hair tonic
1
3.7
- noun
- /hɛr ˈtɒnɪk/
- Archaic
:
tónico capilar
Examples
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How 'bout lendin' me some of your hair tonic?
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It doesn't seem to have produced the scientific breakthroughs promised, but we did get a new hair tonic out of the process.
Blog text (5) -
Bailey sold radium tablets, radium lotion, radium teeth cleaner and radium hair tonic for the radio endocrinator to deliver its miracles.
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He applied the herbal hair tonic to nourish his scalp and improve hair shine.
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After using the hair tonic for a month, she noticed her hair was softer and more manageable.
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Many people believe that a good hair tonic can help reduce hair loss and promote healthy growth.
Synonyms
1
3.3
A liquid you put on your hair to make it soft and shiny
How Conditioning
69
2.7
- Archaic
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a liquid product applied to hair to improve appearance or health' is directly derivable from combining 'hair' (the target) with 'tonic' (a restorative or strengthening liquid). This compound follows a common product-naming pattern and has close parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The name hair tonic comes from the word tonic, which used to mean a small medicine. Barbers and people rubbed a liquid tonic into the scalp to make hair look stronger and easier to style, so hair tonic now means a liquid you put on hair to improve its appearance.