Hair Terms
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Common hair terms that are on use on this site. | |
| All | |
| There are 46 entries in the glossary. | |
| Pages: 1 | |
| Term |
Definition |
| ACV Rinse | (Short for Apple Cider Vinegar). This rinse servers the purpose of clarifying the hair, can help to detangle, as well as neutralizes (lowering the pH level of the hair). |
| Alopecia | The medical term for hair loss, which can affect the whole head or just random patches of hair. There is no universal cure, even the cause remains a mystery. |
| Apply Products in Sections | A technique where you part the hair in a few sections and apply your product in each section. This is useful for persons with longer and/or thicker hair to ensure proper coverage |
| BAA | Stands for Big A$$ Afro. To achieve this one must have longer hair and do a "blow-out" |
| Banding | A technique where you place rubber bands (depends on the length of your hair) is placed on a section of damp hair. This helps to stretch the hair naturally without using damaging heat. |
| Big Chop | The moment when you chop all of your relaxer hair off and is left with nothing but beautiful, natural hair. :) |
| Blow-out | A style where you blow dry your hair and leave as is. |
| Build-up (Or Product Build-up) | This occurs after using an excessive amount of a hair product such as gel or a pomade, and there is a film on your hair. The hair will look dull and lifeless and many not respond to hair styling products. Moisture (that our hair needs) will not be able to permeate through the product build. If moisture can’t find it’s way underneath the cuticle layer the hair can’t be properly conditioned. Do a clarifying treatment (see below) to correct this problem and get your hair back to normal |
| Clarifying treatment | This is beneficial to breakdown any build up on your hair. You can use clarifying shampoos (very harsh), clarifying conditioners, or treatments such as adding baking soda or lemon juice to your regular conditioner. |
| Combination Hair | Having various "hair types" in different sections of your head. See Hair Types. |
| Conditioner | An after-shampoo treatment product that promotes moisture, smoothes cuticle cells and enhances shine and manageability. |
| Curl Definition | Attempting to enhance the curls/coils in your hair by using hair products. |
| Dandruff | A mild medical condition characterized by white flakes falling from the scalp. |
| Deep Conditioner | A nourishing product that feeds the hair with moisture and strength. Deep conditioners are designed to nurture any hair type - colored, frizzy, fine, damaged, etc. and there are many types available. For best results, apply to damp hair and covering with a warm towel or shower cap. The heat helps to penetrate throughout the hair strand. |
| Dilute | To make a mixture thinner by adding more liquid to the mixture (such as adding a carrier oil to essential oil). |
| Fine Hair | Not necessarily thin or thinning hair, but fine hair has a smaller than average circumference of hair strands, giving an overall thinner appearance. |
| Finger-parting | A term I made up which means parting your hair with your fingers instead of using a comb or a pick. This is useful when sectioning your hair. |
| Fingercomb | Using your fingers to pick out your hair to make bigger. This is a great alternative to using combs or picks. |
| Follicles | Pore-like structures in the epidermis each container a papilla and growing hair shaft. |
| Fro | Short term for afro. |
| Hair Shaft | The hair's length, from follicle to tip. |
| Hand In Fro Disease (HIFD) | The act of constantly touching ones own hair because of the softness and the texture. Symptoms include constant pulling or tugging of a curl or coil, or even digging or squeezing your ''fro or puff...all day. |
| Hydrogen Peroxide | A coloring ingredient that works with ammonia. |
| Hydrolyzed Protein | Used in shampoos and conditioners to "repair" damaged sections of cuticle cells. |
| Leave-in Conditioner | This a hair moisturizer that absorbs the way moisturizer penetrates the hair and it is never rinsed out. It''s usually found in a spray formula or a thick creamy formula and is great for making the hair stronger and softer, and getting rid of tangles. |
| Lo-Poo' | Using mostly conditioner washes to cleanse your hair, but also occasionally using shampoo (once every two-three weeks or so). |
| Natural | For this website, this term is used for hair that not been chemically treated with relaxers, texturizers, etc. |
| No Poo | A term short for the "No-Shampoo Method" which means to cleanse the hair with alternative methods other than shampoo (Also known as a ''conditioner wash''). Click here for more info. |
| Panthenol | (Pro-Vitamin B5) is a nourishing, conditioning ingredient. The only vitamin known to penetrate the hair shaft. |
| PH | A scale of measurement (usually tested by a substance called litmus) that indicates how acidic or alkaline a substance has. |
| Plopping | A hair drying technique. After shampooing and/or conditioning or your hair apply your product(s) to soaking wet hair, then use a then have a towel or t-shirt to wrap this around your head and leave on for 10 - 20 mins. You are able to get ready (make-up, put on your clothes) and you won't have water dripping everywhere. |
| Pomade | This substance usually comes in jars and is semi-solid and/or waxy. Use it to tame frizz, give hair a chunky texture or slick back hair completely. Rub pomade between your palms and apply sparingly to hair. If you add too much, your hair will look greasy. |
| Ponytail | A hairstyle where the hair is gathered with a ponytail holder. Whether your hair looks like a afro puff, if your hair is all gathered together, it''s in a ponytail. |
| Porosity | The ability for hair to be able to absorb and retain moisture. A sponge is a good example. Immerse it in water and it will soak up a large quantity of liquid, and be able to hold it for a long period of time because it has good porosity. If you used an old sponge with holes and immerse this sponge in the same amount of water, it will absorb far less and won’t be able to retain the moisture so readily. It is the same with hair. Hair that has poor porosity will not be able to absorb or retain moisture as well as hair that has good porosity, making hair permanently dry, |
| Product Junkie | A person (usually female) that must have the latest haircare product craze in their hands as soon as possible. The cause usually starts from internet message boards when some post a glowing review about a product. The PJism can be in a form of a conditioner, shampoo, or a styling product. This problem usually subsides in a few months or due to lack of funds (which ever comes first). There are no known cures to combat this problem. Side note - remember EVERYONE'S hair is different so what might work for someone else may not work for you. |
| Protective Hairstyles | Any hairstyle that doesn't have your ends exposed and doesn't brush up against your clothes is a protective style. (Bantu Knots, Updo's etc.) |
| Puff | A hairstyle where the hair is gathered and held together with a brastrap headband or a pantyhose headband etc. This style is ideal if the hair is not long enough for a ponytail or other styles. |
| Reconstructor Treatment | Penetrates damaged areas of the hair shaft. This reparative action is achieved with each treatment. It also replaces your hair''s lost emollients to add moisture to dry hair and scalp. A reconstructor is beneficial for dry hair and hair that requires treatment following coloring or other chemical services. |
| Scab Hair | The hair directly underneath the scalp that has been affected by the harsh chemicals. Even though the hair is new growth, it isn''t "trained" to behave in it's natural state. The the hair is still sort of straight, very dry and brittle. It usually takes somewhere around 6 months to completely grow out. Not everyone experience scab hair. The longer a person was relaxed, the more likely they will be affected. |
| Shrinkage | The difference between the actual length of your hair to length the hair appears to be. This is caused because of the waves, curls, coils and naps are formed in a circular way and the hair may appear to be short, but in reality it is much longer. |
| Slip | A detangling effect found in some conditioners. It helps to make your hair "slippery" while combing out your hair. |
| SLS | Short for Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is a harmful ingredient found in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and in most shampoos. |
| Split Ends | Damaged areas of the hair shaft cause by wear and tear, which split and can travel up the hair strand. There is not a product you can use to permanently repair them - you must trim them off. |
| Transitioners | People who currently growing out their relaxed hair with the intent of going completely natural. The time limit varies with each person and there is no right or wrong way to do this. |
| TWA | Abbreviation for Teeny Weeny Afro which is a small afro.), |
| Vegetable Glycerin | Acts as a humectant. It draws moisture from the environment to your hair. If there is not much humidity in the air, the glycerin will just sit on your hair, so it won''t be very beneficial to use. If you live in a dry climate/low humidity area, dilute the vegetable glycerin to about 90% water to 10% glycerin. The humidity is high outdoors, a 75% water/25% glycerin mix is great. This item is highly recommended for nappturals. Be careful, it can get greasy if you use too much. You can purchase this from here or from health food stores. |
