The First Real Haircut

I waited until my daughter was two-years-old to take her to a salon for a haircut, choosing to maintain her mane at home until then. While she was younger, I felt comfortable trimming her hair, as there wasn't enough of it for me to feel intimidated by. But then it happened. There was more and more hair that got larger and way too in charge. Sure, I thought about doing it myself to save money, but when I weighed the amount of stress it was causing me to conceive of how to cut through the tangled web, I put the scissors down and realized it'd be money well spent.

I was surprisingly school-girl giddy before we went down to the West Village where the salon was, Doodle Doo's, and had naively expected my daughter to be the same. But upon entering the festive place, she started to cry,  pleading "NO, NO, NO!" It was the classic, Mommy! I refuse to get a haircut! scenario, which for whatever reason, I was totally unprepared for. Probably because all of her previous at-home cuts had been trauma-free. The staff, including our stylist Lisa, were wonderful though -- within minutes, through soothing talk and rewards (including bubbles and playing her favorite movie, Annie, for her) she was calmly getting her haircut. Not to mention they had effectively pacified this Mama, who was a tiny bit shaken up by her baby's shear shrieks.

And in a few short minutes, it was all done, and the little one's hair was expertly shaped-up, styled in butterfly-clips, and most importantly, she was beaming.

First real haircut? Done!

As my daughter sits in her chosen chair, Daddy's lap, while quite happily sucking on her lollipop, stylist Lisa, who herself has curly hair, works with her ringlets.

The celebration of a haircut "all done!": bubbles!

Kid Haircuts 1-2-3:

1) Taking your child to a local salon can be a less stressful way to approach cutting hair, than the DIY way. There are many salons specifically designed for kids, with stylists trained to work with yes, fidgety and impatient heads! If you are in the NYC area, I recommend Doodle Doo's, on Christopher Street (kid's haircut: $35), but another good one to try is Lulu's Cut & Toys in Park Slope, Brooklyn (kid's haircut: $22). Lulu's salon also does adult haircuts, which is an added bonus.

2)  For those of you outside of New York, here is a good list of nationwide kid's salons with links to their sites. You can also consider asking a friend for a salon recommendation if you see a child with a haircut you like!

3) While your child is getting his/her trim, ask the stylist for tips on how to maintain the longevity of the cut, e.g., are there any easy things s/he can show you how to do at home like a quick bang trim?

-N.C.


Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.