6 Tips Before Your Child’s Next Trim

Getting a haircut can be very stressful for some kids, and even more stressful for mom or dad. Some kids wiggle, some scream, others flat-out refuse to hop on the chair. At some salons that kind of behavior causes a scene. At Pigtails & Crewcuts, it’s completely normal. In fact, that’s why we opened the salon: to give families a top-notch salon experience, where they don’t have to worry about volume or tears or getting the stink eye from other customers. Our goal is to make a child’s haircut a pleasant experience for everyone involved.

If your child struggles when it’s time for a haircut, try these tips from the experts at Pigtails & Crewcuts.

1. Go with the pros. First and foremost, find a salon that specializes in kids’ hair. Cutting children’s hair is tricky. Most little ones don’t sit perfectly still, and some just downright refuse to cooperate. But even if your child sits like a statue, there are other challenges that kids hair care experts are trained to address. For the majority of kids, hair doesn’t come in evenly, so a stylist keeps some tricks up her sleeve to ensure an even trim. Licensed cosmetologists with experience cutting kid’s hair are the best bet.
2. Call it a “trim.” At Pigtails & Crewcuts, we choose our words carefully. We like to call the salon experience a “hair trim,” because a lot of kids associate cutting with something that hurts. As you prepare your child for their trip to the salon, let him or her know that the salon is a place that mom and dad go, too, and that today, “We’re going to get your hair trimmed, just like mommy and daddy do.”
3. Let them see you get a “trim.” All children want to be just like mommy or daddy! In some cases, it helps to let them see you go first. That way, they know it doesn’t hurt.
4. Distractions are key. There’s a reason that Pigtails & Crewcuts doubles as a playroom/snack factory/movie theater/arcade/library. We stock the salon with animal crackers, lollipops, books and movies to distract kids and make them smile. We’ll pull out all of the stops to make a child feel at ease about the salon experience. In the past, we’ve even done hair “trims” on favorite dollies and used clippers on teddies to show children that the experience is nothing to fear (no dollies or teddies were harmed). But you know your child better than we do! If there’s a special stuffed animal, toy, blanket or even a movie that makes him or her more comfortable, bring it along!
5. Keep the crowd down. We understand that getting a haircut is a big deal, particularly the first one. It’s a monumental occasion, and many moms and dads like to have other family along. We welcome everyone at Pigtails & Crewcuts, but we’ve also seen that this kind of event can be overwhelming for a child. He or she picks up on the excitement, and the excess attention can trigger some emotions. If that’s the case, we usually find by thinning the crowd and keeping just one parent in sight, the child will usually calm down. We even had one case where the child screamed if a parent brought him, but was content and calm when his babysitter brought him. The key is flexibility.
6. Bring along a shirt change to prevent itching afterwards. Even when we use a cape, hair gets everywhere and can be very itchy. To help alleviate discomfort after the trim, a quick shirt change is like magic.

Check out Pigtails & Crewcuts for your next child’s trim! {Located in Turkey Creek}