"It's been two years since my first BC, and although my TWA is packed with gorgeous 3AB curls, I can't help but think my transition to long hair will take little more than a protective hairstyle and pineappling."

If I spoke those words out loud in the office, I'd get at least six women staring back at me with a "WTF?" look on their face. But to me, it's like a second language -- the language of natural-hair care for many black women. I'm not just talking about cornrows or curl activators. There's an entire vocabulary that covers the process of transitioning to and maintaining natural hair -- essentially, quitting chemical and heat treatments and embracing your natural hair texture.

And when I say "process," I mean process. Natural hair isn't something you get after walking into a salon, pointing to a picture and saying, "I want this." It takes time, special techniques, products and patience -- something women with straight and untextured hair can't fathom.

But don't take my word for it. We rounded up 11 of our favorite natural-hair bloggers to tell us all about their transition and natural-hair care routines. Don't know what a doobie is? Or heat stretching? Or what 3C/4A curls are? You're about to find out.

Going for a BC (big chop) can be exciting for some girls, and downright terrifying for others. Sure it's like a fresh start, a blank slate even, but who really wants to chop off all of their hair? Depending on the severity of damage, BC-ing can leave you with no more than a few inches of hair. And while it's a huge change to undertake, most naturalistas opt to do the job solo (that's right, sans a professional).

Blogger Tyra Robinson of Indigenous Curls did her Big Chop after years of wearing "waist-long weaves, huge fluffy wigs or braids." She explains that, post-weave, "My hair was a dry, dull mess, so I chopped off all my relaxed ends and hopped in the shower. There I stood, with nothing to hide behind -- no weave, no makeup ... just me."

"It took some time for my family and friends to get used to the change. Learning how to style big hair in a conservative environment can be tricky. My BC got a mixed reception in the corporate world. At work I heard everything from 'I love it!' to 'This style is outside of company standards.'"

"As Coco Chanel said, 'A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life!'"

The TWA is generally the next stage after a Big Chop. Short-short, kinky and about as low-maintenance as it gets, TWAs are a blessing for some women, but for others, it's an "in-between" style -- a frustrating phase of having only a few inches of hair that lasts until hair grows out.

"Having a TWA challenged me to see myself in a different light," says Tamara Floyd of Natural Hair Rules, who has a longer style now but once upon a time wore a TWA. "You disassociate yourself from your long-haired, processed former self. Your TWA ... rebels against the products and styles that you wore with processed hair. So you pretty much have to re-learn your hair texture."

"After your BC, people typically assume you have a TWA because you're crazy, you're sick, your man is doing you wrong, you're losing your hair or you're having a mid-life crisis. You can be Beyoncé and people will think these things."

Not all curls are the same. NaturallyCurly.com details the The Curl Typing Classification System, created by hairstylist Andre Walker, as the most widely used for defining specific curl patterns. Types 1 and 2 are specific to straight and wavy hair; types 3 and 4 range from curly to kinky. The subcategories -- A, B and C -- define the texture classes.

Type 3: Curly
Type 3A: Curly Twirly
Type 3B: Curly Spirally
Type 3C: Curly Coily
Type 4: Coily
Type 4A: Coily Springy
Type 4B: Coily Crimpy
Type 4C: Coily Ziggly

Brooke of Black Girl Long Hair says, "Overall my hair is 3AB. It's curliest (3B) in the back and underneath on the sides. It is looser and super frizzy in the top-middle (3AB mix), and in the front it mostly consists of a mix of large, loose curls and waves, similar to the 3A type," says Brooke.

Annisa, who also blogs on Black Girl Long Hair, says, "My hair texture is 3C/4A. It has a highly defined curl pattern and is really thick, so it requires a lot of moisture."

We can point to a single moment in pop culture when the term "doobie" (in reference to hair) hit the mainstream lexicon: Rihanna's appearance at the 2013 American Music Awards. The nighttime style is typically strictly worn in the privacy of your own home and involves brushing your hair around your head and wrapping it with a scarf to keep it straight. But the island pop princess wore hers loud and proud -- and man, did people freak out.

"As a child living in Puerto Rico, my mother and her three sisters put their hair in doobies every night," says The Messy Vanity blogger Kat. "They all had long, curly or frizzy hair, and the doobie was the healthiest way to get a straight look without burning it with a hot comb or using an iron (like, an actual clothing iron)."

"As I grew older and started doing my own hair, my mom taught me the dos and don'ts of doobies: Do make sure your hair is completely detangled; don't do the doobie when your hair is soaking wet."