Acronyms:
EL – Ear Length
NL – Neck Length
SL - Shoulder Length
APL – Arm Pit Length
BSL – Bra Strap Length
MBL – Mid back Length
WSL – Waist Length Hair
NG – New Growth
BC – Big Chop
DC – Deep Condition
NTM – Neutrogena Triple Moisture
MNT - Mane N Tail
CW- Conditioner Wash
CWC - Conditioner, Wash, Conditioner
ACV – Apple Cider Vinegar
CON – Creme of Nature
WRTC - White Rain Tropical Coconut conditioner
BSS – Beauty Supply Store
PJ – Product Junkie
Slip – When the comb easily glides through the hair
IMO – In My Opinion
HHG – Happy Hair Growing
BHM – Black Hair Media
LHCF – Long Hair Care Forum
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
EVCO – Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
JBCO - Jamaican Black Castor Oil
DIY – Do It Yourself
HTH - Hope This Helps
ETA - Edited To Add
TIA - Thanks In Advance
ITA - I Totally Agree
IA - I Agree
SMH - Shakes My Head
SO - Significant Other
DH - Dear Husband
DD - Dear Daughter
BRB - Be Right Back
BTW - By The Way
HE - Herbal Essences
MMF - Mizani Moisturefuse.
MT - Mega Tek
MN - Miconazole Nitrate
EO - Essential Oil
SAA - Silk Amino Acid
S&D - Search & Destory (Method for Triming off Spilt Ends)
FFOTD - Fab Foto Of The Day
LOTD - Look Of The Day
ALS - Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
SLS - Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cones - Silicones
Definitions:
Prepoo – Preparing your hair prior to shampooing. You do this by adding a moisturizing conditioner or natural oils into the hair . You can do this overnight or 30-40mins before you shampoo. This helps keep the moisture in your hair after you shampoo or clarify. Prepooing helps keep that moisture in.
Cowashing - Washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. This helps to put moisture back in the hair without stripping the hair of its natural oils.
Protective Styling – Wearing your hair up in a style that doesn't put strain on your edges/nape and keeps your ends off of your back & protected from outside elementsi.e Buns, Clips, Pony Tails etc.
Low Manipulation - Leave your hair alone! So barely manipulating your hair. The less manipulation the better which leads to less shedding and breakage which eventually leads to healthier hair. For example, Buns, Wash n Go's, Twistouts, Braids, Braidouts, Afro's etc.
Baggying – Putting on your moisturizer and then applying a plastic bag over the hair to trap the moisture in. You can either baggy your ends with a small sandwhich bag or you can full head baggy with a plastic shower cap. This is very helpful treatment for those with dry damaged hair and dry ends.
Deep conditioning – Deep conditioning is a nice treat for those with chemical relaxers, colored, dry, brittle, damaged hair. Deep conditioning with a conditioner specifically forumulated for conditions similar to the ones already listed will help revive dull lifeless hair thus giving it more strength, elasticity, moisture, softness, and shine. It is a really good way of replenishing lost moisture leaving it less prone to breakage and unmanagability. It's good to deep condition at least 1x per week.
Moisturizing – Applying a moisture based product to dry hair without washing it out. You can use a water-based or cream based moisturizer 1-2x per day. This helps to prevent breakage and increase elasticity in the hair.
Sealing – Using a natural oil to lock in the moisture after you've moisturized the hair i.e. Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Safflower Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. By using an oil over the moisturizer will allow your hair to stay moisturized longer.
Popular oils: Jojoba, coconut, EVOO, Castor(thickens hair), sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil. Recommended to get the unrefined, organic ones.
Leave-in Conditioner – A quick way of adding moisture back into the hair after shampooing/conditioning. It helps to detangle the hair leaving it soft and managable. Most leave-ins provide thermal protection for styling afterwards.
Braid-Out – Braiding your hair in sections while hair is still damp after deep conditioning/cowashing. Air dry the braids. Once dry,unravel the braids and style. You can wear this style up to a week without touch ups.
Stretching – Prolonging the time between relaxers. Instead of relaxing at 6 wks, relax every 8, 10, 12 wks.
Humectants – Attract and retain moisture from the air i.e Glycerin, Honey, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol.
Line of Demarcation - Where the natural hair and relaxed hair meet. This location can be very delicate so be very gentle when stretching.
