We just took Farticus for his first haircut at 18 months. We went to a local place and they were great - he didn’t kick up even a single dicken, it looks good, etc.
But.
Little boy haircuts are eighteen American dollars?! (Discount for baby’s first haircut was 12.)
So. Anybody done their kids’ hair themselves? Until how old? When do they get embarrassed? How on earth do you learn how to do it? Book? I assume one buys special scissors?
And how do you get a toddler to let you?
Should I even bother with this? I mean, 18 bucks plus tips! But, humiliating your kid maybe?
South Carolina. 18 seems to be the standard for the kid places; not sure what the Hair Cut Marts charge for kids. (Why yes, I get a really nice stylist for my hair and balk st 18 for my son, did you have a point?)
No clippers. Around here that’s the look spotted by the kids in the camo jackets.
I cut my girls’ hair myself, but it’s long and curly and I cut it straight around and thus it’s fairly forgiving. I don’t think I’d be quite so good at a boy’s cut. Around about AUD$20 a cut here otherwise.
I, at one time, had three boys in the house. It got to a point where I looked at my youngest, who liked the buzz cut, and thought, “how hard could it be?” I bought some clippers and went to town. This was about 8 years ago. He has just recently forgiven me.
I suggest that you just buy the hair cuts. There are lots of places, Fantastic Sam’s is one, where you buy 10 or whatever, and the next one is free.
My mother cut my two brothers and my hair while growing up. She used electric clippers. I got my first barbershop haircut when I was 12 years old. Using my own money, I wanted to experience it.
If the price at the shop is too much, a clipper set is affordable. Probably comes with videos. If not, I am sure utube has them.
You can use clippers and still leave the hair fairly long - a good set will have attachments for different lengths. I had to do my dad’s hair when he developed dementia and wouldn’t let us take him to the barber. I’d never cut anyone’s hair before, but a $30 Wahl clipper set and the instructions were enough for me to do a decent job.
I cut all my kids hair until they were about twelve, and started to care. It was faster and easier just to line the five up at one time. When they were little, they were promised a sucker or equivalent when the haircut was over.
Boys had trim and clippers, girls had simple cuts. It’s not that difficult, and it grows back.
The same lady has been cutting my son’s hair for around 12 years now and charges around $13-14. She cuts our whole family.
There are chain places in every local shopping center that run $5.99-6.99 specials and have regular prices under $15.
I have clippers and have used them on myself before, but not because of prices. Would never try them on the kids. To me it’s just something that’s not that frequent and worth paying for. Yeah, I knew kids when I was a kid who got their haircut every 2 weeks but they were the exception. I also had friends and family whose dad cut their hair and you could tell.
My mother cut our hair throughout our childhood. We only started getting professional haircuts when we could afford to pay for them ourselves. She even purchased left-handed barber shears (being left-handed) to do the best job she could.
Got mocked for a bunch of a stuff when I was a kid, my hair wasn’t one of them, oddly enough.
I cut everybody’s hair in my household (including mine, sometimes), plus a couple of brave friends. I taught myself when I was a poverty-stricken student. It’s not that hard, and you don’t need special scissors, though you do need good sharp ones.
Mostly what stops people from cutting hair is FEAR! - but honestly, it grows back pretty quick, and if it’s not in their eyes, they don’t care.
Also, undoubtedly some time when your kid’s about three they’ll get a haircut from some other three-year-old when the parent-on-duty is temporarily distracted and NOTHING you can do will be as bad as that butchery. And at least then you’ll know how to tidy it up!
The place I go has a hand lettered sign reading “Yes! We cut kid’s hair”. In smaller, but readable letters it then says, “No additional charge!”
I never cut my kids’ hair, but I did color their hair once, using Manic Panic brand hair dye and coaching help from a friend. First I put pink streaks in my daughter’s hair. My son demanded equal time, so I put a green band down the center and showed him how to faux-hawk style it.
When my daughters best friend asked if I would giver her pink streaks, I told her only if she had a permission slip from her mom. Which she got. Good times.
I cut my husband’s hair, very easy with an electric razor and guard. Just snap the guard onto the clippers and shave upward. It’s literally idiot-proof if I can do it! There are also plenty of Youtube tutorials on self-haircutting for women. I’ve cut my own hair by putting it into a front hairline ponytail and snipping straight across at the desired length. Also did some side-bangs. Ignoring the fact that bangs are just not a good look for me, they turned out fine.
No advice on the kid front, unfortunately, but the hair itself probably isn’t much different. Except kids have more of it than my husband
My mom cut our hair, but got some training from my grandmother, who was a licensed beautician back in the day. If you can’t find a hairdresser to give you tips, I second the youtube idea.
Cutting hair isn’t difficult if you keep things basic. I’ve cut several BFs’ hair (on guys with hair ranging from waist-length to almost-buzz cut) as well as my own.
When I was little, my mom trimmed my hair. She had this little pink plastic disc, about three inches in diameter. One segment was straight, with comb teeth moulded in, and the disc sandwiched a razor blade that extended about halfway into the comb teeth. The idea was that all you do is ‘comb’ the kid’s hair, and voilà! Instant ‘haircut’!
I cut both kids’ hair. I gave my daughter a simple straight cut, with or without bangs. I did her hair until she was about 12. When my son was little I cut his hair short with scissors. (I measured two finger widths and then cut.) When he got older, he wanted a buzz cut, so we bought some clippers. They are really easy to use, but a bit of a nuisance to clean up from. Make sure to drape the kid with a towel or something so he doesn’t end up with itchy bits of hair on his neck.
He’s 21, and I think his girlfriend did his last haircut, but I did his second-to-last haircut, at his request.
Neither of my kids ever protested having their hair cut. Well, right before the buzz cut, my son objected to the idea of having to cut his hair (not to us doing it, just to having it cut) but after we made it clear that if he wanted long hair he would have to wash it and brush it regularly, he asked for the buzz cut.
Go for it. Cutting hair is pretty easy, especially for boys’ styles.
Okay, you START by washing the hair, applying some conditioner, and combing it out. THEN you start to cut it. The cutting part shouldn’t hurt at all. Honestly, if it does, you are doing something wrong.
The blade would pull the hairs before cutting them. Conditioner? Did they have that in the '60s? ISTR we just used Prell, and it didn’t have conditioner in it. Anyway, I haven’t seen anything like one of those disc trimmers in 40 years. They must have been painful to enough people that they didn’t succeed.
