When we first started on this natural hair journey, we were not familiar with many of the terms or natural hair ‘lingo’. It was little difficult to figure out some of the terms. I appreciated sites that had an explanation of the many different terms. So here is our breakdown of the lingo:
2nd day hair - Hair that looks good (at least decent) without doing much to it.
3abc/4a/4b/4c - A hair type classification system some used to categorize types of hair
ACV - Apple Cider Vinegar (used to seal cuticle...final rinse).
APL - Refers to length-- arm pit length. Now this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
BAA -Big ass afro
Baggy - After you moisturize your hair at night, you put a shopping bag, plastic cap, shower cap on overnight.
BC - Big Chop - cutting off all your chemically treated hair
BNC - Braid-n-Curl. Braiding or plaiting your hair and then rolling the ends with either sponge curlers or flexi rods.
BSL - Refers to length-- bra strap length. Again, this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
BSS - Beauty Supply Store
CBL - Refers to length-- collar bone length. Again, this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
Co-Wash - Using conditioner to wash the hair in place of shampoo
Cones - Are 'silicones', or ingredients found in hair care products that are not water soluble (i.e. you need shampoo to remove). Failure to wash out cones may lead to build-up, which may result in dry hair and breakage (due to suffocation of the strands).
CG - Refers to the "Curly Girl" method explained in the book by Lorraine Massey. It is a philosophy for individuals that have curls that involves, no or low shampoo, cone avoidance, and conditioner washing...among other things. These are just a few of the basic commandments.
DT or DC- Is a deep treatment or a deep conditioner. A DT is when you leave a moisturizing (or protein based, depending on your needs) conditioner on your hair for an extended period of time, along with a heat source to aid in penetration.
Dusting - Dusting your hair is a trim of 1/4 and inch or less. When seen on the floor it looks like dust.
EO - Essential Oil. Essential oils are derived from true plants and don’t contain artificial substances.
EVCO - Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (used in conditioning treatments)
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil (used in conditioning treatments)
HG - Holy Grail - products that are tried and true.
HIH - Hand-in-Hair. It is an addiction of ALWAYS having your hair in your hands.
MBL- Refers to length-- mid back length. Again, this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
Nappyversary/Nattyversary - The anniversary of the day you became a natural!
Pineappling - a type of sleeping technique that curlies with long hair use to
preserve/protect curls overnight so that they have great 2nd day hair. You gather all of your hair in a high, but loose pony tail at the top of your head and go to sleep on a satin
pillowcase. In the morning you take it down and shake it out gently and
all of your curls will have been preserved.
PJ - Product Junky – Someone that buys products all the time! Every time a new product comes out, they are first in line!!!
Plopping - A quick dry method. You use a t-shirt or a curl friendly material (terry cloth towel, paper towel) to dry your hair instead of rubbing a towel on your hair to dry it. It drastically decreases drying times.
Pre-pooing - A treatment applied prior to shampooing. It usually consists of oils and/or conditioners applied the night before the shampoo or immediately prior, with a heat source to help penetrate. This is usually performed to help the hair maintain necessary moisture during the drying shampoo process.
Protective Styling – As the name sounds, it is any variation on a hair style that keeps your ends up and protected. Styles such as braids or weaves are examples of protective styles. They are good options when transitioning but remember to keep your hair moisturized!
Sealing - Just what it sounds like. You seal or lock the moisture in your hair. To be effective, you want to use a water-based moisturizer (a conditioner or cream that has water as its first ingredient), and then seal with a butter or oil. Because the molecules in most butters/oils are too large to pass into the hair, so they stick to the outside of the shaft, keeping the rich goodness of the moisturizer in your hair.
Search and Destroy (S&Ds) - This is a term to describe finding those single strand knots or split ends. Use a good pair of hair scissors and ONLY USE THEM FOR HAIR TRIMS. Dull scissors will do more damage. Usually about ¼ of an inch. If it is a split end, make sure cut above the split.
Slip - Term used to describe how much smoothness a condition or detangler has. The more slippery a product is the more effective in aiding in the detangling process.
SLS - Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (found in the many shampoos- the main reason that CG'ers avoid poo).
TNC - Twist-n-Curl. Same as a BNC but with twists instead of braids, placing flexi rods or curlers on the end.
Transitioning – Term to describe when someone stops relaxing their hair and ‘transitions’ to natural. If you don’t do a BC, and have a two different textures (the relaxed and the new growth). It is crucial to keep your hair moisturized during the time.
TWA - Teeny Weeny Afro. A short or low-cut Afro.
Twist-Out - Two strand twist the hair, allow to dry either by air drying or sitting under a dryer, take the twists apart, and style.
Wash and Go - Simply co-wash your hair, add a styler (gel, cream) and GO. You leave the hair to air dry or dry with a diffuser. This is also seen as WnG, and W&G.
2nd day hair - Hair that looks good (at least decent) without doing much to it.
3abc/4a/4b/4c - A hair type classification system some used to categorize types of hair
ACV - Apple Cider Vinegar (used to seal cuticle...final rinse).
APL - Refers to length-- arm pit length. Now this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
BAA -Big ass afro
Baggy - After you moisturize your hair at night, you put a shopping bag, plastic cap, shower cap on overnight.
BC - Big Chop - cutting off all your chemically treated hair
BNC - Braid-n-Curl. Braiding or plaiting your hair and then rolling the ends with either sponge curlers or flexi rods.
BSL - Refers to length-- bra strap length. Again, this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
BSS - Beauty Supply Store
CBL - Refers to length-- collar bone length. Again, this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
Co-Wash - Using conditioner to wash the hair in place of shampoo
Cones - Are 'silicones', or ingredients found in hair care products that are not water soluble (i.e. you need shampoo to remove). Failure to wash out cones may lead to build-up, which may result in dry hair and breakage (due to suffocation of the strands).
CG - Refers to the "Curly Girl" method explained in the book by Lorraine Massey. It is a philosophy for individuals that have curls that involves, no or low shampoo, cone avoidance, and conditioner washing...among other things. These are just a few of the basic commandments.
DT or DC- Is a deep treatment or a deep conditioner. A DT is when you leave a moisturizing (or protein based, depending on your needs) conditioner on your hair for an extended period of time, along with a heat source to aid in penetration.
Dusting - Dusting your hair is a trim of 1/4 and inch or less. When seen on the floor it looks like dust.
EO - Essential Oil. Essential oils are derived from true plants and don’t contain artificial substances.
EVCO - Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (used in conditioning treatments)
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil (used in conditioning treatments)
HG - Holy Grail - products that are tried and true.
HIH - Hand-in-Hair. It is an addiction of ALWAYS having your hair in your hands.
MBL- Refers to length-- mid back length. Again, this usually refers to the length of the hair when it is straight or stretched out. Not in its curly state.
Nappyversary/Nattyversary - The anniversary of the day you became a natural!
Pineappling - a type of sleeping technique that curlies with long hair use to
preserve/protect curls overnight so that they have great 2nd day hair. You gather all of your hair in a high, but loose pony tail at the top of your head and go to sleep on a satin
pillowcase. In the morning you take it down and shake it out gently and
all of your curls will have been preserved.
PJ - Product Junky – Someone that buys products all the time! Every time a new product comes out, they are first in line!!!
Plopping - A quick dry method. You use a t-shirt or a curl friendly material (terry cloth towel, paper towel) to dry your hair instead of rubbing a towel on your hair to dry it. It drastically decreases drying times.
Pre-pooing - A treatment applied prior to shampooing. It usually consists of oils and/or conditioners applied the night before the shampoo or immediately prior, with a heat source to help penetrate. This is usually performed to help the hair maintain necessary moisture during the drying shampoo process.
Protective Styling – As the name sounds, it is any variation on a hair style that keeps your ends up and protected. Styles such as braids or weaves are examples of protective styles. They are good options when transitioning but remember to keep your hair moisturized!
Sealing - Just what it sounds like. You seal or lock the moisture in your hair. To be effective, you want to use a water-based moisturizer (a conditioner or cream that has water as its first ingredient), and then seal with a butter or oil. Because the molecules in most butters/oils are too large to pass into the hair, so they stick to the outside of the shaft, keeping the rich goodness of the moisturizer in your hair.
Search and Destroy (S&Ds) - This is a term to describe finding those single strand knots or split ends. Use a good pair of hair scissors and ONLY USE THEM FOR HAIR TRIMS. Dull scissors will do more damage. Usually about ¼ of an inch. If it is a split end, make sure cut above the split.
Slip - Term used to describe how much smoothness a condition or detangler has. The more slippery a product is the more effective in aiding in the detangling process.
SLS - Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (found in the many shampoos- the main reason that CG'ers avoid poo).
TNC - Twist-n-Curl. Same as a BNC but with twists instead of braids, placing flexi rods or curlers on the end.
Transitioning – Term to describe when someone stops relaxing their hair and ‘transitions’ to natural. If you don’t do a BC, and have a two different textures (the relaxed and the new growth). It is crucial to keep your hair moisturized during the time.
TWA - Teeny Weeny Afro. A short or low-cut Afro.
Twist-Out - Two strand twist the hair, allow to dry either by air drying or sitting under a dryer, take the twists apart, and style.
Wash and Go - Simply co-wash your hair, add a styler (gel, cream) and GO. You leave the hair to air dry or dry with a diffuser. This is also seen as WnG, and W&G.
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