Getting a haircut

Getting a haircut

Today I would like to write about going to a hair salon and how tо tell the hairdressers what we want. This article will be useful for all of you that are usually worried before a haircut because of the fear that you may not like how your hair looks after the cut. It is even more complicated when you must explain your wishes to your hairdresser or barber in a foreign language. So, take a look at the article where you can see some helpful phrases related to getting a haircut.

Where to go to get your hair cut?

Men usually go to a salon or barbershop to get a haircut while women go to a hair salon.

The people who work at these places are called:

• a hairstylist (or just stylist) – the person who cuts men’s or women’s hair
• a hairdresser – the person who cuts men’s or women’s hair; he/she works at hair salon;
• a barber – the person who cuts men’s hair; he/she works at a barbershop;

How to make an appointment? There are some common phrases to use:

Can I make an appointment for a haircut today?

Do you have any openings today?

Is there anyone free who can cut my hair now/soon/at 11 a.m. /in the next hour?

What times do you have open for appointments today?

When is your next opening?

Your hairdresser, stylist or barber may ask you some of these questions:

What are you looking to do today?

What are you want me to do to your hair today?

How much do you want taken off?

When was your last haircut?

Do you want a wash/a shampoo?

When you are going to talk with your hairdresser, stylist or barber about what you want them to do to your hair you may say:

I would like …

…a cut – this means you want some amount of hair cut off and you have to say how much

…a trim – this means you want a little bit of hair cut off, just to make your current hairdo neat, you don’t want to change your hairstyle entirely.

…a wash and cut – this means you want your hair washed before it is cut. The wash usually costs extra

…a wash, cut, and dry – this means you want your hair to be dried or styled

Some other hair treatments that you can ask:

…to get a perm – this is a treatment with chemicals that makes the hair permanent curly or straightened

…to have my hair straightened – this is a treatment that makes curly hair straight

…to have my hair dyed or colored – this means changing the color of your hair

…to have my hair bleached – this means changing the color to very blond hair

…to get my hair streaked – this means changing the color to the hair to more than one color (example - blond streaks on a brown hair)

Here are some other words commonly used to explain what you want:

bangs – this is a haircut for women with short hair across the forehead

buzz cut – this is when hair is shaved very short, usually for men’s cut

layers – this is when hair is cut in many different lengths or multiple levels

braid(s) – when you take a bunch of hair, separate it into three and weave it together

a ponytail – is a hairstyle in which some, most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip, or other similar device and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the tail of a pony.

pigtails – two ponytails on the top of the head; we usually give the children pigtails, split the hair into two and braid it

a bun – hair gathered into a round coil or knot at the nape of the neck or on top of the head in certain coiffures.

hair extensions – make the hair longer or voluminous by adding false hair

Some problems and comments:

What product would you recommend for …?

... split ends – this means the ends of your hair are broken into multiple pieces and are damaged (the hair becomes dry, brittle and frayed due to extreme weather conditions, drying, straightening, curling or chemical hair products)

… dandruff – little white spots that cover the hair, caused from fried and irritated scalp

… oily hair - It looks kind of wet and greasy.

… dry hair - It often has split ends, it’s not shiny, it looks like it needs more conditioner

… flat hair - needs more volume