Spanish Hair Salon Lingo: Guiris helping Guiris
Are you living in/ visiting Spain and desperately need to get your hair cut?
Have you heard horror stories about hair salon experiences in Spain?
Are you scared that using the little Spanish you know, you might end up with a bowl cut, a bright pink weave, or bangs?
Are you seriously considering taking scissors to your own hair?
Put the scissors down.
I am an American girl who’s been living Madrid for the past year & 9 months, during which I’ve gotten my hair cut in Spain a whopping 3 times.
I am proud to say that I have recently overcome my fear of Spanish hair salons after a horrifying experience involving an 80-year old hair stylist, a dirty salon reeking of tobacco and burnt hair, a spray water bottle, and a razor blade.(Read my “Hair Salon Horrors” post if you’re curious). Well, paying just 5€ for a hair cut, I suppose I had it coming.
So, while I’m no expert the subject, I’ve decided to at least lay-out some hair salon lingo for my fellow Guiris trying to get a decent hair cut in Spain, a country where the hair stylists often do what they want anyway.
- How to make an appointment
- How to explain what services you’re interested in
- How to explain what hairstyle you want
- Tipping- is it necessary?
Use this vocabulary below, be clear and firm while explaining what you want, sit down in the salon chair, close your eyes, and pray. Good luck.
Now, I wouldn’t say I’m your go-to girl about which salon to go to, unless you’re just getting your ends trimmed or you’re looking for an inexpensive solution.
There’s a Spanish hair salon chain called Marco Aldany that’s clean, has extremely reasonable prices, and found on just about every corner throughout the country.
They have over 400 locations in Spain. I’ve always had very good experiences with Marco Aldany- no complaints here.
Making an Appointment
- Go in person. You may find they can take you right then and there. If not, just take a seat and wait your turn.
- Call by telephone.
To make an appointment – hacer una cita
Date – fecha
Day – día
Time (of day) – la hora
Days of the Week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| lunes | martes | miércoles | jueves | viernes | sábado | domingo |
Time (of day)
| At 9:00 o’clock in the morning | At noon | At 4 in the afternoon | At 5:30 |
| A las nueve de la mañana | Al mediodía | A las cuatro de la tarde | A las cinco y media |
I want to make an appointment on Thursday at 6pm.
Quiero hacer una cita en jueves a las seis de la tarde.
I want to make an appointment to cut my hair on Monday morning.
Quiero hacer una cita para cortarme el pelo el lunes de la mañana.
Phrases in the Salon
Dedos (fingers) is a unit of measure in Spain.
I want my hair cut 3 fingers shorter.
Quiero cortarme el pelo tres dedos.
I want my hair cut up to here. (showing with hands)
Quiero cortarme el pelo hasta aquí.
| I want… Quiero… | make an appointment – hacer una cita |
| I would like… Me gustaría… | to get my haircut – cortarme el pelo |
| I don’t want… No quiero… | layers – capas |
| I like this one – Éste me gusta | long layers – a capas largas |
| I don’t like it – No me gusta / Eso no me gusta | short layers – a capas cortas |
| Do you speak English? –¿Hablas inglés? | just the ends – sólo las puntas |
| I’m sorry but… – Lo siento pero… | to clip the ends – cortar las puntas |
| That’s good/that’s ok/ that’s enough – Está bien | bangs – flequillo |
| How much does X cost? – ¿Cuánto cuesta X? | short hair – el pelo corto |
| How much would X cost? – ¿Cuánto costaría X? | long hair – el pelo largo |
| Do you have…? – Tienes…? | curly hair – el pelo rizado |
| straight / straightened hair – el pelo liso | |
| deep treatment – tratamiento profundo | |
| deep conditioner – acondicionador intenso | |
| to dye my brown hair, blonde –teñir el pelo castaño a rubio | |
| dye my hair blonde – pintar el pelo de rubio | |
| highlights – reflejos | |
| to style one’s hair – peinarse | |
| in back – por detrás | |
| in front – por delante |
Tipping
Tipping is by no means obligatory. Yet, leaving between 5-10% is considered good etiquette, especially if you think they did a good job and you intend on returning.
More Vocabulary
a little – un poco/ un poquito
a lot – mucho
to apply – aplicar
application – aplicación
appointment – cita
beauty salon – la peluquería
base tone – tono base
voluminous hair – pelo voluminoso
bleach – decolorante/ blanqueador
to bleach – decolorar
blonde hair – pelo rubio
blowdryer – secadora
to blow dry – secar a mano
bob (hairstyle) – corte bob
bobby pin – pinza/ horquilla
braids – trenzas
to brush (verb) – cepillar
bun – moño
breakage (of hair) – quebramiento
chin length – a la altura de la barbilla
to condition (verb) – acondicionar
to curl – rizar
curlers (rollers) – rolos
curling iron – plancha rizadora
haircut – corte de pelo
to cut – cortar
dandruff – caspa
eyebrow shaping – modelado de cejas
eyebrow threading – depilación de cejas con hilo
fine hair – pelo fino
french braid – trenza francesa
highlights – reflejos
flat iron – plancha de pelo
hair mask – mascarilla capilar
hair removal – depilación
hair stylist (person) – peluquera
hair weave – tejido de cabello
hair spray – fijador
an inch (measurement) – una pulgada
inch and a half – pulgada y media
in back – por detrás
in front – por delante
in layers – en capas/ a capas
the part (hair- noun) – la raya
to part (hair- verb) – partir
relaxer- alisador
roots – raíces
to shampoo (verb) – lavar el pelo
spray (noun) – espray
streaks – reflejos/ mechas
to style (hair- verb) – peinarse
to thin (out your hair- verb) – desfilar
tips (ends of hair) – las puntas
waxing – depilación con cera
{Feel free to share your own hair salon experiences, good or bad. Leave any recommendations. Comments. Thoughts. Whatever.}
Lost in Madrid 