It’s a situation most of us have found ourselves in at some point. You’re at the hair salon and you’re all excited for the stylist to spin you around to reveal your hot new look. But when they do, your stomach drops — because it looks like your mane has been attacked by Edward Scissorhands. “How do you like it?” the stylist asks cheerfully. “It’s…great,” you squeak, not wanting to be rude or cause a scene. But the second you leave the salon, you either burst into tears or head straight to the shops to buy a hat.
Yep, it happens to the best of us. Even beauty guru Chloe Morello isn’t immune to the occasional bad haircut. While it does sometimes happen at the hands of an inexperienced stylist, most of the time it comes down to a simple miscommunication. Often, your understanding of a ‘trim’ or ‘fringe’ isn’t going to be exactly the same as your hairdressers’. The good news is, by getting your lingo down pat, you can avoid hair disappointment in the future.
So, in order to make sure you walk out of the salon happy every single time, we’ve called on hair pros to define some common hairdressing terms.
Balayage
Balayage is a technique that has been around for a very long time but seems to be the trend currently. It’s actually a French word meaning to sweep or paint. It’s a popular technique that allows naturalness to glow through with less noticeable regrowth lines. It’s really about creating softness. Ombré is the transition from dark to light without maintaining any dark in the ends like Balayage.
-Roberto Tarla – Creative Director, Keune ANZIS
Babylights
Very fine foils that grow out naturally.
-Tarryn Cherniayeff, Co-founder of MOB Hair via Cosmpolitan Australia
Gloss Smudging
This technique is customisable to every individual and is utilised to enhance and refine colour. It is used predominantly at the roots where colour begins and you can smudge the colour to soften and blend it.
-Roberto Tarla – Creative Director, Keune ANZIS
Point cutting
This is a popular technique to create softer natural layers and ends that can be really edgy depending how aggressive you are with the technique or just soft to enhance natural movements with hair. I always love to approach cuts that compliment every individual hence why this technique is not necessary for everyone, particularly finer hair types. This is a technique which sees your scissors line up parallel to the ends of the hair to cut length or to create texture and softness by eliminating weight.
-Roberto Tarla – Creative Director, Keune ANZIS
Blunt
Straight lines with no movement.
-Tarryn Cherniayeff, Co-founder of MOB Hair via Cosmpolitan Australia
Slithering
Also known as channel cutting, this technique slides through the hair to create more texture and a lighter effect.
-Tiago Aprigio — Brand Ambassador, Keune Brazil
A trim
This means to remove whatever hair needs to come off to make hair healthy again (the amount will depend on the condition of your hair!)
Trims are always necessary to maintain healthy hair and to keep your hair looking its best. Obviously different hair lengths and textures will be a contributing factor in how often you should return to your hairdresser for trims.
-Fabio Arnhold — Creative Master Educator, Keune Brazil
Choppy layers
This is a prolific technique within the industry. Creating choppy layers allows for texture and movement within the hair. It also gives hair an edgy touch with a personalised finish, making it easier to style and wear day to day with different product variations to enhance the texture.
-Tiago Aprigio — Brand Ambassador, Keune Brazil
Ashy tones
These are tones that are cool-based that need to be used to suit somebody’s skin complexion. It’s all about creating that bespoke undertone for every client.
-Fabio Arnhold — Creative Master Educator, Keune Brazil
