Here’s a short story in French (with it’s English translation below) about my son’s monthly trips to the barbershop. Following these three paragraphs, you can find the vocabulary used in the story as well as additional vocabulary you can use for your own trip to the hairdresser.

Chaque mois, mon mari amène notre fils chez le coiffeur, où notre fils s’assoit dans une petite voiture rouge faite de plastique et où il se fait tailler ses cheveux.

Normalement, mon mari demande au coiffeur une coupe de footballeur, ce que veut dire qu’il coupe les cheveux très court sur les côtes et les laisse longs sur le dessus.

Si notre fils reste calmement, il va avoir une sucette!

English Translation:

Every month, my husband brings our son to the barber, where our son gets to sit in a little, red plastic car and have his hair trimmed.

Normally, my husband asks the barber for a “soccer player’s haircut,” which just means short on the side and long on top.

If our son sits quietly, he will get a lollipop!

After reading that short story in French, here’s some additional vocabulary to help you when you need a trip to the barber or hairdresser:

hair:  les cheveux (Remember: hair is always plural (m.) unless you are talking about a single strand of hair.)

haircut:  une coupe

trim: tailler

barber:  le coiffeur

a lock of hair:  une mèche

bangs:  une frange

hair part:  une raie

crew cut:  coupe en brosse

clippers: la tondeuse

hair ends: les pointes

Layered on top: dégradé sur le dessus

dyed: colorés

curly: bouclés

smooth: lisses

fine: fins

dry: secs

thick: épais

thick: gras

normal: normaux

a blow-dry or straightening treatment: un brushing

shampoo: le shampooing

conditioner: l’après shampooing

the sides: les côtes

the top: le dessus