Some parents experience a lot of drama and also the stylist has to prove his expertise while a lot of his patience is required at the same time.
It is just a fact, most young children simply can not sit still for about half an hour while their hairs are being cut. They just do not have
that patience yet, they need action and want to move and look around.
But still the hairs of your child have to be cut once in a while to shape it into a nice model and to keep it healthy. The hair of toddlers
suffers a lot from getting in touch with almost anything. Sand from the sandbox, the children sometimes just go and roll on the floor, their
dirty little hands, those little hands that start twirling little strands of hair when the child is getting tired, and the damage that is done
while they sleep those many hours while turning and tossing about in their beds.
The first hair a baby has after birth will fall out in a while. This hair is very thin and shows hardly any structure yet. After about one year
we start seeing "real" hairgrowth in which the structure and colour are becoming more apparent. Most commonly your child will already have the
age of one when it gets a real trim for the first time in its life, giving it a distinct direction towards a model. This first haircut will
probably be nothing more than a few cuts to shorten the bangs and the hair at the nape of the neck, while shaping it into a certain hairstyle.
There is not much volume in the hair yet. It is all still in a stage of development.
The visit to the hairdresser can be very exciting for a young child. Most of the times it will not take place in the secure environment of its
own home and will be executed by an unknown person in which it understandably has no trust yet. A strange person who is holding sharp scissors
in his hands and who has clippers that vibrate and make noise, and who will take away a part of this child. And if this isnīt enough, the child
will be hidden under a cape, making it impossible to see himself, while not being allowed to move at the same time.
A routined hairdresser that specializes in children will be able to calm the child down and convince the child to sit still for a while, or uses
specific means to achieve this goal, while at the same time his or her skilful hands move quickly over the hairs, no matter if the little head
moves around a little bit. A skilful childrenīs hairdresser is patient and expresses calmness. The first time a child has a haircut, it will
probably sit on its motherīs lap, which will add to a more relaxed feeling. If all goes well, the next time a haircut will take place efforts
will be made to try letting the child take place in a special childrenīs chair, making it easier for the hairdresser to work.
Even if the hairdresser works as fast as is humanly possible, it might not be fast enough. This is the reason why several salons meet the demands
of children by adding elements in their interior which make children feel at ease and distracted. Some salons even design a part of the shop
entirely to the childrenīs needs, for instance a TV with VCR or DVD-player, a chalkboard, toys and special designed furniture, necesities for
colouring, details on the walls and floors to which the hairdresser can draw their attention when a certain position of the head is required for
a certain amount of time up to even especially designed chairs to help distract the child while being cut. Mom and dad get a nice cup of coffee
and the children get lemonade and some candy.
Not all hairdressers, even the most experienced ones, have it in them to work with children. At salons where more than one hairdresser works,
most of the time one or two are especially assigned to taking care of childrenīs hairdressing and making the visit of a child (and the parents)
a pleasant experience. On arrival the child will be welcomed and escorted to the toys to make sure the child will enjoy the visit and thus be more relaxed.