The First Haircut

Paulo is wearing T-Rex Touchdown from Letop's 2010 Fall/Winter Collection

I didn’t want to do it, but I had to do it. I wanted to keep my baby boy’s hair untouched by a pair of scissors because I am thinking that this is the only way for me to hold on to his “baby-ness.” Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Unfortunately, Paulo’s hair kept getting in his eyes and he was constantly rubbing his hands trying to move his long bangs out of his face. So the time has come for… Paulo’s First Haircut!

With my daughter, her first haircut was just at a nearby cheap-o haircutting salon. No frills. She was excited to do it because she has seen me do it before. She sat still through the entire session! Maybe it’s a girl thing. I don’t know. I took her before and after pictures, and saved a lock of her hair for her baby book. With Paulo, I knew this guy wasn’t going to be that easy. I’ve heard of these special children’s hair salons where they had horses, motorcycles and cars that kids can sit in. While they were watching a DVD of “Sesame Street” or “Dora the Explorer,” the hairstylist was chopping away as fast as he/she could while the child was distracted. So, I already knew that this is where I needed to go. They had him in-and-out in 15 minutes! Yeah, it was a bit more expensive but it was definitely worth it! Included with the price was a “My First Haircut” certificate, a photo and a little bag of his hair.

So now he looks older (especially in the convertible sports car) but he’s still my handsome little devil.

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The Taming of the Mane

I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they had “crazy curls” when they were babies, and after their first haircut, their curls were never to be seen again! Since it took ages for Lilah to grow her hair, I have never had it professionally cut (I always trimmed it myself).  It was time to ‘tame her mane’ of curly hair; and though I was fairly certain that she would not lose her curls…in the back of my mind, I was preparing myself for the possibility. Her hair was getting too unhealthy and difficult to manage so this last weekend was going to be another “first” – The Official Haircut.

As usual, I did my research. I went online and typed in “children’s hair salon” in my area and read all of the reviews I could get my hands on. I wanted this to be an experience that she wanted to repeat, so I felt that a salon catering to children would be the best option. There are surprisingly few in the 50 miles around my house. In the end, it was down to a franchise and an independent, both were similar in what they did, i.e. the quality of the cut seemed the same, the price was within $2, and the locations were only one town away from each other. I decided to go with the independent because that’s the way I roll. 🙂

Lilah in her 'salon seat' at the end of her haircut.

I had hyped up the haircut to Lilah and she was ready and willing. We walked in and she was given her choice of a white horse, a boat, a motorcycle, a cute little animal, and other similar options to sit on. My little tomboy picked the green tractor (of course!). The hair stylist put on a Dora video and we were off. Her hair was not washed (just sprayed with a detangler) or blown dry, but I guess just getting kids to sit still for this kind of thing can be a challenge. I asked for all the dead ends off and to layer the curls. It took a total of 10 minutes (they work fast).  Lilah was fabulous and did everything she was told.

Once done, she received a Certificate of Completion and they included a little plastic baggy with some of her hair in it (how cute!) We went a couple of doors down for some ice cream as a reward. By the time we finished eating her hair was dry and I realized it needed a bit more layering to bring out the curls on the top.  We went back and the stylist happily re-trimmed it for me. Since everyone has different hair, cowlicks, etc. don’t be afraid to ask for a touch up if it’s not right. In the end I was very happy with the results. She looks adorable and now I can get a brush through her hair. Yaayyyyy!

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