#100 Renting a Bicycle｜French Travel Phrases
Izumi French Garden
#116 Discussing Hair Coloring at a Salon｜French Everyday Phrases
Izumi
When having your hair colored at a salon, you need to describe your preferred color and the overall image you have in mind.
Because hair coloring involves many subtle nuances, it is important to communicate clearly—what shade you want, how light or dark you would like it to be, and the type of finish you are aiming for.
In this article, I explain useful French expressions that can be used when discussing hair coloring at a salon.
Contents
Dialogue
Bonjour ! J’ai rendez-vous pour une coloration.
（Good morning. I have an appointment for a hair coloring.）
Installez-vous. Quelle couleur souhaitez-vous aujourd’hui ?
（Please have a seat. What color would you like today?）
J’aimerais une couleur un peu plus claire, peut-être un châtain doré.
（I would like a slightly lighter shade—perhaps something like a golden chestnut.）
Voulez-vous un résultat naturel ou quelque chose de plus marqué ?
（Would you prefer a natural result or something more pronounced?）
Plutôt quelque chose de naturel, mais avec un peu de lumière autour du visage.
（Something natural, but with a bit of brightness around the face.）
D’accord. Souhaitez-vous voir quelques exemples dans le nuancier ?
（Certainly. Would you like to see some examples in the color chart?）
Oui, je veux bien. Et si la couleur est trop chaude, serait-il possible de l’adoucir ?
（Yes, please. And if the color turns out too warm, would it be possible to soften it?）
Bien sûr, nous pouvons ajuster les tons.
（Of course, we can adjust the tones.）
Très bien, merci beaucoup.
（All right, thank you very much.）
1. Expressing Your Desired Color
One of the first questions you will be asked is, “What color would you like?”
Here, it is important to state your preference as clearly as possible.
- J’aimerais une couleur un peu plus claire.
（I would like a slightly lighter color.）
Hair color is generally described by two elements:
- brightness → light/dark
- tone → warm, cool, golden, etc.
To be more specific, you may say:
- un châtain doré
(honey brown) - un blond froid
(cool blonde) - un brun chocolat
(chocolate brown)
French offers many nuanced color terms, making it easy to express subtle distinctions.
2. Describing the Desired Finish
Next, explain the type of finish you prefer.
- Je préfère un résultat naturel.
（I prefer a natural-looking result.） - Je voudrais quelque chose de plus marqué.
（I would like a more pronounced color.）
Here, you share the impression or style you want—for example, soft and natural, or vivid and noticeable.
For partial brightness, the following expression is helpful:
- J’aimerais ajouter un peu de lumière autour du visage.
（I would like to add some brightness around the face.）
In this context, lumière (light) corresponds to what stylists call highlights.
3. Discussing Tone Adjustments
Once the base color has been decided, you can ask about fine-tuning warm or cool tones, or adjusting the strength.
- Est-ce que la couleur peut être un peu plus froide / plus chaude ?
（Could the color be made a little cooler / warmer?）
Adjusting froid (cool) or chaud (warm) greatly changes the overall impression.
- Pourriez-vous adoucir la couleur ?
（Could you soften the tone a little?）
The verb adoucir means “to soften” or “to tone down,” and is useful when you want the color to look less intense.
4. Confirming with a Color Chart
After explaining your preferences, you will typically look at a color chart to check the options. You can also ask for professional advice.
- Puis-je voir des exemples dans le nuancier ?
（May I see some examples in the color chart?） - Est-ce que cette teinte me conviendrait ?
（Would this shade suit me?）
By consulting a stylist, you can choose a color that best matches your complexion and overall style.
Summary
- J’aimerais une couleur plus claire / plus foncée.
→ Used to express the desired brightness. - Je préfère un résultat naturel.
→ Useful for discussing the type of finish you want. - Est-ce que la couleur peut être plus froide / plus chaude ?
→ For asking about tone adjustments. - Puis-je voir des exemples dans le nuancier ?
→ When you want to view color samples.
