Entering into the healthy hair care world is a whole new experience. There are acronyms for just about everything and you will need to know them. Otherwise, every 5 seconds you will be asking what this is and what that is. Here some of those acronyms with you so that next time you hear them, you could at least go “Oh I know that 1!”

• Cowash – Conditioner Washing: Washing your hair with conditioner in place of shampoo. This helps with moisture retention and does not strip the hair while it is being cleansed. It also is not as harsh on hair as shampoo is.
• Prepoo- Prepping to Shampoo: Saturating the hair in oil or conditioner before shampooing to combat the moisture stripping effects that shampoo has on hair
• NoPoo – No Shampoo: Having a shampoo free hair regimen
• DCing – Deep Conditioning: Using a conditioner that is used either with heat or placed on the hair for an extended period of time to put adds moisture to the hair
• Sealing – Using oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, etc after a moisturizer, deep conditioner, or leave-in conditioner is used on the hair to trap moisture in the hair and keep it there.
• SSK – Single strand knots: Appear at the ends of hair when the hair is washed and not stretched. The hair shrinks and curls on to its self leaving the feeling of very rough ends.
• Braid out - Braiding the hair either to the scalp or in individual braids then unraveling either the next morning or when the hair is completely set
• Twist out – Twisting the hair either to the scalp or in individual braids then unraveling either the next morning or when the hair is completely set
• Transitioning – When one lets their hair grow out how it naturally comes out of their scalp and stops getting relaxers.
• TWA- Teeny Weeny Afro : Basically just a small afro
• BC- Big Chop: A big chop happens when one transitions from a perm for either a short amount of time or a long period of time and cuts their relaxed ends off.
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• EVCO – Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

I am pretty positive that I forgot something on this list so if you can think of something you don’t see, just comment on this post and I will add it to it.