Want to look as stylish and well-groomed as the Italians, even when on vacation? Here’s some basic vocabulary if you decide to get a haircut or hair restyling while in Italy.
Hairdresser is parrucchiere/parrucchiera (these serve both men and women). If the sign outside the window shop says barbiere, that’s hairdresser just for men. Andare dal parrucchiere – go to the hairdresser’s.
Let’s start with some basic phrases:
Vorrei tagliarmi i capelli – I’d like a haircut
The hairdresser will ask you how many inches you want to cut it:
Di quanti centimetri vuoi/vuole che li tagli? – or another popular way to measure it is by using your fingers, as in due dita (two fingers).
If you only want to get a trim, you say, vorrei solo una spuntata/spuntatina.
If you’re feeling brave or you want a complete makeover, you could tell the hairdresser:
Faccia lei – I’ll leave it to you, or, vorrei cambiare tipo di pettinatura - I’d like a new style; cosa mi consiglia? What do you suggest?
If you like bangs, you’d say, vorrei la frangia.
Once the hairdresser is done cutting your hair, he/she will ask how you want to style it:
Vuole asciugarli lisci o mossi?
Let’s now look at some basic words that will be helpful when visiting the hairdresser:
Capelli – hair. *Note that the word hair in Italian is plural.
Capelli lisci – straight hair
Capelli ricci – curly hair
Capelli mossi – wavy hair
Taglio e piega – haircut and styling
Colore – color/ hair dye
Mèches/colpi di sole - highlights
Permanente - perm
Asciugatura - Blow drying
Shampoo - shampoo
Balsamo - Conditioner
Lacca - hairspray
Spazzola - Hairbrush
Pettine - Comb
Phon - Hair dryer
