Interlude required. . .

Lingo, jargon, dialect, slang. . . in other words, hair language. I know I said my next post would be on my hair regimen and goals but I felt that I needed to do a post on some of the terminology that is used in the world of hair care. Believe it or not, this is a partial list of common acronyms/definitions for your information. Hope this helps!



NG - new growth
BC - big chop
Line of Demarcation - line where the natural hair and relaxed hair meet
TWA - teeny weeny afro
BSS - beauty supply store
PJ - product junkie; one who is always purchasing more items before using up what they already have
HG - holy grail; product or method that is tried and true
EO - essential oil; highly concentrated, volatile, aromatic essences of plants (ex. rosemary, lavendar, peppermint, cederwood, basil)
CO - carrier oil; derived from vegetable, nut or seed (ex. coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, castor oil) (used to diulte essential oils; also used to seal moisture in the hair)
EVOO - extra virgin olive oil
EVCO - extra virgin coconut oil
JBCO - jamican black castor oil
Sulfates - ingredients found in harsher shampoos that tend to be drying to hair
Humecants - attract and retain moisture from the air (ex. glycerin, honey, panthenol)
Cones - silicones; ingredients ending in "cone" found in products that may lead to build-up
ACV - apple cider vinegar
Clarifying - removing product build-up from the hair; some like to use an ACV rinse or baking soda rinse for this purpose
Prepoo - prepping hair prior to cleansing; done by adding conditioner or natural oils in the hair
No-poo - cleaning hair without using shampoo
Cowash - cleansing hair with conditioner instead of shampoo
DC - deep condition
Slip - when comb easily glides through hair
Moisturizing - applying a water or cream based moisturizer or conditioner to the hair
Sealing - applying a natural oil or butter to the hair after you've moisturized in order to decrease evaporation
Protective Styling - wearing hair in a style that doesn't put stress and strain on the hair
S&D - search & destroy; method for trimming off split ends
Dusting - very light trim; cutting 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch
Shedding - hair that has reached the end of its growing cylce and naturaly falls from the scalp along with the attached bulb
Breakage - broken, short, choppy hair that comes out without a bulb attached
Hair Type:
2a, 2b, 2c - loose, wavy curls
3a, 3b, 3c - thicker, coily curls
4a, 4b - kinky, coily hair
Hair Length:
EL - ear length
NL - neck length
SL - shoulder length
APL - arm pit length
BSL - bra strap length
BSB - below shoulder blade
MBL - mid back length
WSL - waist length


I will post my regimen and goals on Sunday.
Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily