Glossary
Barber Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential barber terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key barber vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in barber training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Beard sculpting
- Shaping facial hair.
- Blending
- Smooth transitions between lengths.
- Chair rental
- Renting a station.
- Clipper over comb
- Cutting with clippers over a comb.
- Commission
- Pay based on services.
- Crown
- The top back of the head.
- Disinfection
- Killing germs on tools.
- Fade
- A cut that blends from short to longer.
- Guard
- A clipper attachment that sets length.
- Hot towel
- A towel used to soften beard hair.
- Line-up
- Sharp edges at the hairline.
- Neckline
- The hairline at the back of the neck.
- Straight razor
- A blade used for close shaves.
- Taper
- A gradual shortening of hair.
- Walk-in
- A client without an appointment.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Barber practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Barber training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.