Category: Glossary

Locks that have not reached maturation.

A method of starting locks by heavily teasing sections of hair.

Slang in the black hair community for cutting off all processed hair so only the hair’s natural texture remains.

A protective style where natural hair is braided with an extension, typically synthetic hair. Box braids are sometimes wrapped with an outer layer of synthetic hair mimic the look of locs.

A braiding technique used to braid synthetic locks into brushable hair.

The process of rounding the tips of each lock to make them blunt in shape, rather than tapered.

Locks started from braids. A head of loose hair is sectioned and braided, and the new growth comes in as locks. Once enough new growth has come in at the roots, the braids may be kept at the ends or cut off. In the case of...

When the individual hairs in a lock break, usually caused by manual manipulation (maintenance) or dehydrate hair. If enough breakage occurs in a concentrated area of a lock, then the lock itself may break and shed completely...

When young locs mature in kinky hair, they often develop “buds,” which are pea-sized swells of matted hair in the shaft. This is a sign typically found in locs started with comb coils or palm rolled twists, indicating that the...

Buildup is the accumulation of product, dandruff, debris, lint, dirt, or any other foreign substance in the core of a lock. Buildup is typically difficult to remove from locks and makes each individual lock stiffer and...