8 useful tips for a tantrum-free kids' hair cut

Are you tired of seeing the tangled nest of horrors that your child’s hair has come to resemble? Give him a trim this lockdown season, adding up to another on parenting skills.

Meanwhile, here are a few tips and tricks you can follow while attempting how to cut long boy hair at home. These tips can be applied to both boys and girls.

With the world at a standstill and families isolated inside their homes, there is much that we miss of a normal lifestyle during this pandemic lockdown. And yet, although we miss the freedom to move outside the walls of our home, it is the little things that could get on our nerves.

For instance, the sight of messy and tangled mops of hair on your child’s head that have nearly succeeded in reaching the tip of his nose. Most of us depend on the professional service of salons when it comes to cutting our child’s hair.

But with parlours and salons closed for the foreseeable future, parents are needing to acquire unique hair cutting skills to prevent their child from resembling a shaggy bear.

At first, you might ask yourself - how hard can it be to cut your child’s hair? The answer - very hard. The experience can also be very nerve-wracking if you have never attempted to cut your child’s hair before on your own.

Advance planning and accepting your limits are key to successfully cut your child’s hair by yourself. Here are some step-by-step procedures you can follow, to ensure tantrum-free hair trimming sessions.

1. The right tools

As in any venture, having the right tools is paramount to ensuring the success of your at-home haircut session. Sharp scissors, what the professional stylists call shears, are a must if you want to cut your child’s hair at home.

Any pair of kitchen or craft scissors will not do the trick, especially if your child has fine hair. There are many affordable professional shears that you can order online, before scheduling your child for a haircut at home.

2. The entertainment

In order to have a proper haircut, the person getting the trim must sit as still and straight as possible. Not the easiest thing to do when the person concerned is a child of 5 years (or younger). Your best bet would be to provide some sort of entertainment for your young child.

For instance, you can have him or her sit on a high stool in front of the TV watching his or her favourite cartoons. This comes in especially handy if your child is between 3 and 10.

If your kiddo is even younger, have some toys you can pass onto his hand while you do the honours. Meanwhile, rope in your spouse as well to ensure the child’s attention is diverted from the haircut.

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3. Washcloths

Before you set out to cut your child’s hair at home, keep a few wet washcloths close to hand. This is useful in ensuring that hair does not get into your child’s eyes. The washcloths can also be used to get rid of the tiny hairs that remains stuck to the skin, once the haircut is complete.

4. Less is more

Remember that you are just a frustrated parent trying to keep the Neanderthal look off your child’s visage, and not a professional hair stylist.

Do not attempt any fancy cuts; instead, consider this more in the vein of a maintenance cut. And every time you make a cut, cut off a small portion of hair. You can always cut off more if you want a shorter cut. Take your time and trim your child’s hair slowly and carefully.

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5. Scissors or trimmers

For most of us, when we think of how to cut our child’s hair at home, the first (and perhaps the only) requirement that pops into our head is a pair of scissors. But, new-age trimmers can also be exceptionally handy tools when trying to trim your child’s hair, especially on how to cut long boy hair.

Just remember to start with the highest attachment first and trim off your child’s hair little by little at a time. Also, keep in mind that your child may get startled by the noise of the trimmer, so get him used to it first before starting on his hair.

6. Think vertically

Whether you end up using scissors or electric trimmers, remember to cut vertically instead of horizontals. Amateurs might think that a horizontal cut would ensure a straight fall of hair. But the truth is that if you cut (especially the front bangs) horizontally, your child might end up with the dreaded bowl cut.

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7. Dampen the Hair

Wet hair is always easier to cut than dry locks. It will also help you to understand how the hair looks once it has been cut. Wet your child’s hair before you start cutting.

This will also help prevent the inevitable itching when small hairs get on their skin during the haircut. Have a spray bottle of water on hand to spray over your child’s hair during the cut in case his hair dries out in the middle of the session.

8. After-cut Treats

There is a reason why the reception rooms of most salons contain a jar or two, full of candy. It is not easy to sit still while someone fiddles with your hair and makes you itchy, when you could be out playing with your friends.

Especially on how to cut long boy hair, it is going to be doubly hard when you need to sit still for your amateur parent-turned-stylist who is sure to take more time than a professional stylist. Give your child a treat (a chocolate bar or a cup of ice cream) to show your appreciation for their effort.

In fact, treat yourself too because hey, it is not easy to give your hyper child a decent cut when you don’t even know what you are doing!

Check out a few children’s haircut tutorials to get a better understanding of what you are about to do. Patience is key, parents and who knows, you might even find hair-cutting therapeutic.