A
A-LINE BOB - A type of bob that is longer in the front then it is in the back, resembling a capital “A.”
ALOPECIA - This is a medical hair condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing them to shed, resulting in bald patches on the scalp.
AMMONIA - The main ingredient found in hair color that opens the cuticle, allowing color molecules to enter.
ASH TONES - Ashy refers to a cool hair colour. Cool tones include purples and blues and often have a pastel-like quality. It can be applied to tone down hair that is too brassy/warm.
ASYMMETRICAL - A haircut where the hair is not symmetrical and one side is longer than the other. The difference can be drastic or subtle.
C
CHOPPY - A type of haircut. ‘Choppy’ refers to when you request more texture. Normally this sort of style is suited to shorter length hair down to roughly shoulder length.
CLARIFIER - A clarifying shampoo is slightly stronger than an everyday shampoo and is designed to remove products, hard water or chlorine residue that have built-up over time. These types of shampoos usually have a higher pH level and therefore should not be used regularly as they may dry out the hair and scalp.
COLOUR CORRECTION - A process of removing or blending unwanted colour results from a previous appointment. The service may have to be repeated over a few appointments to achieve the desired look.
CONSULTATION - The consultation is a very important part of the hair service. It is at the beginning of a service, where the stylist discusses what the client is looking to achieve. A client has the chance to communicate what they like/don’t like and the stylist has the chance to tell them their opinion. It is the key to a successful service.
COWLICK - A cowlick is an area of hair where the hair grows in the opposite direction from the rest of the hair. It is hard to get them to lay down in most cases.
CUTICLES - The hair cuticles form a protective layer which covers the shaft of the hair. If your hair is coloured or bleached they can spread out, split or become bloated due to over processing.
B
BABY LIGHTS - Similar to highlights, baby lights is a lightening process in which fine pieces of hair are lightened for a subtle and natural lift to the hair.
BACKCOMBING / BACKBRUSHING - Also know as “teasing” the hair. Volume is created with a comb or a brush by pushing the hair down towards the scalp.
BASE COLOUR - The colour applied at the root area or all-over the hair before a creative colour technique is done.
BALAYAGE - A technique for highlighting hair in which the dye is painted on in such a way as to create a graduated, natural-looking colour.
BEACH WAVES - Hair that is wavy with a windblown, tousled look, often created by curling with a curling iron from the mid-lengths down.
BLEACH - Bleach, for hair, works by raising the hair cuticle, going into the hair and dispersing color molecules, which lightens the hair. If done correctly, it shouldn’t cause too much damage.
BLENDING - The process of blending one line of the haircut to the other line by usually cutting out the hair between both lines.
BLOW DRY – A method for drying the hair and in some cases styling following a wash or a cut.
BLUNT – The perfect look for people with fine hair to create the illusion of density and volume. Every strand of hair will fall to the same length.
BOB – A type of short-medium length hair cut. Traditionally cut in such a way that it remains one length.
BRASSY – This hair terminology refers to unwanted golden or orange tones in hair.
BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT – See Keratin treatment.
D
DANDRUFF - A condition caused by excessive cell production causing the scalp to flake.
DIMENSION - Adding different tones and shades to your hair to prevent the hair from looking full or flat.
DEMI-PERMANENT - A type of hair colour. It sits between semi-permanent and permanent. Demi-permanent colour lasts longer than semi-permanent colour but not for the lifespan of a permanent colour.
DEVELOPER - Peroxide that is added to any permanent or demi-permanent hair color or bleach. It works by lifting the cuticle and allowing the color to enter the hair.
DIFFUSER - An attachment for a blow-dryer that disperses the air flow and distributes it over a larger area of hair. These are commonly used with curly hair since the air flow won’t disturb the natural flow of the curls.
DIMENSIONAL COLOUR - Color that adds dimension to the hair, such as highlights or balayage.
DISCONNECTED - When main parts of the haircut are not connected by a seamless line. There should be a distinct difference between the two sections.
DRY-CUTTING - Dry cutting is usually a performed after the hair has already been washed, cut, dried and styled, but can also be used as a primary method of hair cutting. Since hair reacts a lot differently wet than dry, it allows you to focus a lot more on detail and how the hair will actually lay when it has been styled.
DUSTING - Cutting the bare minimum off the tips of the hair to clean up the haircut, without making it look freshly cut.
E
EDGY - Trendy, non-conventional hair.
ELASTICITY - The hair’s ability to stretch without breaking and then return to its original shape.
EXTENSIONS - Pieces of real or synthetic hair that is attached close to the scalp to make hair appear longer and/or more voluminous.
G
GLOSS - Shine overlay on the hair. Can be created temporarily with hair products or a clear hair color.
GRADUATED CUT - A graduated haircut is one that is a gradual progression of lengths from short to long. It ultimately creates a layered effect.
GRADUATION - When hair “graduates” from short to long. Typically this refers to the back of a bob or face-framing.
GREY HAIR - A mixture of white Hair that has naturally lost all pigment and hair that hasn’t lost its colour.
F
FACE-FRAMING - Shorter layers around the face that tend to curl under the chin and frame the face.
FEATHERING - A form of cutting to reduce the volume of hair. This is particularly effective with thick hair.
FRINGE - The layer of hair present at the top of the face to about eyebrow level. Also known as "bangs," fringe is a part of the haircut in which some hair covers your face.
FULL HEAD HIGHLIGHTS - A full head of highlights (also known as foils) is a highlighting technique covering all of your head.
H
HAIR EXTENSIONS - The process of adding real or synthetic hair to natural hair, either by braiding it in, fusing it, bonding it or with the use of clip-ins, to make hair appear to be longer and/or fuller.
HAIR PAINTING - Painting the hair color directly on the hair with a brush.
HENNA - Derived from the henna plant, a vegetable dye made from its leaves and stemmed into a powder. Traditionally, it imparts a reddish cast to the hair by coating it. Clear henna enhances shine. Henna cannot be dyed over since it coats the outer hair shaft affecting the penetration of the chemical colorant.
HIGHLIGHTS - Strands or slices of hair that are colored and wrapped in foil to make them lighter than the hair's base color, creating a dimensional look. highlighting can help add depth, texture and compliment your look. The technique result can differ from bold, chunky sections or subtle, natural finish.
K
KERATIN - A type of naturally occurring protein found in your hair, skin and nails. To ensure healthy hair, keratin is a necessary component.
KERATIN TREATMENT - Aka “Brazilian Blowout.” A method of smoothing the hair by sealing a liquid keratin and a preservative solution into the hair with a straightening iron. These treatments aim to smooth curls and waves and to reduce frizz. The treatments do not guarantee completely straight hair, although if performed correctly they can reduce between 50 and 80 percent of the curl depending on the original hair texture. Treatments last around 10–12 weeks.
M
MELANIN - Natural substance that gives color (pigment) to hair and skin.
L
LAYERING - Layers are shorter pieces of hair that blend seamlessly into the haircut, adding volume and dimension. Layers are a popular cutting technique where their purpose is to reduce weight in thick hair, or add movement and body to fine hair.
LOB - A lob is a long version of a bob. The weight line should fall around your collar bones.
LONG LAYERS - Layers that tend to stay towards the bottom of the hair.
LOWLIGHTS - The opposite to highlighting hair. Highlights require bleach to achieve lighter hair whereas lowlights require darker pieces through the hair.
O
OMBRÉ - Similar to a balayage, Ombré means ‘shading’ in French. The root colour cannot be seen at the ends of the hair. Lighter hair colour is introduced (roughly) around the top of the ear, blended before all of the remaining hair is lightened.
OXIDATION - The chemical reaction caused by mixing hair color and developer together. Oxidation lifts the cuticle, allowing the hair color to work inside the hair shaft.
P
PATCH TEST - A test performed usually with a hair dye, or other potential allergens, on the skin 48 hours before its use to see if the skin suffers an allergic reaction.
PIXIE CUT - Super short hair that is cut very close to the scalp. It usually is still wispy around the edges, making it look feminine.
POROSITY - Your hair’s ability to absorb moisture. This can affect the hair colouring process.
S
SEBUM - The oily secretion of the sebaceous glands on the scalp composed of keratin, fat or cellular debris.
SEMI-PERMANENT - Hair color that is semi-permanent will eventually wash out. It does not use developer and therefore it cannot make your hair lighter. It works by coating the hair shaft.
SERUM - A serum is a smoothing product which stops your hair from frizzing, keeping it smooth and straight.
SPLIT ENDS - Trichoptilosis is the splitting of hairs at the ends, often referred to as split ends. A split end is when the hair shaft splits or frays due to excessive heat and damage. There is no way to repair split ends; when they occur the hair must be trimmed.
R
RAZOR CUT - Using a razor blade, or comb with razor blades in it to cut the hair. This type of haircut is not perfectly even, and is very textured, giving a softer look than scissor cuts.
RELAXER - Used to permanently straighten hair.
ROUGH BLOW-DRY - A rough blow-dry is used to remove the moisture from wet hair, i.e. to dry the hair without styling.
T
THINNING THE HAIR - Using thinning shears, razors, layering or other various methods to reduce some bulk in the hair.
TONER - A form of hair colour, used following the application of bleach to give the hair a tone.
TOUSLED - A look with an undone wave.
TREATMENT - A treatment is used after shampooing instead of conditioning to put protein back into the hair. You should leave the treatment in your hair for at least five minutes before rinsing.
T-SECTION HIGHLIGHTS - A form of highlighting. Less hair highlighted than a half head of highlights, a t-section will address the roots/regrowth.
V
VIRGIN HAIR - This term refers to hair which is still in its original state and which has not been permed, coloured or chemically processed in any way.
VOLUME - Hair that has a lot of volume is hair that is lifted further from the scalp, so that it appears bigger. Can also mean thicker, fuller hair.
W
WARM TONES - Warmer/medium hair colours, On the other side of spectrum to Ash tones
WHITE HAIR - Hair that has no pigment. Some possible causes are genetic, Vitamin B deficiency, drugs for treatment of arthritis and some other health factors.
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