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!