At the hairdresser in Spanish: saying exactly what you want, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
A haircut in a language you half speak is a gamble you pay for and then wear for a month. The vocabulary is small and very specific, and almost none of it appears in a course. This page has the words for what you want, the measurements people actually use, the beard and the colour, the questions the hairdresser will ask you in the chair, and a short second section on the gym and the pool, where the vocabulary is just as fixed. The words differ between Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina on nearly every item, starting with the name of the shop.
What the place is called
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hairdresser’s | la peluquería, la estética, el salón | la peluquería | la peluquería, el salón de belleza | la peluquería |
| Barber’s | la barbería | la barbería | la barbería | la barbería |
| The person | el peluquero / la peluquera, el estilista | el peluquero / la peluquera | el peluquero / la peluquera, el estilista | el peluquero / la peluquera |
| Barber | el barbero | el barbero | el barbero | el barbero |
Estética in Mexico is an ordinary neighbourhood salon that cuts hair and does nails, and the sign often reads Estética Unisex. In Spain, estética means beauty treatments and a place called that may not cut hair at all. Peluquería is safe in all four countries.
Getting in the door
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Do I need an appointment? | ¿Hace falta cita? (Spain) / ¿Necesito cita? (Mexico, Colombia) / ¿Hay que sacar turno? (Argentina) | Turno is the Argentine word for an appointment |
| I would like an appointment | Quisiera pedir cita. (Spain) / Quiero agendar una cita. (Mexico, Colombia) / Quería sacar un turno. (Argentina) | |
| Do you take walk-ins? | ¿Atienden sin cita? / ¿Atienden sin turno? (Argentina) | |
| How long is the wait? | ¿Cuánto hay que esperar? | |
| I have an appointment at four | Tengo cita a las cuatro. / Tengo turno a las cuatro. (Argentina) | |
| Just a cut | Solo corte. | |
| Cut and beard | Corte y barba. | |
| How much is a cut? | ¿Cuánto cuesta el corte? | Ask before you sit down |
| Who is last in the queue? | ¿Quién es el último? | Spain, and the way queues work in a barber’s there |
¿Quién es el último? is how you join a queue that has no line, in a Spanish barber’s, a market stall or a health centre. You ask, someone raises a hand, and you go after them.
Hair itself is el pelo in Spain and Argentina, and el cabello is the more formal word used on product labels everywhere. In Mexico and Colombia people say both, and you hear cabello in a salon more often than you would in Madrid.
Saying what you want
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A haircut | un corte de pelo / un corte de cabello (Mexico, Colombia) | |
| Just the ends | Solo las puntas. | The safest sentence in this whole page |
| A trim | Solo emparejar. / Un recorte. | Emparejar is to even it up |
| Half an inch, roughly | Un dedo. | Held up as a finger’s width. Nobody uses inches |
| About an inch | Dos dedos. | |
| Not too short | No muy corto. | |
| A little shorter | Un poquito más corto. | |
| Shorter at the sides | Más corto por los lados. / Más corto a los lados. | |
| Long on top | Largo arriba. / Que quede largo arriba. | |
| Leave the top | Arriba no me toques, por favor. | |
| Shorter at the back | Más corto por detrás. | |
| Above the ear | Por encima de la oreja. | |
| Off the collar | Que no toque el cuello. | |
| Tidy the neck | Perfílame la nuca. / Límpiame la nuca. | Perfilar is to line up the edges |
| Layers | en capas | Understood in all four |
| Feathered, thinned out | desfilado (Spain, Mexico) / desmechado (Colombia, Argentina) | |
| Thin it out, it is too thick | Quítame volumen, lo tengo muy grueso. | |
| The fringe | el flequillo (Spain, Argentina) / el fleco (Mexico) / el capul (Colombia) | Called bangs in American English |
| Trim the fringe | Córtame el flequillo, un dedo nada más. | |
| A parting | la raya | La raya al lado, at the side. La raya en medio, in the middle |
| Clippers | la máquina | |
| A number two | con la máquina del dos / el número dos | The numbers are the same everywhere |
| A two at the sides, scissors on top | Máquina del dos a los lados y tijera arriba. | The sentence most men need |
| Shaved | rapado | Al rape in Spain means cropped right down |
| A fade | un degradado / un fade | Degradado is understood in all four; the English word is used in barbershops |
| Like this photo | Así, como en la foto. | Bring the photo. It works better than the Spanish |
| Same as last time | Igual que la vez pasada. | |
| I am growing it out | Me lo estoy dejando crecer. | |
| Don’t wash it | Sin lavar, gracias. | |
| No gel | Sin gel, por favor. | |
| No blow-dry | Sin secador. |
The finger measurement is worth a line of its own. Un dedo and dos dedos, shown with your fingers, is what everyone in all four countries uses for how much comes off. Centimetres are understood and rarely said. And solo las puntas, only the ends, is what to say when your Spanish runs out.
The beard, the moustache and the shave
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The beard | la barba | |
| The moustache | el bigote | |
| Sideburns | las patillas | |
| Trim the beard | Recórtame la barba. / Arréglame la barba. | |
| Short beard | La barba corta. | |
| Shave it off | Aféitame la barba. | |
| A wet shave | Un afeitado a navaja. | With a straight razor |
| Line up the edges | Perfílame la barba. | |
| Leave the moustache | El bigote no me lo toques. | |
| Even it out | Empareja los lados. | |
| Shorter sideburns | Las patillas más cortas. |
Colour, straightening and treatments
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| To dye | teñir | Me quiero teñir el pelo |
| The colour | el tinte | The product and the service |
| Just the roots | Solo la raíz. | |
| Cover the grey | Cubrir las canas. | Las canas are grey hairs |
| Highlights | las mechas | Understood in all four |
| Highlights | los rayitos (Mexico) / los reflejos (Spain, Argentina) | |
| Balayage | el balayage | The French word is used everywhere in salons |
| A shade lighter | Un tono más claro. | |
| A shade darker | Un tono más oscuro. | |
| Nothing too bold | Nada muy llamativo. | |
| Straightening | el alisado | |
| Keratin treatment | la queratina | |
| Curls | los rizos (Spain, Mexico, Colombia) / los rulos (Argentina) | |
| Curly hair | el pelo rizado / el pelo enrulado (Argentina) / el pelo crespo (Colombia) | |
| Straight hair | el pelo liso / el pelo lacio (Mexico, Colombia) | |
| Wash and blow-dry | lavar y secar / un brushing (Argentina) | |
| Flat iron | la plancha | |
| A hair mask | una mascarilla | |
| How long will it take? | ¿Cuánto tarda? | Colour takes two hours. Ask first |
| How much with the colour? | ¿Cuánto sale con el tinte? | Salir for “to come to” is common in Argentina and Mexico |
What you will hear in the chair
| What they say | What it means |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo lo quiere? / ¿Cómo te lo corto? | How do you want it |
| ¿Qué le hacemos? | What are we doing |
| ¿Le lavo el pelo? | Shall I wash it |
| ¿Máquina o tijera? | Clippers or scissors |
| ¿Qué número? | Which clipper guard |
| ¿Con raya? | With a parting |
| ¿De qué lado se peina? | Which side do you part it |
| ¿Le quito mucho? | Am I taking a lot off |
| ¿Así está bien? | Is this all right |
| ¿Le dejo las patillas así? | Shall I leave the sideburns like this |
| ¿Le perfilo las cejas? | Shall I tidy your eyebrows (common in Mexico and Colombia) |
| Agache la cabeza. | Head down |
| Levante la barbilla. | Chin up |
| ¿Le pongo un poco de producto? | Shall I put some product in |
| Mire atrás en el espejo. | Have a look at the back in the mirror |
| ¿Le gustó? | Did you like it |
If it is going wrong, say so while the scissors are still moving. With un poquito menos, por favor or así está bien, gracias, ya no más you stop it politely. Ya no más is Mexican and Colombian and means that is enough.
Tipping
In Spain, hairdressers are not tipped as a rule. Leaving coins is a small kindness and nobody expects it. In Mexico, ten percent to the person who cut your hair is normal, and a few coins to whoever washed it. In Argentina, a tip of around ten percent in cash is customary, and in a barber’s it is expected. In Colombia a small tip is common in salons and is not the fixed obligation it is in a restaurant. When in doubt, ask ¿se acostumbra dejar propina?, is it usual to leave a tip.
The gym and the pool
For signing up and getting through the door you need another small fixed vocabulary.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A class | una clase | |
| A trial class | una clase de prueba | Ask for one, most places have them |
| Monthly membership | la mensualidad (Mexico, Colombia) / la cuota mensual (Spain) / la cuota (Argentina) | |
| A pass, a block of sessions | el abono (Spain) / el bono (Spain) / el pase (Mexico) | |
| Joining fee | la matrícula (Spain, Colombia) / la inscripción (Mexico, Argentina) | Ask if there is one |
| To sign up | apuntarme (Spain) / inscribirme (Mexico, Colombia) / anotarme (Argentina) | |
| To cancel the membership | darme de baja (Spain, Argentina) / cancelar la mensualidad (Mexico, Colombia) | |
| Is there a minimum term? | ¿Hay permanencia mínima? (Spain) | The question that saves money |
| Changing room | el vestuario (Spain, Argentina) / los vestidores (Mexico) / el vestier (Colombia) | |
| Locker | el casillero (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) / la taquilla (Spain) | |
| Padlock | el candado | Bring one. Many lockers have none |
| The shower | la ducha (Spain, Colombia, Argentina) / la regadera (Mexico) | |
| A towel | una toalla | Often obligatory on the machines |
| The weights room | la sala de pesas / la sala de musculación (Spain) | |
| The instructor | el monitor (Spain) / el entrenador (everywhere) / el profe (Argentina) | |
| Swimming pool | la piscina (Spain, Colombia) / la alberca (Mexico) / la pileta (Argentina) | |
| A lane | un carril / un andarivel (Argentina) | |
| Swimming cap | el gorro | |
| Caps are compulsory | El gorro es obligatorio. | Check before you pack |
| Goggles | las gafas de natación (Spain) / los goggles (Mexico) / las antiparras (Argentina) | |
| Flip-flops | las chanclas (Spain, Mexico, Colombia) / las ojotas (Argentina) | |
| Swimming costume | el bañador (Spain) / el traje de baño (Mexico, Colombia) / la malla (Argentina) |
Visitors are surprised by two things. At municipal pools in Spain you almost always need a swimming cap, and staff will not let you in without one; the same is common in Argentina and Mexico. And in Argentina, gyms and pools usually ask for an apto físico or certificado médico, a doctor’s note saying you are fit to exercise, before you can start. Ask when you sign up: ¿Necesito apto físico?
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Solo las puntas, un dedo nada más. Just the ends, a finger’s width.
- Máquina del dos a los lados y tijera arriba. A number two at the sides, scissors on top.
- No muy corto, por favor. Not too short, please.
- Así, como en la foto. Like this, like in the photo.
- Recórtame la barba y perfílame las patillas. Trim my beard and line up the sideburns.
- Quiero cubrir las canas, un tono más oscuro. I want to cover the grey, a shade darker.
- ¿Cuánto tarda con el tinte? How long does it take with the colour?
- Quería sacar un turno para el sábado. I’d like an appointment for Saturday. (Argentina)
- ¿Se acostumbra dejar propina? Is it usual to leave a tip?
- ¿El gorro es obligatorio en la pileta? Is a swimming cap compulsory in the pool? (Argentina)
Questions people ask
How do I say “a trim”? Solo las puntas for the ends, or solo emparejar to even it up. There is no single Spanish word for “trim”.
What is the word for bangs? The fringe is el flequillo in Spain and Argentina, el fleco in Mexico and el capul in Colombia. Flequillo is understood in all four.
How do I ask for a fade? Un degradado is the Spanish word and it is used in barbershops everywhere. The English fade is also said, and you settle it faster by showing a photo.
Is “pelo” or “cabello” correct? Both. Pelo is the everyday word, cabello is the tidier one, and people in Mexico and Colombia say cabello in a salon more often than people in Spain.
Do I tip the hairdresser in Spain? No, as a rule. Mexico and Argentina, yes, around ten percent.
What is an “estética” in Mexico? A neighbourhood salon that cuts hair, often with nails and eyebrows too. The word means something else in Spain, where it means beauty treatments rather than haircuts.
How do I say “shave my head”? Rápame or al cero, right down to the skin, and al rape in Spain for a very short crop. Say the clipper number if you want length left: con la máquina del uno.
What do I say when it is finished and I do not like it? Está un poco corto, pero está bien, it is a bit short but it is fine, if you want to leave. If it can be fixed, say what is wrong while you are still in the chair: ¿me puedes emparejar este lado?
Practise these words
corte, puntas, peluquería, flequillo, máquina, barba, afeitar, teñir, canas, propina, vestuario, casillero, piscina. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.