Glossary

The words on the bottle, explained.

24 terms you will hear in a salon or read on a label, in plain English. Skip to a letter or search the page.

B

Balayage: A freehand highlighting technique where lightener is painted onto the surface of the hair for a soft, sun-kissed result with no harsh regrowth line.
Bond builder: A treatment, used in the salon or at home, that helps repair the broken disulfide bonds inside hair after bleaching, colouring or heat styling.
Used in: Heat-Damaged Hair, Blonde and Bleached Hair

Clarifying shampoo: A deep-cleansing shampoo that removes product build-up, chlorine, minerals and excess oil. Used occasionally, not every wash, and followed by conditioner or a mask.
Used in: Oily Hair, Grey Hair
Co-wash: Short for conditioner-only washing: cleansing the scalp with a cleansing conditioner instead of a foaming shampoo. Popular for curly, coily and very dry hair.
Used in: Curly Hair
Cuticle: The outer layer of the hair strand, made of overlapping scales. A smooth, closed cuticle reflects light and feels soft; a raised cuticle looks dull and frizzes.
Used in: Frizzy Hair, Oily Hair, Curly Hair, Heat-Damaged Hair

Demi-permanent colour: Colour with a low-volume developer that deposits tone without lifting. It fades gradually over about 24 washes and is used for glosses, toning and blending grey.
Developer: The hydrogen peroxide solution mixed with colour or lightener. Its strength (volume) controls how much the hair is lifted; higher volumes lift more and are harsher.
Used in: Colour Hair
Dry shampoo: A powder or aerosol that absorbs oil at the roots to refresh hair between washes. Brush it out thoroughly and do not rely on it for days at a time.
Used in: Frizzy Hair, Dry Hair, Oily Hair

Gloss: A sheer, demi-permanent treatment that adds shine and refreshes or adjusts tone. Clear glosses add shine only; tinted glosses correct brassiness or deepen colour.
Used in: Blonde and Bleached Hair, Grey Hair

Heat protectant: A spray or cream applied before hot tools that forms a film around the hair, slowing heat transfer and reducing moisture loss and breakage.
Used in: Frizzy Hair, Dry Hair, Thinning Hair, Heat-Damaged Hair

Keratin: The protein that hair is mostly made of. Keratin treatments coat and smooth the hair; protein masks temporarily patch weak spots in the strand.
Used in: Heat-Damaged Hair

Leave-in conditioner: A light conditioner applied to damp hair and not rinsed out. It adds slip, moisture and protection and is the base layer for most curly routines.
Used in: Frizzy Hair, Curly Hair
Lift: How many levels lighter a colour or bleach takes the hair. Natural hair sits on a scale of 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde); every level of lift costs some strength.
Used in: Oily Hair, Blonde and Bleached Hair
Lowlights: Strands coloured darker than the base to add depth and dimension. Often used with highlights to blend regrowth or soften an all-over blonde.
Used in: Grey Hair

Paraben: A family of preservatives used in cosmetics. Many brands now market paraben-free products; the alternatives do the same job of keeping products stable.
Used in: Dry Scalp
pH-balanced: A product formulated close to the natural acidity of hair and scalp, roughly pH 4.5 to 5.5. Acidic products flatten the cuticle; alkaline ones (like bleach) open it.
Porosity: How easily hair absorbs and holds moisture. Low-porosity hair resists water and product; high-porosity hair (often bleached or damaged) soaks it up and loses it fast.
Purple shampoo: A shampoo with violet pigment that cancels yellow tones in blonde, silver and grey hair. Blue versions target orange tones on darker blondes and brunettes.
Used in: Grey Hair

Scalp exfoliation: Removing dead skin and build-up from the scalp with a scrub or an acid-based treatment. Done weekly or fortnightly it reduces flaking and oiliness.
Sebum: The natural oil produced by glands in the scalp. It protects the hair and skin; too much reads as greasy roots, too little as a dry, tight scalp.
Used in: Oily Hair, Grey Hair
Silicone: An ingredient that coats the hair for slip and shine. Water-soluble silicones rinse out easily; heavier ones can build up and need a clarifying shampoo to remove.
Used in: Oily Hair
Sulfate: A strong foaming detergent (for example sodium lauryl sulfate) found in many shampoos. Sulfate-free shampoos clean more gently and are kinder to colour, curls and dry hair.
Used in: Dry Scalp, Dry Hair, Curly Hair

Toner: A colour product applied after lightening to neutralise unwanted warmth and set the final shade. Toners fade and are refreshed every few weeks.
Used in: Blonde and Bleached Hair
Trichologist: A specialist in hair and scalp health who diagnoses conditions such as hair loss, dandruff and scalp irritation and recommends treatment.
Used in: Dry Hair

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