General Information

Thousands of people are transitioning, getting the BC, or are already natural and have been so for so many years. Newcomers and some veterans in the natural hair community are so lost by the different acronyms and abbreviations they can get lost in translation and not understand a thing they read in a blog or article. Here is a little help for your natural hair journey:

Hair Terminology

A

ACV: Apple cider vinegar, used to clarify the hair and level acidity
Aloe Vera gel/juice: very moisturizing for hair and skin
ALS: Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate; ingrdients that can potentially harm your hair
AO: Aubrey Organics
APL: Arm Pit Length
ASL: Ammonium lauryl sulfate, a common ingredient in shampoo
B

BAA: Big a** afro
Baggy method: Applying conditioner to the hair then wrapping it with saran wrap or covering it with a plastic/shower cap for an extended period
BBA: Big beautiful afro
BC: Big chop, cutting off all the relaxed and or chemically processed hair, to have fresh and free natural hair
BSB: Below Shoulder Blade
BSL: Bra-strap length
BSS: Beauty Supply Store
C

CC: Creamy Crack (relaxer, perm)
CL: Chin length
CBL: collar-bone length hair
Clarifying: when you wash your hair to remove product build up, dirt or anything clogging the follicles
Cones: silicone, which can lead to no moisture to adhere to the hair
CON: Creme of Nature
Co-wash: Conditioner wash; washing hair with conditioner instead of shampoo, also called cw
D

DC: Deep condition/Deep conditioner by leaving conditioner on the hair for 30 mins or more
DIY: do it yourself
Dry comb: Coming the hair while it is dry
DT: to deep treat the hair, same as DC
E, F, G, H, I, J, K

EVOO: Extra virgin olive oil, very popular oil for hair and skin care
EVCO: Extra virgin coconut oil, a common oil to use for hair and skin due to it’s amazing properties
EO: essential oil
Flex-set: to flexi-rod set the hair
HE: Herbal Essences
HEHH: Herbal Essence Hello Hydration
HG: holy grail
HHG: happy hair growing
HIH/HIF: hand in hair and hand in fro disease
HL: hip length hair
HSR: Honey Suckle Rose by Aubrey Organics
HTH: hope that helps
IMO: in my opinion
JBCO: Jamaican black castor oil
KCCC: Kinky Curly Curling Custard
L

Leave-in: this is a conditioner or mix that stays in your hair after it’s applied. It is not rinsed/washed out. Mean’t to moisturize the hair
M

MBL: Mid back length
MN: Miconazole Nitrate-providing oxygen for the hair when used in the process of hair restoration and hair growth.
MT: Megatek -hair cell regenerator for hair damaged by perm, chemicals or heat.
N

Natural Hair: to be completely free of chemical processing in the hair, aka NH
NG: New growth
NL: neck length
No-poo: Haircare regimens that don’t include the use of sulfate shampoo
Naturally Curly: popular site for naturals
O, P

PJ: product junkie, or one who likes to buy hair products or any products for that matter a lot.
Poo: Shampoo
Pre-poo: to apply a conditioning/ treatment to the hair before shampooing/washing to add moisture to the follicles
Q, R

Rod-set: uses perm rods to set the hair into curls
Rolls: the art of rolling the hair to create a style (french roll, finger rolls)
S

SAA: silk amino acids-protein
Shea Butter: the most popular butter for hair and skin care. Has great properties to help moisturize and protect hair and skin. Can be used with other oils and plants.
SL: shoulder length
Slip: the measure of how well a product allows you to detangle your hair, or glide through it. Slip is the ease/leeway the product provides and slipperiness on the hair
SLS: Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common ingredient in shampoo
SLES: Sodium Lareth Sulfate, another common ingredient in shampoo
Straw sets: setting the hair on straws for a curly outcome
T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

TWA: Teeny weeny afro
Water: the natural’s staple ingredient!!
WSL: waist length hair
numbers

3A texture: Loose curls
3B texture: Tight curls
4A texture: Loose kinks/coils
4B texture: Tight kinks/coils

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Tags: natural hair guide, terminology

There are many of us who have had the pleasure pain of experiencing dry hair at some point in our life. Contrary to popular belief, many of us suffer from dry hair on an everyday basis, regardless of if we wear our hair natural or not. What if I told you some of the everyday products we use affects the moisture outcome of our hair? No, I’m not only talking about hair products, I’m actually referring to one of the most important resources on Earth: H2O aka Water.

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Tags: acv rinse, b positive mag, distilled water, dry hair, knotty by nature, natural hair, tap water, water

The pressure to maintain a professional appearance on a job can become quite the topic of controversy. I’m sure we all have our personal idea of what we consider to be “appropriate attire” for the work place, and so does our employer. With that being said is their an unofficial rulebook of what natural hairstyles are okay to wear to work, or are we allowed to wear our hair anyway we please?

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Tags: appearance, corporate america, debate, job, natural hair

Recently, there has been a lot controversy over grease/vaseline being used as a moisturizing agent for natural hair. Traditionally grease is used in the African-American community as a moisturinzing agent to oil the scalp. Many Naturalistas have shared there disagreements for the typical usage of grease however, Knotty By Nature Divas such as CurlyNikki have come out of the closet admitting “Yes I still use grease

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Tags: birmingham natural beauties, dr. corey hartman, grease, natural hair, scalp, seborrheic dermatitis