Describing Different Hair Styles in English
Describing different hairstyles in English involves mentioning the length, texture, and specific style or cut. Here are some common hair styles.
Braids
Women arrange their hair in such a way that hairs are divided into three parts and weaved together smoothly till end, also known as plait.
Example: Women braid their hair every morning.
Ponytail
Sometime women arrange their hair in such a way that hair are gathered at back of head often held with ribbon and letting them hang down freely.
Example: Jane and Rocky wear their hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Pigtail
Hair that is parted down the middle and tied with ribbon or braided into two ponytails on either side.
Example: Henry sketched a queen with pigtails.
Bob
A bob, also known as a bob cut, is a haircut with short- to medium-length, in which the hair is formally cut straight around the head around jaw-level, often with a fringe or bangs.
Example: My wife loves bob cutting.
Ringlets
A long curl of hair made with curling iron; also known as princess curls or corkscrew curls
Example: She was looking pretty with golden ringlets.
Cornrows
A style in which hair are braided into cornrows section arranged in multiple rows.
Example: Popular cornrow style in America is braided ponytails.
Extensions
A length of natural or artificial hair that is fixed to one’s natural hairs for extending the length or thickness of hairs.
Example: Javaria put extensions to her short hairs.
Bun
A women’s hairstyle where the hair is pulled into a knot of hair on top or back of head and wrapped like a coil shaped like a bun.
Example: Asian women usually use bun hair style while doing home chorus.
- Messy bun
(A bun in which hair are not knitted in a fine way but casually and carelessly twisted in a bun)
Example: Alia was in a hurry so she made a messy bun and went out in a while.
Afro
A style where a strand of hair grows in a tiny spring-like, corkscrew shape. it is often referred to as “thick”, “bushy”, or “woolly”.
Example: Jam was wearing an artificial afro.
Bouffant
Bouffant describes a style characterized by smooth hair that is heightened and raised on top of head and usually covering the ears or hanging down on the sides.
Example: Her ash-blonde hair was worn bouffant, and her red lipstick made her appearance like a clown of a circus.
Bunches
A style in which hair are parted down the middle and gathered into two balanced bundles, like ponytails, falling down near the ears ( bunches are also called pigtails, twintails or angel wings.
Example: My daughter was looking like a doll in bunches.
Bangs
The front section of a person’s hair cut short and worn over the forehead.
Example: Sofia has short hair with bangs.
- Feathered hair
A style with the hair grown long on both sides normally covering the ears or down to the shoulders and left unlayered with either a side or a centre parting.
Example: Her look in ash-blond feathered hair was hilarious.
- French braid
French braid includes three divisions of hairs that are braided jointly starting from the crown of the head to the nape of the neck, often described as braided backward.
Example: Girls love French braid in wedding parties.
- Fringe (bangs)
A hairstyle where hairs are combed down to the front of the head and cut on forehead above the eyebrows.
Example: A blushing girl with black thick hair and fringe was looking much pretty.
- Mod cut
A haircut of men usually where the hair flips outward, like wings.
Example: Baby was looking cute in mod cut.
Mop-Top
A mid-length haircut style with a fringe (bangs) that brushes over the forehead, at back up to collar length, with the ears partly covered by the hair.
Example: Mop-top hairstyle is famous among European countries.
- Pixie cut
A hairstyle with short wispy hairs with or without a shaggy fringe (bangs) depending on style.
Example: An old woman with grey hair and pixie hair cut was waving at me.
Slicked-back
A style where hairs are combed back, away from the forehead and back towards neck collar, then held in place with a hairstyling product.
Example: Men usually comb their hair slicked back.
Updo
A hair style in which hairs are twisted or pulled up at the top or back of head, often requested by brides for their wedding day.
Example: Girls make updo on wedding parties.
- Buzz cut
A buzz cut is a form of short hairstyles usually cut with electric clippers. Buzz cut styles include the crew cut, flattop and butch cut.
Example: In summer, people have buzz cut normally.
- Comb over
A style where hairs are combed from one part of the head to another part often to cover up a bald spot or forehead.
Example: Donald Trump is known as having a double comb-over, in two directions.
Describing Hair Color
Describing hair color in English involves mentioning the specific shade and any unique characteristics. Here are some common terms and examples:
- Black: (very dark color resembling coal)
- Gray: (hairs that have lightened to a grayish color; usually associated with age)
- Silver: (grayish-white color)
- Chestnut-brown: (reddish-brown color)
- Blonde: (very light brown color, low levels of the dark pigment)
- Honey-blond: (blend of dark and warm blonde with light brown hair)
- Golden-blond: (a color with golden and honey shades)
- Ash-blond: (Ash blonde color is a shade of blonde with a gray tint to make an ash color)
- Strawberry-blond: (color that is a blend of warm blonde shade and light red)
- Brunette (women)/ Brunet (men): (dark shades with brown hair)
- Brown: (hair of normal brown color)
- Auburn: (shades of color in red color)
- Red: (ginger hair; a typically red color)
- Salt-and-pepper: (hair of a mix blend of a person’s natural hair (black color) along with gray color and it is associated with age
Texture or appearance of hair:
- Wavy: (curved back and forth, appearance hair like water waves curving slightly)
- Curly: (coiled or spiral-shaped, a bit log hair having curls)
- Kinky: (hair with tight curls, alternate words for kinky are: crisp, frizzy, and nappy)
- Fuzzy: (untidy mass of tight curls)
- Untamed: (not combed or dressed)
- Stiff: (rigid and firm; difficult to comb or dress)
- Cropped: (shorted hair that are trimmed)
- Buzzed: (trimmed with electric clipper, too short hair)
- Straight: (hair without any bend or curls, smooth hair)
- Spiky: (all hair sticking upward like spikes out from the head)
- Trimmed: (cutting of hair to make them short)
- Tamed: (combed or dressed)
- Cascading: (long hair falling down to shoulders)
- Parted: (hair divided into sections with a comb or brush)
- Wiry: (stiff hairs)
- Bushy: (thick and full hair those are difficult to comb)
- Coarse: hair with rough and hard texture and difficult to manage)
- Surfer: (a tousled hairstyle)
- Scraggly: (untidy and not clean or healthy)
- Fine: (smooth and soft hair with good texture)
- Baby-fine: (soft, silky and smooth hair like a baby)
- Thin: (hair with a small diameter)
- Balding: (less density of hair or no hair on head because of hair fall)
- Bald spot: (spot on head with no hairs on it)
- Receding: (gradual loss or fall of hair at the front of the head)
- Dyed: (hair that are colored, hair with artificial color)
- Bleached: (discolored hair by chemicals, to color hair white or skin color to make them less visible)
- Highlighted: (it is partial coloring based on shades to make the hair more colorful)
- Streaked: (Hair colored in contrast instead of highlighting base color)