What does hairspray mean?
Hairspray is a preparation applied to hair to keep it in place, preserve a styled shape, or make it easier to manage. It is commonly available in aerosol cans, pumps, and other containers, with formulations ranging from light, flexible finishes to strong-hold products intended to withstand heat, humidity, or wind. Users may apply it directly to the hair or use it after brushing to secure a particular style. The word can evoke the elaborate hairstyles and salon culture of the 1950s, but modern hairspray is used in everyday and professional settings for many different textures and purposes. Although hairspray and other styling products share the same general function, they differ in consistency, application method, and degree of control. As a verb, hairspray means to fix or set the hair with such a product, though spray is more usual in formal and technical descriptions.
A liquid or aerosol preparation sprayed onto hair to hold it in place, set a style, or improve manageability.
"He gave his hair a final touch of hairspray before leaving for work."
Normally treated as a mass noun when referring to the substance, as in some hairspray or a can of hairspray.
To fix or style hair by applying hairspray to it.
"She hairsprayed her roots before arranging the rest of her hair."
This use is less common than spray and is especially natural in descriptions of hair styling.
Rare and usually used for separate cans, containers, or products; the substance itself is normally treated as a mass noun.
"The dressing table held three hairsprays and a comb."
Hairspray helped turn the high pompadour into an icon of 1950s style and helped make elaborate hairstyles wearable outside the salon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of hairspray
Hairspray is an English compound formed from the long-established words hair and spray. Spray originally referred to a jet or shower of liquid or particles and later developed broader meanings for products that dispense material in fine droplets. The compound name became especially prominent with the development and popularization of aerosol hair products during the mid-20th century.
Related word forms
How hairspray is actually used
The noun is usually neutral and familiar, though it may carry nostalgic or cultural associations with 1950s hairstyles and strongly set hair. As a verb, it is less common and somewhat informal, with spray often serving as the more neutral alternative.