Maybe this makes me cheap, but I refuse to pay money to get a 2 year old's hair cut. We don't have any of those fancy kiddie haircut joints here anyway and I think Huck would go full-on freakshow at a regular salon.
So, I cut his hair. I've done it about 3 or 4 times so far. Just a little trim and it's gone surprisingly well.
Thought I'd share my technique. Maybe it will work for others. The big secret for me is MAJOR, TOP LEVEL DISTRACTION. I'm talking DVDs and toys from grandmas that are so incredibly annoying that they usually live in the top of a closet and the bestest ever treats.
I try not to talk them up like bribery. I don't say "if you do this...then you get this." I just make it all part of the funniest day ever. Haircut day! A magical day when we get to eat and watch special things. The distractions work well enough that I can usually make a toddler spa day out of it and get the fingernails and toenails cut and do a really thorough toothbrushing, too.
Click continue reading for the Toddler Haircut Primer.
DISCLAIMER: I know that there are kids that absolutely won't sit still for this no matter what kind of distractions you offer. Part of it is certainly temperament. I don't know what you do in those cases--maybe that's what's going on with Kate Hudson's son? But if the kid CAN be motivated by special treats, and you have the time, you might as well save some bucks and DIY.
How to Cut a Toddler's Hair...maybe
Here's what I use. You can get a decent pair of scissors at the grocery store or drugstore for about $8. Huck also thinks it's cool to wear the towel cape.
His least favorite part of the whole process is getting his hair sprayed with water. I end up chasing him around with the spray bottle yelling, "I'M A GONNA GETCHU!" He runs but at least he's laughing and not screaming bloody murder. I usually wait to give the treat and turn the show on until after the he's navigated the spray bottle gauntlet. You could also just opt for an afternoon bath or shower and set up for the haircut right after.
Huck decided on a warm pumpkin muffin and an Elmo DVD (Blech!)
Now for the real adventure. Try to channel your inner beautician. Use a comb or your fingers to hold the hair and whatever you do, resist the urge to cut straight across. There's just no way to make that look good.
Instead of cutting across, cut up into the hair. Hold the point of the scissors perpendicular to your fingers or the comb and make short little snips into the hair. Make sense? Without 3 hands there was no way to get a shot of this since I just haven't mastered taking pictures with my mouth and I don't have a tripod.
If you need to take a lot off, you can do a starter cut across leaving it a little longer than the finished length you want, and then do the upward snips to get rid of that straight edge look.
Look at him. He doesn't care what the hell I'm doing.
The bangs are difficult with the DVD going so I sweep them over and do the cut from the side instead of right in front of him. Then I sweep them back and see where I need to make adjustments.
I highly recommend a few breaks in the middle of the cut for jumping and running around in circles to burn off the wiggles. And, of course, lots of praise. Consider how long you think it should take to do this, and then leave yourself double that amount of time. I think start to finish, with a few short breaks, the haircut part took us about 45 minutes.
And for God's sake, if things get too freaky, abort mission! Better to have half a haircut than half an ear.
Try again later or the next day.
I think my finished job turned out okay. I've done better but I could certainly do much worse. And you can always go back the next day and snip up any trouble spots you notice. I think layering the back a bit makes it look a little nicer and more natural.
Another satisfied customer.
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