moisture (water) into the hair strands and then sealing it with oils or butters. Oils and butters that are commonly used to seal hair include castor, olive, coconut, safflower, almond oil and shea butter.

S&D – Search and Destroy. A “search and destroy” mission allows you to find split ends, knots and weak spots and then cut them out using hair shears. Only use quality hair shears (scissors) when cutting your hair.

Second Day Hair or 2^nd day hair – This is a hairstyle that lasts more than one day. You can sleep on it and it will still be as presentable as the day before and there will be no need for major restyling.

Slip – This describes the slipperiness of conditioner or detangler. The more slip a product has, the more likely it is to coat the entire strand of hair to assist in detangling the hair.

Silky Hair – This is shiny hair that has a low sheen and wets easily.

SL – Shoulder Length. If strands of hair can be stretched to the shoulder it is SL.

SLS – Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Spongy Hair – This hair has a tight frizzy compacted look with low shine. It must absorb a lot of water before it feels completely wet.

Straight Hair – This is a hair type with no curl pattern. As it hangs straight it is very sleek and shiny, since there is no curl pattern light reflects off of the hair dull looking straight hair is often damaged.

Stretched Fro – This describes an afro that has been extended to its maximum length. This type of afro is achieved by first wearing twists, cornrows and braids and then releasing the hair back to an afro. Overtime the afro will naturally shrink back to its original size.

Stretching – Prolonging the time between relaxers. Instead of relaxing at 6 weeks, relax every 8, 10, 12 weeks.

T

TDH – That Does Help. This is usually in reply to a tip or product that aids in creating great natural hair style.

Texlaxed – This refers to hair that is under-processed purposefully, so the relaxer isn’t left on long enough to make the hair bone-straight. This is used to give your hair some thickness. This is also referred to as relaxurized.

Texturizing – Using products to loosen the curl slightly without straightening the hair.

Thickness of Strand Classifications

• Fine – Translucent thin hair strands that are hard to see and as fine as silk
• Medium – Hair strands that feel like a cotton thread and that are neither course nor fine feeling
• Course – Thick strands of hair that are larger than cotton thread and easy to see and that may make a noise if rasped between the fingers

Thready Hair – This is hair that has a low sheen but shines when the hair is stretched out tautly in a braid. Another identifying characteristic of thready hair is the ability to dry quickly.

TNC – Twist–n–Curl. This is a hair style where the hair is twisted and the ends are curled with rollers.

TTH – Thanks. That Helps.

Transitioning – Is a part of going natural and describes the period of time that has passed since your last relaxer.

TWA – Teeny Weeny Afro. This refers to a relatively compact afro.

Twist Out – A hairdo where you two strand twist the hair, then allow it to dry by either air drying it or sitting under a hair dryer. After the twists have dried, you can take them apart and style. To prevent frizzy hair, wear plastic gloves or latex gloves and rub a light amount of oil on to the finger tips as you separate the twist.

Two Strand Twists – for this style, you take two equal sections of hair and twirl one section around the other until you reach the very end of your hair. This is also referred to as double strand twist.

U

Under–processed – This describes hair that did not straighten totally after chemical processing – kinks, waves and curls are still present. The relaxer may not have penetrated and processed the hair enough.

W

Wash and Go (also WnG or W&G) – This is a carefree style where you wash your hair with conditioner, add gel or cream to style it and then leave it to air dry or use a diffuser.

WRTC – White Rain Tropical Coconut conditioner

(TAKEN FROM: COLORFULKINKS )