A quick reference for the words that show up over and over in hair care, ingredient lists, and the Rituala app. Bookmark this — you'll want to come back to it.
Structure & properties
Cuticle: the outer protective layer of each hair strand, made of overlapping scales. Whether they lie flat or stand up determines porosity.
Cortex: the inner layer of the hair shaft. Contains keratin and pigment. Gets damaged by chemical processing.
Density: how many hairs you have per square inch.
Texture: how thick a single hair strand is (fine / medium / coarse).
Porosity: how easily your hair absorbs and holds moisture.
Elasticity: how much your hair stretches before breaking. Indicates protein/moisture balance.
Curl pattern
1A–1C: straight hair, varying in coarseness.
2A–2C: wavy hair, from loose to deep waves.
3A–3C: curly, from big ringlets to tight corkscrews.
4A–4C: coily, from defined small coils to tight zig-zags.
Andre Walker system: the 1A–4C classification system itself.
Routine concepts
Co-wash: cleansing with conditioner instead of shampoo. Common for curly/coily hair.
Pre-poo: a pre-shampoo treatment (oil, conditioner) to protect strands from cleansing.
Deep conditioning: a longer, more intense conditioner treatment, sometimes with heat.
Clarifying: stripping accumulated buildup with a stronger shampoo.
Chelating: removing mineral buildup, especially from hard water.
LOC / LCO method: Liquid → Oil → Cream (or Liquid → Cream → Oil) layering for moisture retention.
Plopping: using a t-shirt or microfiber towel to scrunch and dry curls without disturbing the pattern.
Pineapple: loosely gathering hair on top of the head before sleep to preserve curls.
Refresh: reviving day-2+ hair with water and leave-in.
Ingredient categories
Humectant: attracts water. Examples: glycerin, honey, hyaluronic acid. Behaves differently in dry vs humid climates.
Emollient: softens and smooths; many oils and butters fall here.
Occlusive: seals moisture in. Examples: shea butter, mineral oil, lanolin.
Surfactant: the cleansing agent in shampoo. Sulfates are strong surfactants; sulfate-free shampoos use gentler ones.
Silicone: a smoothing ingredient. Some are water-soluble; others build up.
Protein (hydrolyzed): small protein fragments that deposit into the cuticle. Examples: hydrolyzed keratin, silk, wheat protein.
Damage & treatments
Hygral fatigue: damage from too much moisture; hair becomes mushy and over-stretchy.
Protein overload: stiffness from too much protein; hair becomes brittle and snaps.
Bond repair: products that target the disulfide bonds inside the cortex (e.g., Olaplex). For chemical and heat damage.
Keratin treatment: a salon process that smooths cuticles, often using formaldehyde-releasing chemicals.
Run into a term that's not here? Ask Rituala — it can explain any ingredient or technique in plain language.