Coily hair glossary: big chop, co-wash, LOC, shrinkage finally explained

One video recommends a big chop, a bottle promises a co-wash, a friend talks about her LOC method and her shrinkage. In a few minutes, you find yourself facing a language you don't speak.

This glossary brings together the terms you will encounter most often, in alphabetical order, along with those that are unique to us: the six steps of the Ritual Texture® and a few words from the Caribbean. Each entry explains what the word means and, where applicable, how we use it in the salon. Knowing the words helps; knowing the order in which to act helps even more, and our step-by-step tutorial details the complete method.

LetterA

• Afro. A rounded hairstyle worn on very curly or coily hair, without any particular styling: the hair is detangled, moisturized, and then left free. It is one of the few cases where the word "afro" actually refers to a hairstyle rather than a texture, which is why we write "coily and curly hair" everywhere else.
• Afro puff. The lengths gathered high on the head into a voluminous ponytail, held by a wide elastic band or a scarf. It is a quick hairstyle, provided you do not pull tightly around the edges, the most fragile area of the head.
• Traction alopecia. Hair loss caused by repeated tension, most often on the hairline and temples. It is reversible as long as the follicle is only irritated, and permanent once established, which is why it is important to recognize it early. Our guidelines on protective hairstyles that cause breakage.

LetterB

• Baby hair. The very fine hairs that border the face and the nape of the neck, often slicked down with gel to define the hairline. They are the most fragile of the hair and the first to disappear under repeated tension.
• Baggy method. Moisturize the ends, then wrap them in a plastic bag overnight to retain moisture. The practice comes from a time when products did not hold well on the hair fiber: ten minutes with the Repair Mask does more today than a night under plastic. See our tips for protecting the ends.
• Oil treatment. Generous application of oil over the entire head of hair, left on before washing. In our practice, it remains exceptional, at most once or twice a year: oil lubricates the fiber but does not moisturize it, and if done too often, it weighs it down, makes it less receptive to products, and can cause color to bleed. To prepare for washing, detangling with a Chadian finger is enough.
• Bantu knots. Each strand twisted around itself into a small tight knot, without pulling at the root. Left in place while drying, they create very defined waves; it is also an old way of keeping hair tidy at night.
• Big chop. Cutting off all chemically treated lengths at once to keep only the natural regrowth. It is the fast track back to natural hair, when the slower transition preserves more length.
• Blow out. Stretching with a hair dryer, without using a flat iron. The result lasts a few days and depends mainly on the protection applied before applying heat. Our stretching methods.
• Braid out. The result obtained by undoing braids once they are dry: soft, wider waves than those from a twist out. It all depends on the size of the braids and a complete drying process, because an undone damp braid will immediately fall flat.
• Detangling brush. A brush with flexible bristles designed for curly textures. On coily hair, it encounters the twists of the fiber: use your fingers first, then a wide-tooth comb on hair coated with product. See how to choose your comb.

LetterC

• Carapate (castor oil). The Caribbean name for castor oil, obtained from roasted seeds, hence its dark color and strong odor. It coats the fiber and limits friction, without moisturizing it. Our article on castor oil.
• Clarifying. A shampoo that removes deposits left by products, gels, and hard water, where a regular wash simply glides over them. For us, it is not a monthly catch-up: a gentle clarifier opens every complete routine, at the first step of the Hydrating Detox, before The Repair Shampoo.
• Protective hairstyle. Any hairstyle that tucks away the ends and reduces manipulation: braids, buns, updos, flat cornrows. It protects on two conditions: do not pull and do not wear it for too long; the acceptable duration depends on extensions, tension, and the condition of the scalp.
• Conditioner. The post-shampoo product, applied after washing to smooth the cuticle and facilitate detangling. Do not confuse it with a mask, which is richer, coats the fiber, and is left on.
• Cornrows. Braids made flat, close to the scalp, following a pattern. They last a long time, and that is precisely why you must monitor tension around the edges throughout the duration of the style.
• Co-wash. Washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo to avoid stripping it. This is not our answer, even after sports: The Repair Shampoo was designed for athletes, up to twice a week, without a clarifier beforehand. See everything you need to know about co-washing.

LettersD, E, F

• Straightening. A chemical treatment that permanently breaks some of the keratin bonds to flatten the fiber. The texture never returns to the treated length, and the boundary with regrowth becomes a breaking point.
• Detangling with a Chadian finger. Step 01 of the Ritual Texture®, on dry hair and before any wash. At least six sections, the root held in one hand, the strand smoothed with the other, then arranged into a soft bun. The gesture unties knots without tightening them and circulates sebum toward the lengths.
• Detangling with the Man Dol' Comb. Step 04, on hair coated with the Repair Mask. From the ends toward the roots, without forcing, returning to your fingers as soon as resistance appears. This step is never optional: it determines what you will keep in length.
• Hydrating Detox. Step 02: a two-step cleaning, a gentle clarifier that removes deposits, then The Repair Shampoo which cleanses and repairs. Two successive washes, as in the Caribbean, where the rule was non-negotiable.
• Diffuser. An attachment that distributes the airflow from the hair dryer to dry without undoing the curl. It was designed for curly hair; on coily hair, it is only useful in rare cases. The Protective Drying, on the other hand, is done with a bare hair dryer, in small sections.
• Edge control. A styling product intended for baby hairs, to slick down and define the edges. Use sparingly: repeated on an already fragile area, it contributes to traction alopecia. See our methods for slicking hair without gel.
• Finger coiling. Wrapping each strand around your finger to define one curl at a time. The result is neat, but often flattened on coily hair, and the time spent is considerable on dense hair.
• Finger detangling. Detangling with your fingers, of which Detangling with a Chadian finger is our organized version. The hand feels the knot before forcing it, something no tool can do. Our detangling method.
• Flat twist. A flat twist made along the scalp, incorporating strands as you go. It is the twisted version of cornrows: it lasts a little less time, but it is gentler on the root.
• Night scarf. A silk or satin square tied over the hair before sleeping, to prevent rubbing against cotton. Ghana prefers a silk scarf over a bonnet, with a silk pillowcase, because it holds better at night and does not mark the edges.

LettersH, J, K

• Heat damage. Heat damage: after excessive heat, the fiber no longer regains its shape and remains limp, only on the affected areas. It is irreversible. The Protective Drying, on the other hand, is done after applying The Styling Cream, in small sections and always in motion.
• Moisturize. Bringing water to the fiber, and nothing else. An oil does not moisturize: it helps retain the water already present, which is not the same action or the same time. See how to moisturize your coily hair.
• Jamaican black castor oil. Carapate oil under its English name, obtained from the same roasting process. It coats and lubricates the fiber; it does not replace water.
• Kinky hair. English term for very curly to coily hair, type 4 in common classifications. It has nothing derogatory in the community that uses it, but it has no direct equivalent in French: we write "coily hair".

LettersL, M, N

• LOC and LCO. Liquid, Oil, Cream: water or a leave-in, then an oil, then a cream, the LCO variant reversing the last two. These sequences answer a real question: retaining water in the fiber, but with more products than necessary.
• Low poo. Spacing out shampoos and using only very gentle formulas. The intention is good, the application often excessive: a scalp needs to be washed, and the complete routine comes back every 7 to 10 days.
• Main qui fait pousser. Caribbean expression for a hairstylist whose clients keep their length. She does not talk about a gift, but about expertise: holding the hair, placing the tension in the right place, never pulling.
• Man Dol'. Ghana Elin's great-grandmother, who wore coily hair down to her lower back. Every Sunday before mass, her daughter applied hibiscus treatments to her and detangled her with a horn comb, before putting her braids up in a bun. The Man Dol' Comb bears her name.
• Mask. A rich treatment that you leave on to coat the fiber, to be distinguished from conditioner, which is rinsed out immediately. The Repair Mask, at step 03, is left on for ten minutes, under a bonnet if possible: neither thirty minutes nor an entire night.
• Length & ends massage. Step 03: The Repair Mask warmed between the hands, applied section by section from the ends toward the roots, then massaged. The leave-on time is ten minutes, under a bonnet if possible.
• Moisturizer. Moisturizing cream to apply to damp hair, never to dry hair, since it is about helping the fiber retain the water it has just received. See how to choose yours.
• Nappy. English word that first described the fluffy appearance of a fabric, applied very early and pejoratively to coily hair, then reclaimed and embraced by the natural hair movement. The reading of it as a contraction of natural and happy came long after the word, and that is the one circulating today in the French-speaking community.
• No poo. Removing shampoo, hoping that the scalp will regulate itself. On a coily fiber, sebum does not travel down the spiral: the lengths remain dry and the scalp becomes burdened.

LettersP, R

• Plopping. Wrapping wet hair in a t-shirt to absorb water without breaking the definition. The method was designed for curly hair; on coily hair, it flattens the pattern instead of revealing it. The same goes for scrunching.
• Porosity. The fiber's ability to let water in and retain it. It is guessed by the way water penetrates during washing and the time it takes for the hair to dry. It is this, more than the type, that guides the choice of products. Our article on porosity.
• Pre-poo. Treatment applied before shampooing to protect the fiber from washing. In our practice, detangling with fingers on dry hair is enough to prepare the hair, and the oil treatment remains exceptional. Our complete article.
• Length retention. Keeping what grows rather than losing it to breakage. It is the real key to length, long before growth speed, and it is played out during detangling, drying, and overnight. Our eight tips.
• Ritual Texture®. Our six-step method, every 7 to 10 days: Detangling with a Chadian finger, Hydrating Detox, Length & ends massage, Detangling with the Man Dol' Comb, Protective Drying, Sealing moisture. It comes from the gestures of the women in Ghana Elin's family, put in order by a hairstylist. See what the Ritual Texture® is.
• Hair routine. The habits of a reader between two routines: at night, sports, the hairstyles of the week. To be distinguished from the Ritual Texture®, which is an ordered method, with an order of steps and products, and not a habit that each arranges in their own way.

LettersS, T

• Seal in moisture. Step 06: Apply the Styling Cream generously, follow with one final pass of the Man Dol' Comb, then put your hair in a protective braid or twist. It helps retain the moisture provided during washing; an oil or butter cannot replace this step.
• Protective drying. Step 05: Apply the Styling Cream to damp hair, then dry it in small sections, using bouncing motions and never stopping on the same area. No brush—only your hands. The ends, the most fragile part, should be dried last and very gently.
• Shrinkage. The apparent shortening of hair as it dries: a section stretched to thirty centimetres may appear to be only ten centimetres once dry, because it coils back into its spiral shape. This is not a loss of length; it is the texture returning to its natural form. See why curly hair shrinks.
• Transition. The period when two textures coexist: natural regrowth at the roots and straightened lengths below. It is where they meet that breakage occurs, which is why this period requires a gentle approach. Our steps for successfully returning to natural hair.
• Braid. A hairstyle formed by intertwining three sections, with or without extensions. Worn for centuries on several continents, it has served as a language as much as a hairstyle. See its history.
• Twist out. The result obtained by unraveling twists once they are dry: soft, uniform coils. Do not confuse this with the twists themselves, which are the hairstyle, while the twist out is the result.

LettersV, W

• Twists. Braids formed by wrapping two sections around each other, also known as two-strand twists. They complete most of our routines: they tidy the lengths without pulling on the roots. Our method.
• Spray bottle. A bottle of water, sometimes mixed with a little conditioner, to rehydrate between washes. Use sparingly: wetting your hair every day eventually makes the hair fiber more porous, and this is the mistake we most often correct in the salon.
• Wash and go. Wash, moisturise, then let dry without styling. On curly hair, it is rarely as quick as the name suggests: you work section by section. Our method.
• Wash day. The day dedicated to washing and conditioning, every 7 to 10 days. Many dread it because it takes hours; that is exactly why a properly ordered Rituel Texture® shortens it.

The most common confusions

Four pairs of terms come up again and again, and confusing them costs you dearly, in both time and length.

Frequently asked questions

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