Mi hermana quiere hacerse unas mechas antes del verano.

My sister wants to get some highlights before the summer.

Breakdown of Mi hermana quiere hacerse unas mechas antes del verano.

• querer: to want
• mi: my
• antes de: before
• el verano: the summer

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana quiere hacerse unas mechas antes del verano.

Why is quiere followed by hacerse?

Because querer + infinitive is the normal Spanish pattern for saying that someone wants to do something.

• quiere = she wants
• hacerse = to get done / to do to herself

So quiere hacerse... means she wants to get... done.

This is very similar to English wants to get or wants to have something done.

Why is it hacerse and not just hacer?

The se is important here. In this sentence, hacerse unas mechas means to have highlights done to one’s own hair.

Without se, hacer usually means to do / to make something in a more general sense.
With hacerse, the action affects the subject personally.

So:

• hacer unas mechas = to do/make some highlights
• hacerse unas mechas = to get highlights done for oneself / to have highlights put in one’s hair

In everyday Spanish, this reflexive form is very common for beauty and body-related actions:

• hacerse un tatuaje
• hacerse las uñas
• hacerse un corte de pelo

Does hacerse unas mechas mean she will do them herself?