Lets speak Hair!

Happy new month chicas!
If you decided you like the natural hair movement and you started making some research on blogs and youtube videos, you’ve probably come across some words that made you confuzzled.

Whatever do they mean by No poo, Pre poo??? Poo? It must be a joke. Then you come across terms like “Pineapple your hair”, Dusting, “Search and destroy”… Hol up! Search and what? lol. These natural people be high on something special. That’s what i thought when i first came acrosss pre poo. Lets learn the community lingo before you become a full member. If you’re one already, there just might be something you didn’t know.

ACV: Apple cider vinegar. Very good for rinse outs and for balancing the hair’s pH.

ALS: You probably thought you knew this…. Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. This is a common ingredient in Shampoos. Try to avoid Shampoos with it.

AVG: Aloe vera gel.

Baggy method: A deep conditioning method where freshly moisturised hair is wrapped with plastic shower cap and left overnight or all day.

Banding: A heatless method of stretching the hair with the use of hair bands.

BC: This means Big chop. This is the major haircut you have when you decide to go natural and cut off all relaxed hair.

Braidlocs: A method of starting locs by plaiting the hair into braids and it is maintained by palm rolling, use of latch hook or just left to free form.

Braid out: Freshly washed or damp hair is put in braids(locally called Calabar) or Cornrows(plaits) and it is unraveled when dry to reveal a defined curly pattern.

Buds: First stage of dread locs when a knot is formed.

Build up: This is the build up of residue from hair products over time since last wash.

Carrier oil: Oils derived from nuts or seeds and are used to dilute essential oils. They “carry” essential oils into the scalp or skin. E.g. Coconut oil, Castor oil, Jojoba oil etc.

Condish: Conditioner

Cones: Silicones. These are ingredients in some hair products that are not water soluble and tend to weigh down the hair strands and cause build up.

Cornrows: A braiding style where the hair is braided very close to the scalp.

Co wash: Conditioner wash. The hair is washed only with conditioners instead of Shampoos. It helps to retain hair moisture.

DC: Deep Condition.

Detangle: A method of getting kinks and tangles out of the hair.

Dusting: Trimming off 1/4 of an inch off the ends of the hair. It is usually so small they appear as dust on the floor.

EO: Essential oils. Derived from leaves, stem, bark or roots of plants. They contain the essence of the plants i.e. the fragrance and should not be used directly on the skin or scalp. e.g. Lavender oil, Lemongrass oil, Peppermint oil etc.

EVCO: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

EVOO: Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Fro: Afro.

Hairlengths:

Humectants: These are Ingredients in hair and skin products that prevent loss of moisture thereby preserving the hair’s moisture. Some actively attract moisture from the atmosphere. Examples are Glycerol, Sorbitol, Honey, Aloe vera gel etc.

HIH: Hand in hair. Most people including yours truly have this syndrome. I try. God knows I do but I can’t stop touching my hair. It’s not a good habit though. It causes frizzy hair.

HHJ: Healthy Hair Journey.

Hair type: This is a hair classification according to the natural curl pattern.

Type1– Naturally straight hair . You do not fall into this category just because you permed and straightened your hair.
Type 2– Naturally wavy hair.
Type 3– Naturally curly hair. Most times the curls fall into a S pattern.
Type 4– Kinky springly tightly coiled hair.

JBCO: Jamaican black castor oil.

Leave in conditioner: This is a conditioner that is meant to be left on the hair without rinse. It adds moisture and bounce to the hair.

LOC: A method used to moisturise the hair whereby Liquid is applied to the hair for moisture,then Oil and Cream to seal in the moisture. There are other variations like LCO, LOCO, LOCC, LOCS. We’ll talk about them later.

Line of demarcation: This is the point where your natural hair and relaxed hair meet. This applies to transitioners. Its a very delicate point and should be treated with a lot of care.
Low manipulation: A hairstyle that doesn’t involve constant combing, brushing, touching the hair for a while. It prevents breakage and encourages length retention.

Nappyversary: The anniversary of the day you become fully natural. It helps to keep track of growth.

No Poo: This is when you use other cleansing agents like Conditioners, Baking soda, Acv or clays to cleanse your hair except Shampoo.

pH: Degree of acidity or alkalinity.

Pineappling: This is a way to preserve your curl style by putting your hair up with a scrunchie or satin/silk scarf such that it looks like a pineapple before you sleep.

Product junkie: A person on a “mission” to find the best hair product so buys every product available. I dont mind being one though. Only I would need a person to volunteer their purse.

Plop: A method of wrapping wet hair in a t-shirt or microfibre towel to dry.

Poo: This is short for Shampoo. Gotcha!

Pre poo: This is usually a mix of oils applied to the hair as a treatment before shampooing to prevent the shampoo from stripping the hair of all its natural oils.

PS: Protective style. A hairstyle that tucks away the hair for a while to prevent hair breakage and hair loss.

Regimen: This is your daily hair and wash routine.

Search and destroy: This is a hair trimming method where you search for individual hair strands with split ends and single strand knots.

Transitioning: The stage between having relaxed hair and becoming fully natural. At this point, you are no more getting relaxers and your natural hair is growing beneath the relaxed hair. Your transition period can go as long as you want.

Twa: Teeny weeny afro . As the name implies.

Twist out: A protective style that involves putting damp or freshly washed hair in twists then unraveling when dry to reveal a defined curl pattern.

Phew! I tried to gather the most important words and acronyms I could find. I really hope this comes in useful. You don’t have to memorise everything all at once. Take it slow and you would be a guru soon.

If you feel this post has helped you learn something, feel free to let us know. And if there is something you think I missed, you could drop it in the comments box and I would update the list.
Don’t forget to follow and like the blog. 😘

Imisiayo.

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