Getting your haircut can be a scary experience anytime, but if you add in language barriers, it can be downright terrifying. If you find yourself in a Spanish speaking country in dire need of a trim, here are some helpful basic Spanish phrases that just might save you from a disastrous haircut.
Beauty Salon Vocabulary in Spanish for Ladies
1. Peluquería / salón / beauty – a hair salon
2. Pelo /Cabello – hair
3. Las puntas – the tips or ends (usually your dead ends) “Corte las puntas, nada más, por favor” means “Cut the tips, nothing more, please.”
4. Puntas partidas /orquetillas – split ends
5. Las raíces / crecimiento – the roots, the growth
6. Canas – grey hair
7. Flequillo/pollina / fleco – bangs/fringe
8. Tinte / tintura / colorante – dye (noun)
9. Teñir / pintar – to color or dye (verb)
10. Brushing / Blower – blowdry / style. Un brushing is used in Argentina, while un blower is used in Puerto Rico
11. Gel – gel, in most countries you pronounce the “g” like an “h” as in hell but in Puerto Rico just say gel, the same as English
12. Laca / fijador / aerosol / spray – hairspray
13. Alisado – chemical straightening
14. Planchado – straightened using a flat iron
15. Rolos / rulos – curlers
16. Lavar – wash
Barber Shop Vocabulary
1. Barbería – a barbershop (not to be confused with barbaridad – barbarity)
2. Redondo – rounded, refers to the hair on the back of the head
3. Cuadrado – squared, refers to the hair on the back of the head
4. Patillas – sideburns
5. La máquina – clippers, shears
Buena suerte and remember, hair grows back!
Check out these other English Spanish articles.
Featured photo credit: Most Hair Cuts $6.99 by a4gpa via flickr