Newbie Information. Will update often!

I just started my hair Journey in October 08. I had already did my BC in November 07, but I was covering my hair up in wigs and as it grew out more I went into braids, then weaves. The thing is I wasn't taking "care" of it, just hiding it. So I began searching around for indian hair one day & came across BHM (Black Hair Media) which is a hair care site & I've been hooked ever since! lol. So I'm still a lil new to the Hair game, but I wanted to share w/ you somethings that I have learned so far.

Getting Started.

Now picking whether you want to stick with your natural/relaxed hair is all up to you & what's most convenient, but I will list things you will need b4 you begin your own personal jorney.

You will need:

-- Moisturizing Shampoo
-- Clarifyer
-- Conditioner
-- Deep Conditioner
-- Protien Treatment
-- Leave In
-- Moisturizer
-- Sealent
-- Wide Tooth Comb

Hair Length Abbreviations:
BC:Big Chop
EL: Ear Length
NL: Neck Length
CBL: Collar Bone Length
SL: Shoulder Length
APL: Arm Pit Length
BSL: Bra Strap Length
MBL: Mid Back Length
WL: Waist Length
HL: Hip Length
TBL: Tail Bone Length

Hair Product Abbreviations:
ACV: Apple Cider Vinegar
CON: Creme Of Nature
EFA: Essential Fatty Acids
WGO: Wild Growth Oil
MT: MegaTek
MTG: Mane-Tail-Gro
EVOO: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
CD: Carol's Daughter
NTM: Neutogena Triple Moisture
ORS: Organic Root Stimulator

Protective Styles:
Basically anything that doesn't cause crazy amounts of combing, brushing or even just hands in the hair! Including: Braids, weaves, twists, wigs, Lace wigs, braid outs, buns & Phony ponies.

Thanking/helping/greeting Abbreviations
TIA: Thanks In Advance
HHG: Happy Hair Growing
HTH: Hope This Helps
IMO: In My Opinion
ITA: I Too Agree
BTW: By The Way

Common Hair Techniques

Stretching: Allowing your relaxer/hair to grow past the normal "touch up" date, going longer than usual w/o a relaxer

Braidouts: Braiding hair in either cornrows or singles & then removing them to give your hair a wavy look. Can be done for air drying & a protective style.

Baggy Method: Protecting & keeping your ends moisturized while in a plastic bag. Excellent for phony ponies!

Relaxed: Chemically treated hair. When the natural hair bonds are broken to create straight hair.

Texlaxed/Texturized: Hair this is chemically treated, but underprocessed on purpose. Gives hair body & thickness.

Co-wash: Washing your hair w/ only conditioner. Give more moisture to the hair, than doing a shampoo/conditioner combo.

Transitioning: Going from relaxed/texturized to natural.

Pre-Pooing: Giving your hair a moisture or protein treatment before an actual wash. Some good things to use are garlic/olive oil for shedding or honey & avocado for moisture. The eggs for protein.

Scalp Massages: Increases blood flow to help growth.

Line of Demarcation: The line between where your new growth & relaxed hair meet.

Natural: Hair that is free of chemicals.

Overlapping: When a chemical is reapplied to hair that already has been relaxed or texturized.

Sealing: Using an oil that seals in moisture after moisturizing. Like castor, jojoba, coconut, sweet almond & olive. It locks in moisture.

Self Relaxing: Relaxing your hair without the help of a stylist. It's easier that it sounds for your ladies who go to salons, but make sure you do your research before hand.

Trimming/Dusting/Seach & Destroy: Trimming about an inch or so of your hair, but ladies trimming every 6-8 weeks is not necessary unless your maintaing a blunt hair style or are a frequent heat user. Dusting means you trim less than half an inch for health reasons. Seach & Destroy is when you search your hair for splits and destroy them. I love this method best of all.

Porosity: When your hair is able to absorb moisture.

Measuring: Seeing how long your hair is in inches w/ a measuring tape or using the basic sl, apl method.

Finger Combing: Using your fingers to comb your hair instead. Reduces breakage & manipulation to your strands.

Hopefully this will help someone new to the Hair Game.