Curly Girl Dictionary: All The Terms You Need to Know

I haven't always been a curly girl. From ages 6-19, I was all about #teamcream and would get my hair permed every 4-6 months. Seeing some bald spots around my hairline in my sophomore year of college was all I needed to start letting my natural hair grow out, but I would still straighten it into submission on a weekly (*ahem* daily *ahem*) basis. Finally, 6 years ago, I jumped on the Big Chop bandwagon and cut off most of my hair (we're talking high-pony-tail-and-scissors-DIY-style hair cut...not my finest moment).

The whole point of embracing my natural hair was to make my life easier, but I had no idea that the learning curve for this new way of doing things was the size of Mount Everest. The most challenging part? The vocabulary!

By the time I jumped onto #teamnatural, there were already some YouTubers and some books about curly hair, but they were pretty hard to follow because I had no idea what they were talking about. Every other word was one that I'd never heard before. (WTF is porosity and why am I co-washing and quitting shampoo?)

It was a process.

So I've put together a list of common Curly Hair terms, like a Curly Hair Glossary, if you will, for anyone else who is just now starting to embrace their natural hair and needs a reference guide.

Enjoy!

Curly Hair Vocabulary

Big Chop - A term used to refer to cutting off all of your damaged hair to begin your natural hair journey. (In literal terms, it means that you tie your in a pony-tail, and cut everything beyond the hair tie).

Build-up - The accumulation of products and oils on the hair that can cause it to look dull, and flat.

Cast - This refers to what your curls feel like when they are air-drying and have that crunchy feeling and stiff look.

Clarifying Shampoo - This is a shampoo that gets your hair squeaky clean. You can either buy a shampoo, or do it DIY-style with an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse.

Clump - Sections of curls that stick together. Clumps are a GOOD THING. You want your curls to clump together when you are putting on your styling products because then they will dry more defined.

Co-Wash/Cleansing Conditioner- This is a conditioner that cleans your hair. You'll hear it called both of these terms, and they both basically mean the same thing. It does the job of cleaning your hair, minus any suds/bubbles that you would get if you used shampoo. This is meant to be used between actual shampoos.

Diffusing - When you use a blow-dryer with a diffuser attachment, meant to disperse the heat coming from the dryer onto your hair.

Finger-combing - It's exactly what it sounds like. Instead of a comb, you use your fingers to detangle and maneuver your hair. (I personally haven't used a comb in actual years).

Pineapple - This refers to a style where you put all of your hair up on the top of your head with a hair tie (think Side-Show Bob from the Simpsons). This is usually a protective style for sleeping, but I've seen some women rock it in public too, and it's adorable!

Plopping - A drying method where you literally plop your hair on the top of your head, and wrap a microfiber towel or T-shirt around it so that your hair can dry clumped together and frizz-free.

Porosity: This refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. Think of your hair strands like a pine cone. If the strands are open, then your hair is high porosity, meaning that moisture gets in (and out) very quickly. Low porosity hair has strands that lie flat and closed, meaning that moisture has a difficult time getting in there. It's important to know your porosity type because your hair care routine will be different depending on your porosity level, and some products are now made for specific porosity levels.

Praying Hands - This is a method for applying products to your hair. You put sections of your hair in between your two two palms, facing each other. Then you slide your hands downward, pulling your hair down with them, and distributing the product from top to bottom.

Raking - Applying product to your hair by finger-coming it from roots to tips.

Scrunch - The process of squeezing your hair upwards from the ends (like squishing a sponge)

Shrinkage - My mortal enemy. Kidding!...sort of. This is what happens when coily curls dry and "shrink," making your hair look shorter than it really is.

Silicone - an ingredient that sits on top of hair strands and creates build-up. Silicones are a BIG no-no in the curly hair community, and they're found in a lot of products, with hidden names like "dimethicone." There's a whole debate about what type of silicones are actually bad for your hair...but that's a whole different argument for a whole different post.

Slip - a word used to refer to how slippery a conditioner makes your hair feel. Conditioners with lots of "slip" make for easier detangling.

SOTC - Scrunch Out The Crunch. This is what you do once your hair is fully dry to break the "cast" and reveal defined, bouncy curls.

Sulfate - Another major no-no. This is an ingredient found in many shampoos/cleansers that is very drying.

Transition - The difficult and frustrating phase of letting your natural curls grow out and learning to take care of them.

If you're just now starting your natural hair journey, in addition to all this new stuff you have to learn, you're probably wondering how long it will take for the transition phase to be over. Well, you're not going to like my answer but, everybody is different. If you decided to do the Big Chop, you'll see results sooner. For me, it took 2 years for my curls to be decent, and 3 years for me to be as in love with them as I look in this picture.

Whatever journey you chose, just be patient. I promise, it gets better!