Afro: A hairstyle created by combing the hair away from the scalp, allowing the hair to extend out from the head in a large, rounded-shape, much like a cloud or ball.

Bantu knot: Hairstyle that consists of twisted hair rolled up into small buns. See Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe in The Matrix series.

Big chop: Cutting one’s chemically straightened hair to let it grow in its natural texture.

Braids: Hairstyle where your natural hair is braided.

Box braids: A form of protective styling done through braiding your natural hair, which promotes hair growth and protects hair from breakage and other damaging factors.

Braid out: Braids are unraveled.

Creamy Crack: Chemical relaxers. The term was coined with the thought that the use of relaxers is addictive for those women who strive for a permanently straight hair texture.

Coils: A hairstyle achieved by taking small sections of wet or very damp hair and smoothing, while rotating the sections, one by one, from root to tip. Tiny styling combs or a finger are typically used.

Coily: The texture characteristic of natural Type 4 hair, whereby the configuration of the strand resembles a small-diameter ink pen spring.

Cornrows: A style of braiding/plaiting hair into narrow strips to form geometric patterns on the scalp. A form of protective styling.

Co-wash: Washing one’s hair with conditioner instead of shampoo.

Detangling: The process of using fingers or a wide-tooth comb to get out knots in curly textured hair.

Dreadlocks: Matted or sculpted ropes of hair.

Fro-hawk: Hairdressing similar to the mohawk hairstyle.

Hair porosity: Natural hair can have low, high, or medium porosity. Low porosity hair cuticles are very tightly closed and do not absorb water or product easily. High porosity hair cuticles are very open and absorb water and product easily. Medium porosity is more balance and absorbs water, product, and moisture easily. In order to best treat naturally curly hair, celebrity hairstylist Andre Walker created a hair typing system. This categorizes hair into four categories based on how tight curls are coiled.

Kinky hair: Tightly curled hair, tightly coiled hair or hair without defined curls.

Protective hairstyle: A styling method that tucks the ends of the hair away to shield them from daily wear and environmental damage. These styles minimize manipulation, reduce breakage, and help retain moisture—making them ideal for maintaining healthy natural hair. Examples include braids, twists, bantu knots, and updos.

Senegalese twists: Also known as rope twists where synthetic hair is used and twisted in with the natural hair.

Shrinkage: Because natural hair is typically has different types of curls and textures, in its natural state it appears shorter than it would straightened.

Transition: Period of time when one is transitioning from straightening their hair with heat/and or chemical products to wearing hair in its natural state.

TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro): Short Afro haircut. See Viola Davis in the film Suicide Squad.

Twist out: Hairstyle where twists are unraveled. See Corinne Bailey Rae.

Twists: Double strands of hair wrapped around each other.

Wash and Go: Wash one’s hair and going on about one’s day. This means there is no drying or styling involved and the application of product is minimal (usually a moisturizer or anti-frizz serum). The wash and go is also sometimes referred to as the “shake and go” which further emphasizes the lack of actual styling involved. The goal of a wash and go is to define natural curls.