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noun ADJ. auburn, black, blond, brown, chestnut, dark, fair, ginger, golden, grey, grizzled, jet-black, red, sandy, white, yellow | bushy, coarse, crinkly, curly, fine, frizzy, smooth, straight, thick, wavy, wiry | beautiful, glossy, shiny, sleek | dishevelled, dry, dull, fuzzy, greasy, scruffy, tousled, unruly, untidy, windswept a new shampoo for dull or dry hair His hair was tousled and he looked as if he'd just woken up. | cropped, long, short, shoulder-length She had shoulder-length black hair. | body, facial, pubic | cat, dog, etc. The rug was covered with cat hairs. QUANT. lock, wisp VERB + HAIR have She had beautiful auburn hair. | lose He had turned forty and was beginning to lose his hair. | wear She wore her long hair loose on her shoulders. | arrange, do, tidy I don't like the way she's arranged her hair, do you? I'll be down in a minute, I'm just doing my hair. | plait, put up, tie back Why don't you put your hair up for this evening? | brush, comb | shampoo, wash | cut, trim He went to the barber's to have his hair cut. | curl, perm I've decided to have my hair permed. | grow I'm trying to grow my hair. HAIR + VERB grow Why don't you let your hair grow? | curl His hair curls naturally. | fall, hang, lie Her blond hair fell over her eyes. | gleam, glint, glisten HAIR + NOUN loss how to cope with hair loss
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hair colour dark hair • He’s about six feet tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. black hair • his long black hair jet black hair literary (= completely black ) • She had shiny jet black hair, and skin as white as snow. fair hair • Her long fair hair fell untidily over her shoulders. blond/blonde hair (= yellowish-white in colour ) • long blonde hair and blue eyes golden hair • the beautiful girl with the long golden hair brown hair • Her hair was pale brown. chestnut hair literary (= dark brown ) • She had a fine head of chestnut hair. sandy hair (= yellowish-brown ) • He wore his long, sandy brown hair in a ponytail. mousy hair (= an unattractive dull brown ) • I have pale, mousy hair that is dull and lacks shine. red hair • The whole family had red hair. ginger hair British English (= orange-brown in colour ) • a cheeky little boy with ginger hair auburn hair literary (= orange-brown in colour ) • He gazed at her long neck and beautiful auburn hair. white hair • an old man with white hair grey hair British English , gray American English • She was about 70, with grey hair. silver hair • Her father’s hair was starting to turn silver. length short hair • I like your hair when it’s short like that. long hair • A few of the boys had long hair. shoulder-length/medium-length hair • He had shoulder-length reddish hair. type straight hair • a girl with long straight hair curly hair • When he was young, his hair was thick and curly. frizzy hair (= tightly curled ) • She had dark frizzy hair which might have been permed. wavy hair (= with loose curls ) • Her golden wavy hair fell around her shoulders. thick hair • She had thick hair down to her waist. fine hair (= thin ) • Her hair is so fine, it’s difficult to style. spiky hair (= stiff and standing up on top of your head ) • Billy had black spiky hair. condition in good/bad/terrible etc condition • How do you keep your hair in such perfect condition? out of condition (= no longer in good condition ) • If your hair is out of condition, this may be because you are eating the wrong foods. glossy/shiny • She combed her hair until it was all glossy. lustrous literary (= very shiny and attractive ) • her lustrous dark hair flowing on to her shoulders dull (= not shiny ) • a shampoo for dull hair greasy (= containing too much oil ) • This shampoo is ideal for greasy hair. dry (= lacking oil ) • a shampoo for dry hair thinning (= becoming thinner because you are losing your hair ) • His dark hair was thinning on top. receding (= gradually disappearing, so that it is high on your forehead ) • The man was in his late thirties, and his hair was receding slightly. dishevelled especially literary (= very untidy ) • His face was bright red and his hair looked dishevelled. tousled especially literary (= a little untidy, in a way that looks attractive ) • his youthfully handsome face and tousled hair that hung untidily over his collar windswept especially literary (= blown around by the wind ) • Her hair was all windswept when they came off the beach. verbs have ... hair • She has beautiful blonde hair. brush/comb your hair • He cleaned his teeth and brushed his hair. wash your hair • He showered and washed his hair. do your hair ( also fix your hair American English ) (= arrange it in a style ) • She’s upstairs doing her hair. have your hair cut/done/permed ( also get your hair cut etc ) (= by a hairdresser ) • I need to get my hair cut. cut sb’s hair • My Mum always cuts my hair. dye your hair (blonde/red etc) (= change its colour, especially using chemicals ) • Craig has dyed his hair black. wear your hair long/in a ponytail etc (= have that style of hair ) • He wore his hair in a ponytail. grow your hair (long) (= let it grow longer ) • I’m growing my hair long, but it’s taking forever. lose your hair (= become bald ) • He was a small, round man who was losing his hair. run your fingers through sb’s hair (= touch someone’s hair in a loving way ) • He ran his fingers through her smooth silky hair. ruffle sb’s hair (= rub it in a kind friendly way ) • He patted me on the back and ruffled my hair. hair + NOUN hair loss • The drug can cause hair loss. hair colour British English , hair color American English • Genes control characteristics such as hair colour and eye colour. hair dye • The survey showed that 75% of women have used hair dye. phrases a strand/wisp of hair (= a thin piece of hair ) • She brushed away a strand of hair from her eyes. a lock of hair (= a fairly thick piece of hair ) • She tossed a stray lock of hair back off her forehead. a mop of hair (= a large amount of thick untidy hair ) • He had an unruly mop of brown hair. COMMON ERRORS >>> Do not say ' I cut my hair ' if another person cut your hair for you. Say I had my hair cut '.