By Anya Pope

From a strictly feminine point of view, a trip to the hairdresser can be an ordeal, even in your native country. I imagine for a boy it is simply a case of “Don’t take too long” but for us ladies, who often have a lot more to lose, literally, metaphorically and financially, it becomes a trip wrapped in all kinds of trichological anxieties.

First there’s the choice – the scientifically-endorsed, one-size-fits-all cut, bestowed by a tight-jeaned graduate wielding an asymmetric fringe and designer clippers, or a slightly dodgy trim from the local gossips on the corner? Add to that the fact that you never get exactly what you ask for – even when you can ask in the correct language – and I was more than usually nervous about my first trip to a French coiffeur.

I needn’t have been. It was a breath of fresh hair from wash to blow-dry. As my scientific French isn’t up to scratch and having a slight phobia of overly shiny surfaces, I rejected the swish salons of Jean-Louis David for my local snippers in Uriage – two friendly girls who, as far as I could tell, did not leak one village secret.

Desperate to avoid the standard Jeanne d’Arc haircut, I had hurriedly ripped a picture out of Marie-Claire that morning, which was met with plenty of nodding and a flurry of words including « dégradé ». I hoped that “degrading” was not going to be the result.

I went for the standard wash, cut and blow-dry. So far, so good. No coffee was offered, banishing at once the dual problems of dashing to the loo mid-cut, and coffee breath-holding while they do the front. However, unlike British hairdressers, mine was not at all reserved about announcing my hair’s defects to the entire room. « Mais ils sont secs ! Secs, secs, secs ! » she tutted, warning me off straighteners for life, while applying something almondy to my shamed locks.

As usual it was a little shorter than I’d asked for, but I was surprised. Staring back at me was someone who resembled slightly less a frazzled British girl and ever-so-slightly more a glamorous coiffed French lady. It cost €40, around £20 less than I’d pay in the UK.

TIPS

• Big salons are more expensive €30 – €90+ for colouring, but will often give you a package price that covers everything – ask exactly what the price includes.
• At a local hairdresser, study the price list as there can be costly hidden extras. €25 seems cheap for a cut, but washing and blow-drying is often charged separately, at around €5 – €10 each, and conditioner can add an extra €6 to the bill.
• Ask for student or young person discounts if you are under 25.
• Take a picture of the desired result along with you.
• Tipping isn’t obligatory for standard service (without coffee!).

Finally, some handy vocabulary for going to the hairdresser:

Your hair: vos cheveux

A lock of hair: une mèche

Fine: fins / Thick: épais / Oily: gras / Dry: secs / Curly: bouclés / Frizzy: frisés /

Smooth: lisses / Damaged: abîmés

A wash: un shampoing

Hair conditioner: une crème ou après-shampoing

A deep-conditioning hair mask: un masque capillaire

Dyed / to dye: colorés / faire une couleur

Highlights or streaks: des mèches

A haircut: une coupe

Short or long: court ou long

Layered / Layered on top: dégradé / dégradé sur le dessus

A blunt cut: au carré / Asymmetrical: asymétrique

A fringe: une frange

Hair ends: les pointes

A hairdryer: un sèche-cheveux

A blow-dry or straightening: un brushing / un brushing raide

Slightly turned up at the ends: un brushing avec un léger mouvement sur les pointes

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