Hair Care Dictionary

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.

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. Check out my post on The Truth About Baggying.

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.


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.

Moisturizing Shampoo - Neutragena Triple Moisture Cream Lather shampoo, Creme of Nature green and red label shampoos, Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo, Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo, Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo, and KeraCare Moisturizing Shampoo.

Moisture Based Deep Conditioners - Mizani Moisturefuse, Keracare Humecto, Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner, Keracare Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair, Crème of Nature Nourishing Conditioner, Atone Botanicals Reconstructer, Elasta QP DPR-11, Queen Helene Cholesterol, Herbal Essences Replenishing Conditioner, Jason Sea Kelp, Aubrey Organics Conditioners, Joico Moisture Recovery, Elucence MB Conditioner, Jane Carter Replenishing Conditioner, Phytonectar and jojoba conditioners, Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner, Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask, Pantene Relaxed and natural mask, Nexxus Humectress, Hydratherapie by Biolage, Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner, Joico Moisture Intensive Treatment Extra Conditioning Conditioner.

Protein Based Conditioners - Aphogee 2 minute Reconstructer, Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner , Mane and Tail Original Conditioner, Ors Replenishing Pak, Aubrey Organics GPB, Nexxus Keraphix, Phytospecific Intense Nutrition, Motions CPR, ORS Hair Mayo.

Hair Serum - Hair serum makes the hair shiner and does not allow the hair to entangle. It protects the hair from the damages done by over exposure to sun and hair styling products.

Hair serum forms a thin protective layer on the hair strands. It returns the moisture lost due to exposure to sun, heat generated from the hair styling gadgets. It is primarily used for dry and frizzy hair, which breaks easily, or hairs that have under gone excessive chemical treatments like perming, coloring.

(Compliments of Hairlista mbr Leentora!!)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.

Texlaxing - Allowing the relaxer to loosen the curl pattern and make it easily managable, not necessarily straight.

Texturizing - Loosening the curl pattern slightly, with no straightness at all.

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.

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