Natural Hair Dictionary

ACV- Apple Cider Vinegar- can be used as cuticle seal 

APL- Arm Pit Length- When your hair grows down or past your arm pits.  

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- When you've cut off all of your straight or chemically relaxed hair.

BNC- Braid-N-Curl- Braiding your hair and rolling the ends with flexi rods or spiral rods. 

BSL- Bra Strap Length- When your hair reaches your bra strap.  

BSS- Beauty Supply Store

Buds (Budding)= First stage in locking. Small, young sections that will eventually grow out and mature as actual dreadlocks

CBL- Collar Bone Length- When your hair reaches your collar.  

CG- Curly Girl

Co-Wash- Washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. 

Cones- short name for '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).

Creamy crack = A not so affectionate term used to refer to permanent hair relaxers; nickname was given by those who found it hard to stop getting relaxers before they transitioned to natural hai

DT or DC- Deep treatment or 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. This method is also referred to as dusting because even though your hair is being trimmed evenly, it is so little hair, that it just looks like dust on the floor.

EO- Essential Oil

EVCO- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

HG- Holy Grail (Products that are tried and true)

HIH- Hand in Hair. Its a disease that causes you to always be manipulating your tresses.

MBL- Mid Back Length 

Nappyversary/Nattyversary - The anniversary of the day you became natural

No-poo = Washing method that does not involve the use of shampoo; co-washing is a type of no-poo method

Pineappleing- 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 any and every product. 

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. 

Sealing- Is essentially sealing moisture in the hair, specifically the ends. For sealing to be effective, you must first use a water-based moisturizer (a conditioner or cream that has water as its first ingredient), and then seal with a butter or oil. The molecules in most butters/oils are too large to pass into the hair, so they stick to the outside of the shaft, trapping in the rich goodness of the moisturizer. Reversing those 2 steps will lead to dry hair. Sealing has saved my hair.

Search and Destroy (S&Ds)- I find good lighting, usually in the bathroom, and examine my ends...whenever I see a split, a crooked end or a single strand knot, I snip it out. I only use hair scissors for this task (purchase from Sally's or Walmart) this is key. Buy a decent pair of hair scissors and ONLY USE THEM FOR HAIR TRIMS. Dull scissors will do more damage. Every now and then (when my hair is excessively tangly), I'll do a Micro Trim, which is snipping off the last 1/4 of an inch of my ends...I do this while my hair is in twists for ease.

Slip- Used to describe how slippery a product is (usually a conditioner or detangler)... the more slip it has, the more effectively it will coat the hair to aid in detangling.

SLS- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate 

TNC- Twist-n-Curl. Twisting the hair.

Transitioning - This is the period of time since one's last relaxer.

TWA- Teeny Weeny 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, WNG & W&G- Simply co-wash your hair, add a styler (gel, cream) and GO. You leave the hair to air dry or dry with a diffuser. 


Courtesy of: www.curlynikki.com