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Can "greased hair" mean "dirty hair", which is something I don't want to? On google I found both "gelled" and "greased", but I was wondering if they had the same meaning.

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  • Since you found definitions for both gelled and greased, have a look at the images. Greased is usually understood to mean "greased back".
    – Peter
    Nov 27, 2017 at 19:08
  • “Greased hair” sounds deliberate to me, with some kind of hair product. On the other hand, “greasy hair” would sound more like dirty hair, which is the association you are trying to avoid.
    – J.R.
    Dec 3, 2017 at 9:25

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Hair that has grease in it, wherever it came from - including it just happening because the human scalp produces a sort of grease (it's called sebum) - is greasy. This is an adjective meaning, essentially, that something contains grease, or has it on its surface, or feels like grease. Hair of certain types that has been long unwashed tends to be greasy. People working in certain jobs may also get greasy hair from the conditions of their workplace.

Hair that has had grease deliberately applied to it has been greased. To grease is a verb meaning, essentially, to apply grease to. Like many past participles, it can also be used as an adjective. If hair is greased, someone has deliberately applied grease to it for some reason. There are styling greases available, and in history some peoples regularly applied grease to their hair for a range of reasons - including using rendered animal fat for the purpose.

Hair that has had gel applied to it has been gelled. To gel is a verb much the same as to grease (although it has other senses of somewhat different meaning as well), meaning to apply gel to, and it can also be used as an adjective. Hair gel is a specially made product to help with hair styling, but it is not generally referred to as grease.

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