Terminology 101 Flashcards
NATURAL HAIR
Hair whose texture hasn’t been altered by chemical straighteners, including relaxers and texturizers.
TRANSITIONING
Process of growing out your natural texture before cutting off the processed or damaged ends – going back to a natural hair texture – basically slowly letting your natural hair and roots grow out from what was damaged – slowly letting it grow out into two different textures, not cutting it off until grown out.
THE BIG CHOP
Process of cutting off the processed or permed ends of one’s hair when they are transitioning from chemically processed hair to natural hair
RELAXED HAIR
A hair relaxer is a lotion or cream that makes the hair easier to straighten or manage. It reduces the curl by breaking down the hair strand and chemically altering the process. People usually do this to make it easier to straighten or manipulate.
HAIR POROSITY
Your hair’s ability to absorb moisture. Broken Down into 3 categories:
- Low: Cuticles are a little tight and pretty resistant to receiving water or moisture
- Normal: Holds moisture and shine for an extended period of time - *but this can change depending how often someone puts heat on their hair, color their hair or chemically process their hair in any way
- High: Absorbs moisture quickly but loses moisture fast
HAIR DENSITY
How thin or thick your hairs are collectively
HAIR WIDTH
(different then hair density) – How thick or thin a single strand is
SLIP
The term most naturals use when they are discussing products that help detangle their hair, mostly conditioners; If a product has good detangling properties, meaning consistency of the product helps loosen tangles along hair strands, the you will hear someone say “this product has great slip!”
WASH N’ GO
when you wear your hair in it’s natural curl pattern, without manipulating the style with tools, braids or stretching. you can add product to define your curls but you are basically just letting it fall where it may
PRE POO
Treatment done BEFORE shampooing your hair to help aid against a shampoos tendency to strip your hair of it’s natural oils and moisture – can be an oil of your choice, a DIY conditioner, a regular conditioner, hair mask, honey, etc.
SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO
(something that is asked about in the natural hair community a lot) – mild detergents that don’t completely wash away your hair’s moisture. (Remember the difference between our sulfate use and the ‘typical’ sulfate use).
CO-WASH
short for ‘conditioner only washing’; it means skipping shampoo and relying solely on conditioner, whether you’re a daily or weekly washer. The result is something between squeaky clean and second day hair that is, smoother, softer and easier to manage. (Keep in mind the ingredients of our co-wash and what makes that different)
DEEP CONDITIONING
a hair care practice that can restore and maintain the strength of the hair strand so that it can better withstand day-to-day stressors without sustaining damage. *if you are manipulating or braiding a lot, deep condition is a really great addition to your routine to prevent damage.
PROTEIN TREATMENTS
(highly suggested for anyone who treats with heat or chemically treats their hair in anyway). Boost the hair with a variety of nutrients and proteins to help reconstruct and strengthen hair strands; having protein packed strands is a good way to maintain your overall hair health – anything from pollution to sun exposure to chemical treatment or dying can breakdown protein and lead to breakage and dull hair.
BRAID OUT
A way of stretching out your natural hair by braiding it and after the style sets (dries), taking it down.
