A new survey by hair care professionals, Salon Promotions, has revealed the hairstyles and treatments clients can’t quite pronounce, after 56% of Brits admitted to choosing hairstyles or treatments that are easier to ask for as opposed to ones they actually wanted.
Further data from the study found that almost three quarters (67%) have left the salon with a hairstyle they didn’t believe they asked for.
Here are the most common mispronounced salon terms and the top mispronunciations clients are making:
| Term | Pronunciation 1 (% say) | Pronunciation 2 (% say) | Pronunciation 3 (% say) |
| Balayage (73%) | Bah-lay-ahj (51%) | Bay-lay-ahj (12%) | Bel-ay-ahj (10%) |
| Tousled (62%) | Too-seld (36%) | To-zld (19%) | Too-zld (7%) |
| Efassor (47%) | Ee-fass-or (21%) | Ay-fass-or (16%) | Eh-fass-er (10%) |
| Keratin (35%) | Care-a-tin (26%) | Care-uh-tin (5%) | Keh-ra-tun (4%) |
| Ombre (27%) | Ome-bray (13%) | Om-bree (7%) | Hom-bray (7%) |
Despite its popularity, the highlighting technique ‘balayage’ came out as the most common term clients find the hardest to pronounce, with 73% admitting they never say it right, followed closely by ‘tousled’ (62%), ‘efassor’ (47%), and ‘keratin’ (35%).
Head of Education at Salon Promotions, Laura Elliot, commented: “With new trends emerging every week, and some not the easiest to spell let alone say, it’s hard for clients to remember what they’re asking for when speaking with the experts at consultations, and it’s not uncommon for clients to get flustered.
“As stylists, we’re here to help clients get the exact look they want and have plenty of experience which means we’ve heard enough mispronunciations to know what someone is after. If they’re wanting extra reassurance that they’ll leave the salon with their exact vision, perhaps suggest bringing a photo or magazine clipping to their consultation that you and your client can chat through.”
Speaking of studies, have you seen what trend has recently took salons by storm?
