Hair Terminology

After a few weeks since the launch of Curls Fo’ the Girls, I asked my friends if they liked the blog, if they had any suggestions, etc., and my friend suggested that I do style tutorials and the such. In the midst of her suggestion, she said she didn’t know how to do a TWA, and I busted out laughing. I corrected her and explained what a TWA was. She then suggested that I do a post on “Natural Hair Slang”. Below, I have listed some of the most common words used within the natural hair community. However, these are NOT in alphabetical order! But do comment below if you have any that I did not mention! The more words, the better TWA= Teeny Weeny Afro CoWash= Conditioner wash, to wash the hair with conditioner SLS= Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate; the lathering agents in shampoos that strip hair of its natural oils LOC= Liquid Oil Cream, a method to moisturize, lock in moisture, and seal the hair using a liquid (water based leave in conditioner), oil to lock in the moisture, and cream to seal the hair Humectants= ingredients that help draw moisture from the air into the hair (honey, glycerin) BC= Big Chop DC/DT= Deep Conditioner/Deep Treatment DIY= Do It Yourself, often refers to homemade hair products EVOO= Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVCO= Extra Virgin Coconut Oil JBCO= Jamaican Black Castor Oil Pre-Poo= a pre treatment before shampooing the hair, EVOO or EVCO is often used PJ, Product Junkie= describes a person that has to buy/try almost every hair product/brand 2nd Day Hair= hair that has been styled and looks good for a second day HG, Holy Grail= a staple product that works perfectly for your hair Slip= describes how slippery a product (conditioner) is to allow fingers/wide tooth comb to glide through hair for optimal detangling Transition/ing= the stage of moving from permed hair to natural hair Demarcation Line= the place where natural hair meets the permed hair. This line is very sensitive and breakage is very likely at this point. WnG= Wash & Go, a style where you wash the hair, apply your leave ins & go! HIHS= Hand In Hair Syndrome, constant touching, twisting, twirling the hair that can lead to frizz and other damage Protective Styling= styles that require low manipulation to hide the ends of the hair to promote healthy hair growth (buns, braids, sew ins) Sealing= a method of using an oil or other products to seal the ends of the hair, limit breakage (JBCO is great for sealing the ends of hair) Finger Detangle= the process of using your fingers to detangle (one of the best methods) HTH, Hope This Helps! Until next time, Ashley, xo. Do you have any other Hair Terminology words that we should know about? Share them below!