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Child getting a haircut by a hairdresser in a salonIf you were to ask me last week: “How can I find a hairdresser that will cut my child’s hair without him making a scene”, I would have said “Don’t hold your breath, they don’t exist”.

But that was before I learned that some hairdressers can handle the most impatient toddler like nobody’s business.

We have been through several salons and every time it was the same recurring nightmare. We’d come in and ask them “Can you cut my child’s hair, he’s 15 months and is afraid of scissors?” They would say “We give kids haircuts all the time, nothing to worry about”.

Then they would sit him in my lap, cover us both, drop a toy box by the chair, start cutting his hair (while I try to explain what kind of cut I’d like) and he’d immediately start screaming. The toys would make no difference, and screaming would get louder and louder. The hairdresser would politely ask me to hold his hands and head because otherwise she would cut his fingers or ears off. I would ask her to stop, for me to calm the boy down, she would say: “I suggest that you finish it up another time, we don’t want to get him all worked up or he’ll hate salons forever”.

Then they would charge us for the full haircut, even though they have only spent 3 minutes on my kid and weren’t even half way through the haircut. We’d leave, feeling cheated and wondering what the heck other parents are doing – those who don’t cut their kids’ hair.

But yesterday I have witnessed what a good hairdresser looks like.

We came in, asked for someone to cut Eric’s hair and they have told us which one of the hairdressers will do it. She came to meet Eric, said hi to him, spent a couple of minutes talking to him and then took us to the chair where he will sit. She left us there for a good 5 minutes to let him have a look around and get comfy. Then she came with a couple of cookies and started to point at his hair in the mirror, making funny faces – he was thrilled, because he is such a social kid.

Then she asked what kind of haircut I had in mind, said what she thinks and what it would look like on him, is it suitable for his type of hair or not. She asked for details: “Do you want the hair here shorter or longer”, pointing at the relevant areas and making sure we both know what it’s going to look like. Only then she started to cut Eric’s hair and kept on asking me: “Are you happy with the way it looks now? Do you want this bit shorter?” He wanted to grab the comb – she gave it to him and went to get another one. He wanted the water spray bottle – no problem, she brought a spare one for him to play with.

She was an angel, he got a great haircut (never made a sound) and I was totally blown away. Guess who’s going to see more of us :). Funny thing is that they charge less then the other two salons. To me it means that finding a good hairdresser is not a matter of money – it is a matter or luck and persistence.

Who cuts your kid’s hair? Why did you choose them and what makes them a good hairdresser?