Hair Terminology for Men: How to Ask for Your Ideal Haircut

If you’re looking to go into the barbershop and come out with an excellent cut, you have to go in knowing what you’re looking for. Still, far too many men report they have no idea how to talk about their hair when they go in for a trim or change.

Not everyone is privy to hair terminology, but getting familiar with how to talk about hair can be incredibly convenient and helpful. Need to learn how to talk to a barber? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.

Be Precise

When you go into a barbershop, you might have the bad habit of talking in generalities. When you don’t have better hair terminology to use, this is an easy trap to fall into.

Many people go into a barbershop and ask for just a ‘regular’ cut. You need to remember that there really is no such thing. The barber doesn’t know what your regular is and that term might mean one hundred different things to one hundred different people.

Ditto for the terms short and long. These are not precise and they could mean different things for different people. Your definition of short may be far less severe than what the barber has in mind, so it’s important to use as specific of word choice as possible.

Understanding Tapers vs. Fades

It’s a good idea to do a little research on how you want your haircut before you start thinking: where is the coolest barbershop near me? A little preparation can go a long way.

There are a number of haircut styles for men you might be choosing between. Everything from the high and tight to the faux hawk is on the table these days. However, you might need to get even more specific on how you want these hairdos executed.

The main terminology tripping men up is the difference between a taper and a fade. Both describe a way of transitioning shorter hair length on the sides to a longer length on top, a very trendy thing to do these days.

However, a taper is where your hair gradually changes from one length to another. A fade is similar but much shorter, and actually ends when the hair reaches the skin.

Power of Photos

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? This is certainly true when it comes to talking to your barber. If you have a picture you can bring in with you when you get your haircut, it can go a long way to bridging any language barrier you might be experiencing.

Who knows, you might even learn some new terminology for what you like just from talking to a barber about the photo.

Understanding Men’s Hair Terminology

There’s a lot to learn about talking about hair if you hope to score a perfect cut. The above tips on hair terminology can help you start speaking your barber’s language.

Need more style tips and tricks? Keep scrolling our blog for more.

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