Ok this post may be alittle boring and seem like a lecture, but its just quick reference for hair care terms. I'll put the most common ones in a widget on the sidebar for quickie reference. I found these terms very helpful to me and although i have seen them on alot of forums i took this information from my fave forum, Hairlista Inc.

Hair Length Terms:

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

Definitions:

Pre-poo – 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. Prepoo-ing helps keep that moisture in.

Co-washing - 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.

(Check out fellow onsugar blogger brownsuga's post on co-washing here)

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 elements i.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, Twist outs, Braids, Braid outs, 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 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.

Deep conditioning – Deep conditioning is a nice treat for those with chemical relaxers, colored, dry, brittle, damaged hair. Deep conditioning with a conditioner specifically formulated 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. 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.

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 manageable. Most leave-ins provide thermal protection for styling afterward.

Braid-Out – Braiding your hair in sections while hair is still damp after deep conditioning/co-washing. Air dry the braids. Once dry,unravel the braids and style. You can wear this style up to 3-4 days with little to no 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.

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.

Texlaxed/Relaxurized - Not letting the relaxer take completely to the point of being bone straight . Basically under processed on purpose. Gives your hair some thickness.

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.

Breakage - Broken pieces of hair without the white bulb. This can be caused by too much moisture or protein. 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 i.e. Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil etc. These oils can also be used to seal/trap moisture in the hair.

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 i.e. Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons shampoo. Lather, wait 5 minutes, rinse and condition. OR you can use 2 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed into 2 cups of warm water, pour it on your hair, wait 2-3mins, rinse and condition.

Slip – When the comb easily glides through the hair

EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
EVCO – Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

HHG – Happy Hair Growing

HTH - Hope This Helps

Source

Hi Lovelies!

So in order to get started on a healthy hair Journey (HHJ from now on) the first thing you need to know is which hair type are you?

Now the information i am listing is just generals, you may find that you fall inbetween categories or that you may have section of your hair that fall into 2 totally different categories all together. For example: The front of my hair is less kinky the the back of my head and usually stays straighter and doesnt tangle as much as the back. As far as i have determined the front of my hair (in it's natural state) is a 4A and the back is close to a 4B (to find out what 4A and 4B means see the below pictures for reference of the textures and descriptions).

type 1: Straight hair - If your hair is straight, won't hold a curl no matter what you do it then you fall in this category. People in  this category tend to have oily hair that needs to be shampoo'd on a daily basis.

Type 2a: Big Loose waves - In a natural un styled state your hair is pretty straight at the top of the strands and tends to have loose big waves towards the ends, is easily straightened and can hold a decent curl. Your hair may be mildy oily, but you do not have to wash you hair on a daily basis, every other day or three times a week is good enough for you.

Type 2b: Smaller tighter waves - The wavey pattern will start higher up on the hair strand and will be much more defined then type 2a. Your hair also holds a curl well. As with type 2a, shampoo'ing 2-3 times a week is best for this hair type.

Type 3: Curly Hair - Now type 3 has alot of sub categories. I won't post every single type of curl but i will post a few so you get the general idea but girls in this category may find it hard to fit into one group

Type 3a: Loose Curls - You have big loose curls, that are pretty defined, your hair is easily straightened and since your hair is already curly any curls you create will enhance your natural look and will have excellent staying power. Shampooing 2 times a week is enough for this hair types as it does not get oily quickly

type 3b1: Big loose curls - The curls are larger, but more defined

type 3b3: Spiral curls - tightly defined spirals, easily seperated and easily detangled

type 3b8: tightly coiled curls - The hair is a kinkier texture, harder to detangle and has a definite defined corkscrew appearance

type 4a: tight curls - the curl pattern is visibly tighter there may be wavy areas of the hair that will also be visible. This hair type usually is fine and while drier then the above types, still has some moisture. Shampooing 1-2 times a week max for this hair type as it needs to retain moisture and shampooing strips moisture from the hair

type 4b: tight coarse kinky curls - This type has tight curls and kinks. This hair type is usually considered coarse, and contrary to popular belief, is the most fragile of all the hair types. 4b hair is usually very dry and needs constant moisturizing and gentle handling. This hair type should be shampoo'd once a week

Pheww! I think i just about covered a good range of people. If i missed out on your hair type and you would like me to try and find some information for you just leave a comment or shoot me a DM.

So i must admit i am extremely lazy when it comes to my hair. You could actually call the polic on me for how abusive i am to it. But i have decided to turn myself around (ok truthfully, i am tired of my hairstylist asking me what the hell i am doing to my hair inbetween my visits lol), and i know the best way to do this is to chronicle my journey and keep track of what i am doing, what works what doesn't, and hopefully get some feedback from you lovelies that can help me have healthy hair.

Now if you follow me on twitter you might have seen my tweet the other day about me driving over my camera.yeah.crazy right? Long story short, my camera dropped out of my pocket and i didn't notice and my tire must have passed over it because the next day a good samaritan came to my door with the camera they said they found by my car. The camera lense is smashed and the camera body is squeezed together. Thankfully the card is not damaged as it was alittle expensive. I was planning on buying a new camera in a few weeks anyway but it sucks because i had hoped to sell this one and at least get something back for it.

Well enough of that, this post is just a quick briefing (well supposed to be quick but i have rambled as usual) and i guess you could say introduction of the hair care posts to come. I will be posting about hair care in the following order:

Which hair type are you?

Hair Care Terms: Definitions and abbreviations (widget for quick reference will be created).

What does your hair need: Protein or Moisture

Creating a Hair Routine

Hair Products: Moisturizing

Hair Products: Protein

Hair tools & Accessories