Afro

A hair style made popular in the 1960's, where the natural hair is picked and moulded into a large, rounded shape.

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Bonding

To attach wefted hair to the natural hair with a latex or surgical type adhesive.

Braid

To weave strands of hair together. On the scalp braiding: is used to form a base or track to sew on a commercial weft. This is the cornrow technique. Off the scalp braiding: is used for traditional braiding styles and various methods adding extensions such as Warlocks.

Bulk Hair

Term for loose commercial hair, mainly used for strand bonding and braiding. This hair is used for creating wefts or for services like fusion.

Clarifier

A clarifying shampoo is slightly stronger than everyday shampoos and is designed to remove products, hard water or chlorine residue that have built-up over time. These types of shampoos usually have a higher pH level and therefore should not be used regularly as they may dry out the hair and scalp. Use every 2-4 shampoos or the week before a chemical treatment. Always finish with a conditioner.

Cornrow

Term used to describe an on the scalp braid. These braids can be used to form a track for the cornrow weaving method.

Dreadlocks

A hairstyle in which the hair naturally or through manipulation is encouraged to matte and form a cylindrical, rope-like pattern. Dreadlocks may take several months to well over a year to form and are considered a permanent style. In order to remove dreadlocks, one must cut them.

Fusion

The process of attaching small pieces of human hair with a special adhesive and a thermal gun. This is a hair to hair process, no tracks are required. This method allows for free movement of hair extensions.

Hair Weft Clips

To attach hair wefts by clips. Clips are placed in the hair and snapped close. Wefts are held securely in place.

Heatclamps

A heat gun that is used to seal synthetic hair. Used for creating warlocks and other styles.

Interlocking

A method in which hair is maintained or tightened using a tool.

Kanekalon

A trademark for a Japanese-made synthetic fiber which is used extensively in the manufacture of wigs and hairpieces. It’s popularity is due to its ability to retain its shape after washing, and also to the fine texture of the fiber, making it a desirable choice for simulating the texture of human hair. There are different qualities of Kanekalon fiber.

Lace Front wigs

Long lasting natural looking wigs, often worn by celebraties.

Lye

A chemical straightening treatment commonly used to relax hair. The active ingredient is sodium hydroxide, there are many No Lye products also available.

Micro Linking Technique

The process of attaching hair wefts without braids. The links are sewn on to the wefted hair. The user's natural hair is pulled through and locked secure. This system is highly recommended for natural hair that is too fine or soft to hold other weave techniques.

Monofilament

Fine, transparent nylon or silk mesh with hairs individually hand-knotted into the mesh. Allows the hair to fall naturally and gives more versatility in styling. Very suitable for persons with extensive hair loss, as the color of the scalp underneath shows through, creating the illusion of hair growing out of your scalp.

Palm Rolling

A technique used to smooth out the shaft of a loc by rolling it, with or without product, between the palms of the hands.

Relaxer

A chemical process by which the hair is permanently straightened. New-growth areas have to be maintained via "touch-ups" to continue the straightened pattern. A relaxer penetrates the cortex and breaking the hairs' natural chemical bonds which originally caused it to be curly. Once these chemical bonds are broken, they can not be repaired so the hair is unable to return to its natural state.

Remi/Remy hair

Refers to human hair (usually Indian in origin) which has been cut a single donor, from root to end, with all of the cuticle going in the same direction. It is different from Virgin hair as it may be colored or permed, but has not had the cuticle removed. It is generally soft and silky, and is used in making higher quality wigs, extensions, and hair systems.

Strand Bond Weaves

This technique uses strands of hair attached to existing hair with specially formulated hair adhesives. This is a good method for for those who want long lasting wear, from 3 to 6 months.

Steaming

The process by which most synthetic fiber is curled at the factory. The curl pattern in a synthetic wig or hairpiece may be changed by setting it in rollers or clips, and using an ordinary hand-held clothing steamer on them. After steaming the curls, let the fiber get completely cool before removing the pins or rollers.

Texturizer

A texturizer is a mild relaxing treatment. Instead of causing the hair to be "bone straight," this chemical treatment is left on for a shorter period of time. The idea is to slightly relax the natural curl in African hair so that it's more manageable and with proper maintenance, one can mimic curly styles.

Thermal Process

Temporarily straightening the hair with a heated iron.

Track

Parting or a cornrow that establishes the placement pattern of wefts or strand additions.

Virgin Hair

This term refers to human hair which is still in its original state as harvested from the grower, and which has not been permed, colored, or chemically processed in any way. It is carefully cut from the grower with the cuticle going in the same direction and preserved to maximize its special quality. Harvesting the hair in this manner takes more time, which contributes to the premium price of this hair. Virgin hair can be of any ethnic origin, but the best quality hair used in making wigs today is of Russian, Ukrainian, Belgian, and Turkish origin. This is the most expensive hair of all because it is not as plentiful as lesser quality hair. In spite of the high cost, top-quality Virgin European hair wigs are in high demand by those who wish to wear only the finest.

Wig

The term used to describe any hairpiece with a full cap which covers the hair on the head, or the entire area where hair normally grows, as a substitute for hair. The purpose of a wig is to create your ideal look.

Weft

Wefted hair for extensions are held together with fine threads, either machine wefted and hand tied. Most hair used for extensions is machine wefted in fine, medium or heavy wefts. Medium wefts being the most commonly used. Hand tied wefted hair is generally more expensive but is better quality and can be more durable.

Weaving

The process of forming a base (or track) along the scalp to attach wefted hair. This process is not limited to the cornrow method. Several other popular methods are the Euro lock, Microlinking, and Bonding.