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Hairdressing Vocabulary

Hairdressing vocabulary can be disruptive for non-native speakers. From different cuts and styles to the equipment used and finishing products, getting the right haircut can be a confusing business.

We have nerveless some of the most common hairdressing vocabulary and phrases to help you when yous visit the hair salon or barbershop in an English language-speaking country.

Also, check out our guide to dazzler salon vocabulary for useful words and phrases related to dazzler treatments, tanning, nails and make up.

Vocabulary for hairdressing

Hairdresser, stylist, hairdresser (the professionals who cut your hair)

Hairdressing salon, the barber's / barber shop (the barber'south is traditionally for men)

Haircut, cut, trim, blowdry, launder, towel dry, dry trim, moisture trim, highlights, lowlights, relaxed, straightened, razor cut

Shampoo (product that cleans your pilus)

Conditioner (product applied after shampoo – conditioner softens hair and makes it more manageable)

Deep estrus/conditioning treatment

Pilus dye (to alter the color of your hair)

Pilus styling products:

• Hairdryer, straighteners, curling tongs, crimper irons
• Scissors, clippers, trimmers, razor
• Gel, mousse, wax, cream, hair lacquer, hair spray
• Hair clips, hair slides

Men's hairdressing vocabulary

A pilus salon specifically for men is called a barber'due south or a barber's shop. For very short hair cut that is cut with an electric razor, a grading organisation is used to make up one's mind the length of the hair:

• Grade ane (3mm)
• Grade ii (6mm)
• Class 3 (9mm)
• Grade 4 (12mm)

• Buzz cutting – hair that is cutting short all over using electric clippers, usually very brusk like in the army, ordinarily a 'class 1'
• Undercut – the top hair department is left much longer than the hair underneath, creating an overhang effect
• Tapered – hair that fades gradually from ane length to another, longer on acme and tapered down the sides and back

• Crew cutting – similar to a brusque back and sides, where the top is cutting with scissors to give information technology more texture and length, while the sides and dorsum are tapered with an electric razor
• Brusque back and sides – a traditional man'south haircut, a 'sensible' haircut with brusk back and sides and slightly longer on top
• Taper – hair is tapered from longer to shorter equally it reaches your neck line
• Fade – similar to a taper but a fade goes down to the peel

Hairdressing vocabulary and meanings:

The follow hairdresser vocabulary is useful for talking about pilus styling and hair care:

Wash, cut and blowdry – this is when pilus is washed, cut, stale and styled at the salon

Trim – a small corporeality of hair cut off the ends of the pilus to neaten your existing style

Accident dry – pilus is dried with a hairdryer

Towel dry out – hair is dried with a towel

Dry trim – hair is cut while dry, without washing start (some salons do non offering a dry out trim)

Layers – hair cutting in different lengths, shorter on the tiptop layers and longer underneath

Razor cut – hair cut with an angled razor to achieve a smooth, soft finish instead of a sharp finish

Thinning – thick hair is thinned down with scissors to arrive more manageable

Highlights – hair is lightened in thin streaks all over the head (highlights tin be done for the 'whole head' or 'half head', which lightens just the top layers of hair)

Foils – foils are used for highlights in order to separate the highlighted parts from the residual of the hair

Highlighting cap – highlights can too be applied using a cap (where the hair is pulled through holes in the cap) simply this is less mutual than foils in modern salons

Balayage – a highlighting technique where dye is painted on directly, without using foils or a cap, to create a graduating colour consequence

Perm – a chemical handling that makes hair curly permanently

Parting – the identify on pinnacle of your head where the hair parts to the left and right

Relaxed hair – a handling for very tightly curled pilus that 'relaxes' the pilus and straightens it.

Hair Vocabulary – Hair Styles

There are many different hair styles you can practise yourself at dwelling or ask the stylist to create for when at the barber salon. Some popular hair styles include:

Long, short, medium length pilus

Straight, curly, wavy, ringlets (ringlets are tight spirals of pilus)

Fringe (American: bangs) – hair at the front that comes down over the forehead

Bob – cut around shoulder length or shorter all the manner around

Lob – a long bob (a modern word!)

1. Anna Wintour with a bob and fringe

Coloured, dyed, bleached – Dye adds colour to the hair, while bleach removes colour

Layered – the top layers of pilus shorter than the bottom layers

Choppy – cut in chunks so y'all can see the layers, not cut smoothly

Side parting / centre parting – departing at the side of the head / departing at the centre of the caput

Pixie cut – very short and shaped to frame the confront, usually describes a woman'southward brusque hairstyle

2. Matriarch Judi Dench with a pixie cut

Bun – a hair style that is a pulled into round knot behind your head

Cornrows – multiple plaits (American: braids) tied close to the head

To wear (put / necktie) your pilus up – the act of wearing your hair abroad from your face up, tied or clipped up

An 'upwardly do' (whatever hair way that is pulled upwardly and back off your face – common for formal events, such as weddings)

To clothing (let) your pilus down (any style that is worn loose and not 'upwardly' – 'to permit your hair downward' is besides an idiom that means to relax and have fun)

Plait (American: braid), French plait (a plait that incorporates hair however touching the caput), ponytail (a bunch of hair pulled back with a tie/band, likewise simply called a 'pony'), bunches (two ponytails, one on each side of the head),pigtails (ii plaits, ane on each side of the head)

Plaiting hair – a French plait moving into a regular plait – image source

Phrases you may want to utilise at the hairdresser's

Can I get a haircut, delight?

I'd like a haircut, delight

How much do you charge for a wash, cutting and blowdry?

Practise yous offer a dry out trim?

Practise I need to make an engagement?

Can you see me now? / Can you fit me in now?

I would like a new style / fringe / dry trim / perm /

I'd like it coloured

I'd like some highlights

I'd like it straightened

Just a trim, please

But an inch off the ends, please

Some hair spray, please

Just a bit of gel

A little wax

How much is that?

Will that cost extra?

Is that complementary? (This is asking if a product is free)

A pilus salon with chairs, mirrors and products – prototype source

Phrases for the hairdresser's

Could you trim my bristles / moustache, delight?

I'd like it brusque at the sides, please

I'd like it longer on top, please

A grade 2, please

Tapered at the dorsum, delight

Non too short

Quite brusk / very brusque / completely shaven

Phrases you may hear at the hairdressing salon

Would you lot similar to make an date?

Who normally does your hair?

Who exercise yous normally see? (This is request which stylist/barber normally cuts your hair)

We tin run into yous next Wednesday at 2pm

When did you last have your hair cut?

What exercise you want doing today?

What are y'all looking for today?

How practice y'all want it cut?

Exercise you want a wash/shampoo?

Do you lot want any layers / layering?

Do you want a particular style?

How much do yous want off (the ends)?

How much do you want taken off?

How short would you similar it?

Where exercise y'all part your hair?

Do you take a centre/side departing?

Would you like it blow-stale?

Do you desire information technology styled straight or wavy?

You have some split up ends (split ends are hairs that are damaged at the ends)

Would y'all similar anything on it?  (asking if yous desire gel, mousse, hair spray or another finishing product)

General hair vocabulary and phrases to talk well-nigh hair

There are many phrases we employ to talk over hair, hair styles, growing our hair, cutting our hair, washing, styling and looking after our pilus. Hither is some general hair vocabulary and pilus care phrases that tin can be useful for conversations about hair:

to be growing your pilus – waiting for pilus to grow longer

e.one thousand. 'I'm trying to grow my hair at the moment, so I don't want to become it cut'

to exist losing your hair – going bald (hairless)

due east.g. 'I think I'm losing my pilus' / 'I don't desire to lose my pilus!' / 'I don't care if I lose my pilus'

Locks – hair

E.yard. South/he has long, lustrous locks – S/he has long, shiny hair

Brushing / combing your hair

Trivia: In the old days, some women would castor their hair 100 strokes per day, every bit they thought this would strengthen it!

E.g. 'You should brush your hair gently to avoid dissentious information technology'

E.m. 'Don't castor your hair when it'due south wet – it's also delicate'.

Bed head – messy hair, tousled hair (referring to hair after someone has merely woken up and climbed out of bed), sometimes a deliberate, stylish wait

Positive words to describe hair: shiny, thick, skillful status, strong, lustrous, soft, manageable, smoothen, silky

Negative words to depict hair: dry out, poor condition, bad condition, split up ends, rough, coarse, weak, fragile, unmanageable, tangled, matted

More than Essential Hair Vocabulary

Going to the hairdressing salon is a common activeness, so this hairdresser vocabulary and hair styling phrases will hopefully come in useful when you lot demand to tidy up your hair in an English-speaking country.

Pilus cutting vocabulary is too useful when talking about your hair with friends, such as the latest celebrity styles, hair cut idea or discussions virtually pilus care and visiting the hairdresser.

At that place are many other activities where you will need specialist vocabulary, so we are working on producing more 'essentials' guides to help y'all navigate you style effectually daily life in English!

For more useful vocabulary related to beauty, check out our beauty salon vocabulary guide for phrases you might need when visiting the beauty salon, make up counter, tanning studio or blast shop.

You lot tin likewise read more than almost using English vocabulary when eating in restaurants, travelling on public transport, visiting the doctor'south, going shopping and other regular activities in our essential English department.

What practise yous retrieve almost hairdressing vocabulary?

Do yous experience confident communicating in English language at the hairdressing salon or barber'due south?

What other hair vocabulary tin you recollect of that would be useful to other readers?

What are your favourite hair styling products?

Are you unsure about any hairdressing vocabulary, styles, products, hairdressing words or phrases?

Have you lot heard anything else at the hairdresser'southward y'all didn't understand?

Permit u.s. know your thoughts in the comments!

 

Atttributions

1. Anna Wintour at the Twenty8Twelve fashion show in London, September 22, 2009, Anna_Wintour_&_Alexa_Chung.jpg: LGEPR, Cropped past Daniel Case, 2010-06-x derivative work: Daniel Case [CC Past 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

2. Judi Dench at the BAFTAs 2017, Caroline Bonarde Ucci [CC BY iii.0], via Wikimedia Eatables

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