Vocabulary - Hairdressing

Here is some useful vocabulary related to hairdressing.

A barber - this is the man or woman who cuts men’s hair. Barbers have years of experience doing one basic haircut: short back and sides.

A hairdresser - this is the

person who will do just about anything to your hair, including cutting it, washing it, dyeing, drying it, curling it, straightening it, etc.

A wig - this is a piece of false hair that covers the top of the head. Stick your wig on with a strong glue to ensure it doesn’t fly off in a gale.

Clippers - this is the electronic device that is used to cut your hair. Use your clippers to recreate the sound of a thousand mosquitoes.

A brush (hairbrush) - this is

the object you use to put your hair in order. Save the hairs on your hairbrush to make a lovely wig of your very own hair.

A comb - this is the plastic object that is used to put your hairs in place. It’s got lots of little teeth. Impress your friends by using your comb as a mouth organ, and giving them your version of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.

Hair dye - this is the chemical substance that changes the colour of your hair. Dye your hair with ammonia to save money. However, be careful as repeated use of ammonia may burn your scalp.

A towel - this is the object used to dry your wet hair. Wrap your towel around your head and pretend you are from an exotic country.

A hairdryer - this is the electronic device that’s used to dry your hair. It is also useful for drying paint on walls. Curlers - these are the hot pieces of metal that are used to make your hair curly. They are also excellent instruments of torture and may be used to extract information from stubborn friends.

Hair oil - this is the oily substance that you can put on your hair. Put on a large amount and give yourself that Mafia look to intimidate your friends.

Scissors - these are the objects they use to cut your hair. Inexperienced hairdressers often use scissors to cut off portions of client’s ears. On your next visit, remember to wear a helmet to avoid any injuries.

G L O S S A R Y

A barber’s seat - these are

the chairs that you sit on in the hairdressers. Have fun spinning around on the seat - it’s cheaper than going to the fun fair, and you get a haircut.

A razor blade - this is the

sharp object used for cutting the hairs on the back of the neck.

Hairspray - this is the wonderful mixture of air, perfume and glue that is used to keep your hair in place.

Hair gel - this is the sticky substance that is used to keep your hair looking wet. Regularly throwing a bucket of water over your head has a similar effect.

short back and sides exp a haircut that consists of cutting the hair short at the back and the side of the head to curl vb to design hair so it has little circles in it. People with “curly” hair have these circles naturally to stick vb to fix something with glue (see below) glue n a substance that we use to fix things - usually paper onto paper to fly off phr vb if something “flies off” your head, it suddenly comes away from your head a gale n violent weather with very strong wind a mouth organ n a small musical instrument that you put it in your mouth. They are often used in blues songs a scalp n the skin on your head wrap a towel around your head exp put a towel on your head and tie it ( see picture) to pretend vb to act as if something is true even if that thing isn’t true stubborn adj someone who is “stubborn” insists on doing things his/her way a helmet n an object you put on your head to protect your head. People on motorbikes often wear them to spin around phr vb to move around in circles many, many times and very fast