Natural Hair Trivia- Pop Quiz!

How much do you know about hair, hair products, techniques and
natural hair lingo? How many questions can you answer correctly? What
things are completely new to you? I’ll post the answers to all of the
questions later this week!

NATURAL HAIR TRIVIA GAME

1. Translate the following abbreviations (1 pt. for each):
SSK: _______________________________________
WnG: _______________________________________
TnC: _______________________________________
BC: _______________________________________
EVOO:_______________________________________
VCO: _______________________________________
ACV: _______________________________________
HIH: _______________________________________
HG: _______________________________________
SLS: _______________________________________
TWA: _______________________________________
BAA: _______________________________________

2. Name three cones (1 pt for each).
Bonus: Why is it important to understand cones when following a co-wash only regimen?

3. What is pineappleing?

4. What is the “greenhouse effect” as a natural hair technique?

5. What is the main ingredient in Vatika Oil?

6. Generally speaking, what three layers form the structure of a strand of hair?
Bonus:  Which layer may be missing in some hair?

7. What do anagen, catagen and telogen describe?
Bonus: Briefly define them.

8. How do you differentiate a broken hair from a shed one?

9. Briefly describe porosity.

10. What are the three values on the pH scale?

11. Under what value does the natural pH of hair fall?

12. What old wives cure for wounds and burns mimics the natural pH
for hair and is often used in hair products or added to home mixes?

13. Name 3 types of protein used in hair care products (1 pt. each).

14. All alcohols are drying. True or False?

15. Briefly describe the action/purpose of a humectant.

16. What common food item found in many kitchen cabinets is a humectant?

17. What does the BAQ in “BAQ Henna” abbreviate?

18. When used after henna, what plant powder produces black results on hair?

19. Of what Hindu traditional/alternative medicine system are henna, shikakai, amla, neem, brahmi, etc. considered a part?

20. Complete the titles and authors of the following natural hair care books (1 pt. for each):
_______________’s Grow It!
The _____________ of ____________ Hair by __________ Davis-Sivasothy
The _____________ Curly Method by Terri _______________
The _________ __________ Method by Lorraine ______________.

(41 Total Points)

1. Translate the following abbreviations (1 pt. for each):
SSK: Single Strand Knots
WnG: Wash and Go
TnC: Twist and Curl
BC: Big Chop
EVOO: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
VCO: Virgin Coconut Oil
ACV: Apple Cider Vinegar
HIH: Hand in Hair (syndrome)
HG: Holy Grail
SLS: Sodium Laurel Sulfate
TWA: Teeny Weeny Afro
BAA: Big A@#$ Afro
Check out the Lexicon under the home tab for more abbreviations and mini-definitions.

2. Name three cones (1 pt for each).
Cones = Silicones
Non-water soluble
Cetearyl Methicone
Cetyl Dimethicone
Dimethicone
Dimethiconol
Stearyl Dimethicone
Non-water soluble but repel build-up/further deposit
Amodimethicone
Cyclomethicone/Cyclopentasiloxane
Trimethyl silylamodimethicone
Bis-aminopropyl Dimethicone
Slightly soluble in water
Behenoxy Dimethicone
Stearoxy Dimethicone

Soluble in water
Dimethicone Copolyol
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane
Lauryl Methicone Copolyol
Cones listed with PEG or PPG in front of them
Notes:

• This is an extensive list, but not comprehensive.
• Not all silicones end in “cone.” They can also end in “xane” and “conol.”
• Not all ingredients ending in “cone” are silicones.
  Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone are two
  preservatives that can be mistaken as cones. They usually appear
  together at the end of ingredient lists.

Bonus: Why is it important to understand cones when following a co-wash only regimen?
It is important to understand cones when co-washing only as
non-water soluble cones can build up on hair with repeated use, blocking
out moisture and defeating the purpose of a co-washing regimen, which
is to maintain moisturized hair.
Check out this NaturallyCurly.com article for a detailed explanation on silicones: The Real Scoop on Silicones.

3. What is pineappleing?
Pineappling is wearing the hair in a high ponytail at night/for bedtime to preserve curls.
Tip: Shorter haired curlies can use multiple “pineapples” to preserve curls as demonstrated by Quest for the Perfect Curl and Chy’s Curlz.

4. What is the “greenhouse effect” as a natural hair technique?
Many use the terms “greenhouse effect” and “baggying”
interchangeably to describe applying a water-based moisturizer to the
ends of the hair, which are the oldest and driest, and then placing a
plastic cap (i.e. baggie) over it for many hours (overnight or through
the day) to promote moisture, softness and moisture retention.
However, there is a difference between the “greenhouse
effect” and “baggying,” which I just learned as I was looking for a link
to share on the technique!!! Different from baggying, which is intended
to promote moisture to the ends/length of hair, the “greenhouse effect”
is actually a technique to stimulate the scalp and promote growth! Who
knew?!?
Want to learn more? Check out this post by Care4Curls for
detailed explanations on baggying and the greenhouse effect and how to
do both: Differences Between Baggying and the Greenhouse Effect.

5. What is the main ingredient in Vatika Oil?
Coconut oil
Learn why coconut oil based Vatika oil is one of my Staples here.

6. Generally speaking, what three layers form the structure of a strand of hair?
Cortex, medulla, cuticle
Bonus: Which layer may be missing in some hair?
Medulla

7. What do anagen, catagen and telogen describe?
The three phases of hair growth.
Bonus: Briefly define them.

• ANAGEN: Growth phase;
• CATAGEN: Transitional phase (hair follicle shrinks, lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla begins to break away);
• TELOGEN: Resting/shedding phase (hair does not grow, but
  stays attached to the follicle. Hair will either shed or on its own –
  through mechanical means, i.e. manipulation, brushing, combing, washing,
  styling etc. – or new hair in anagen phase will push the old one out).

8. How do you differentiate a broken hair from a shed one?
A shed hair will have a white bulb, which is the root, at one end of the strand.

9. Briefly describe porosity.
Simply stated, porosity describes how easily water can move back and forth through the cuticle layer of the hair. Porosity
is impacted by how close the “scales” of the cuticle layer are to each
other and how lifted they are over the cortex of the hair strand. This
characteristic of the structure of the hair dictates its ability to
absorb and retain moisture.
Here are a couple of great articles on porosity from CurlyNikki.com: An In Depth Look at Porosity and How to Find Your Hair Porosity.

10. What are the three values on the pH scale?
Acid, Neutral, Alkaline

11. Under what value does the natural pH of hair fall?
Acid
Bonus: What is the natural pH range of hair?
4.5 to 5.5
For more information on how pH levels affect hair, check out my post, The Power of pH.

12. What old wives cure for wounds and burns mimics the natural pH
for hair and is often used in hair products or added to home mixes?
Aloe vera

13. Name 3 types of protein used in hair care products (1 pt. each).
Dimethicone Copolyol
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane
Lauryl Methicone Copolyol
Collagen
Hydrolyzed Collagen Protein
Hydrolyzed Silk Protein
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Keratin
Keratin Amino Acids
Silk Amino Acids
Silk Protein
Soy Protein
Wheat Amino Acids
Wheat Protein
Please note that this list is not comprehensive and that there
are other protein ingredients that can be found in hair products. Check
out my article, Moisture & Protein: Finding the Balance for more information on the importance of protein in a natural hair regimen.

14. All alcohols are drying. True or False? False
All alcohols are not created equally.
 There are drying
alcohols and fatty alcohols. Fatty alcohols act as conditioning agents
and are found in many moisturizing natural hair care products.
Fatty alcohols
Behenyl alcohol

Cetearyl alcohol

Cetyl alcohol

Isocetyl alcohol

Isostearyl alcohol

Lauryl alcohol

Myristyl alcohol

Stearyl alcohol

C30-50 Alcohols

Lanolin alcohol
“Short chain” drying alcohols to avoid
SD alcohol
SD alcohol 40
Alcohol denatured
Propanol
Propyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Source: CurlyNikki.com Curls 101 FAQs

15. Briefly describe the action/purpose of a humectant.
A humectant is a substance that promotes moisture retention.
It’s important to note, in a humid environment, a humectant will
pull environmental water into the hair. In an arid environment, if there
is more water in the hair than in the air, a humectant will pull water
outside of the hair and move it into the drier air. A humectant works by
attracting moisture to wherever there is less water.
For more information on humectants, check out this article on NaturallyCurly.com: Humidity, Humectants and Hair.

16. What common food item found in many kitchen cabinets is a humectant?
Honey

17. What does the BAQ in “BAQ Henna” abbreviate?
Body Art Quality
BAQ Henna is a pure dye composed of the dry, powdered leaves of
the lawsonia inermis plant. It is the henna that is used in Mehandi
tattooing and is free of chemicals, metallic salts and synthetic dyes
found in many commercial henna dyes sold for hair. Find more information
on BAQ Henna here.

18. When used after henna, what plant powder produces black results on hair?
Indigo

19. Of what Hindu traditional/alternative medicine system are henna, shikakai, amla, neem, brahmi, etc. considered a part?
Ayurvedic
Want to learn a little more about the principles behind Ayurveda
and this holistic approach to hair care? Then see this post on
CurlyNikki.com, Ayurvedic Hair Care: An Introduction. Check out The Ayurvedic Breakdown for
specifics behind some common ayurvedic powders. Still yearning for
more? There are tons of informative articles Ayurveda on CurlyNikki’s
site under The Basics>Ayurveda.  

20. Complete the titles and authors of the following natural hair care books (1 pt. for each):
Chicoro’s Grow It!
The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy
The Tightly Curly Method by Terri LaFlesh
The Curly Girl Method by Lorraine Massey

(41 Total Points)