Helpful Hair Acronyms and Definitions

Throughout my hair journey I have come across a lot of different hair sites full of beautiful black women that have manage to grow and/or maintain their hair. The greatest thing about all of this is the fact that they have been more than willing to help others, exchanging information about products and techniques, as much as they can. The one challenge I have had is trying to figure out all the hair lingo that these women throw around. I think most of these hair divas assume that everyone knows what they are talking about when they throw around letters like NTM, HE LTR and BSL (I know, I know, I've am guilty of it too). Speaking from experience, it took me a hell of a time trying to figure it all out, and when I first started out I was a little intimidated. Too intimidated to speak up and ask questions--which may be the reason it took me so long to figure it all out LOL.  So I thought it would be beneficial to create a "short" list of most of the possible acronyms that are used on hair sites. It will definitely help you navigate the various hair sites with more success, and if nothing else, at least help you understand my post a little better.

HTH (Hope this helps)!

Acronyms:

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 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

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/That's Helps

ETA - Edited To Add

HE - Herbal Essences

HE LTR Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship

MMF - Mizani Moisturefuse

MHF - Mizani Hydrafuse

MKF - Mizani Kerafuse

SE MS MT Silk Elements Mega Silk Moisturizing Treatment

SE MC Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol
M&S - Moisture and Seal

MT - Mega Tek

MN - Miconazole Nitrate

EO - Essential Oil

SAA - Silk Amino Acid

S&D - Search & Destory (Method for Triming off Spilt Ends)

LOTD - Look Of The Day

ALS - Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate

SLS - Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Cones - Silicones

AOHSR - Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner

AOGPB - Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner

Definitions:

Baggying – Applying 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 sandwich 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. 

Braid-Out – Braiding your hair in sections while hair is still damp or dry. When the hair is unravelled hair will have volume and definition. You can wear this style up to 2-3 days with little to no touch ups.

Breakage - Broken pieces of hair without the white bulb. This can be caused by too much moisture (dryness) or protein (lacks elasticity). It can also be the cause of poor hair care.

Carrier oil - Known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils (e.g. Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Grapeseed Oil etc.) These oils can also be used to seal/trap moisture in the hair or moisturized the scalp.

Clarifying - Clarifying your hair is always a good idea to remove the build-ups some products leave on your hair which can make your hair dull and lifeless. Clarifying can remove the chlorine swimmers get on their hair. A Simple clarifier could include: mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons shampoo. Lather, wait 5 minutes, rinse and condition. OR you can use 2 tsp of ACV mixed into 2 cups of warm water, pour it on your hair, wait 2-3 mins, rinse and condition.

Co-washing - Washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. This minimizes how much moisture and natural oils are stripped from the hair.

Cuticle - The cuticle is the thinnest layer. It is transparent and consists of overlapping scale-like cells. It protects the cortex from chemicals.

Low Porosity has tightly bound cuticle layers that lay flat. It looks healthy, is very shiny as it is able to reflect light much better. It repels moisture and is hard to process since it is resists chemical penetration. This type of hair tends to be "protein sensitive" and requires more moisture based products (leave ins, conditioners, etc) because the protein bond are rarely disturbed or lost. Too much protein may cause hair to become rigid and break.

Medium/Normal Porosity has cuticle layers that are looser and open and close with little effort. It allows the right amount of moisture to enter the hair shaft, while preventing too much moisture from escaping. This type of hair requires a balance of protein and moisture to be maintained. 

High Porosity has gaps and holes in the cuticle, which allows too much moisture into the hair causing it to frizz and tangle easily. Moisture also escapes the hair much easier as well, leading to dryness and breakage. This type of hair requires more protein to help fill in those gaps and holes. It is also important to use leave in conditioners and seal with oils and butters to trap the moisture within the hair. 

Deep conditioning – Allows you to replace moisture and protein to hair strains after the hair has been washed. Deep conditioning with a conditioner specifically formulated for specific hair issues will help revive dull lifeless hair, giving it more strength, elasticity, moisture, softness, and shine. It's good to deep condition at least 1x per week.

Dusting - A very light trim. Cutting only 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. Good idea if you don't want a full blown trim.

Hair Type
1
Straight hair. There is absolutely no curl pattern in the hair. It is completely straight. Straight hair is very sleek and shiny because there is no curl pattern, which allows the light to reflect off of the hair giving it a shiny finish. 

2a, 2b, 2c

Loose curls and wavy hair. Type 2 hair can be categorized as 2a/2b or 2c. Basically, 2a hair is fine, while 2b hair is medium. 2c hair is thick and coarse with a frizzier look. This hair type has a natural “S” curl pattern as it hangs.

3a, 3b, 3c

Thicker, medium curly hair. Type 3 hair has a tighter curl pattern. It can be categorized at 3a/3b and 3c hair. 3a hair types have a looser curl pattern, while type 3b hair has a tighter curl pattern and type 3c hair has a tightly curly look and may look slightly kinky. When wet, type 3 hair shrinks quite a bit. But it is not as shiny as straight hair because the hair cannot reflect the light as easily. Type 3 hair is very springy. If you pull on it, it bounces back into its original curly state. This type of hair can sometimes be a challenge to straighten, especially 3c hair. 

4a, 4b

Kinky, tightly coiled hair. 4b is the thickest. Type 4 hair is a lot kinkier than the type 2 and 3 hair types. Although this hair type is much coarser and appears thicker than other curly hair, it can be quite fine. Type 4a hair has an “S” pattern, while type 4b hair is more wiry with a zig-zag pattern. Type 4c hair needs to be moisturized regularly & treated gently.

Humectants – Attract and retain moisture from the air (e.g. Glycerin, Honey, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol).

Leave-in Conditioner – A way to further condition the hair after you have rinsed out your conditioner. It helps to detangle the hair leaving it soft and manageable. Some leave-ins provide thermal protection for styling afterward.

Line of Demarcation - Where the natural hair and relaxed hair meet. This location can be very delicate so be very gentle when stretching.

Low Manipulation - This is any style that require less upkeep or restyling. The less manipulation the better because it minimizes breakage which eventually leads to longer hair. (e.g. wash n Go's, twist outs, braids, braid outs etc).

Moisturizing – Applying a moisture based product to dry hair to reduce breakage and increase elasticity in the hair. You can use a water-based or cream based moisturizer 1-2x per day.

Over-lapping - Applying relaxer to already relaxed hair instead of just focusing on the new growth.

Over-processed - Leaving the relaxer on too long, resulting in a bone straight/limp appearance.

Pre-poo – Preparing your hair prior to shampooing. You do this by adding a natural oils into the hair . You can do this overnight or 30-40mins before you shampoo. This helps to minimize the damage that occurs when you shampoo or clarify your hair. 

Protective Styling – Wearing your hair up in a style that protects your hair from manipulation and outside elements (e.g. buns, wigs, extensions, rolls etc).

Relaxing Bone Straight - Allowing the relaxer to "relax" the hair to it's fullest potential, making sure the hair strands are as straight as possible.

Relaxing Straight- Allowing the hair to get straight. But not bone straight.

Sealing – Using a natural non penetrating oil to lock in the moisture after you've moisturized the hair (e.g. Jojoba, Argan, Castor, Safflower Oil). By using an oil over the moisturizer will allow your hair to stay moisturized longer, especially if you have high porosity hair.

Stretching – Prolonging the time between relaxers. Instead of relaxing at 6 wks, relax every 8, 10, 12 wks.

Texlaxed/Texurized/Texturizing - Not letting the relaxer break the protein structures of the hair to the point of being straight . Basically under processed on purpose. Gives your hair some "texture".

Under-processed - Waves, curls and kinks are still present in the hair after a relaxer. The relaxer did not process/penetrate the hair enough.

Shedding - Strands of hair with white bulbs on the root. Hair goes through a natural shedding period, so if you're taking care of your hair and it suddenly starts shedding a bit, don't be alarmed. If you are worried, try using Garlic. It helps to stop the shedding.

Moisturizing Shampoo - have a cloudy, creamy or pearlized consistency and thicker in texture than clarifying shampoos.

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