Girl's Bang Trim at Home

One of the ways you can make your girl's cuts last longer is to do a bang trim yourself.  Don't waste a trip to the salon if you only need a bang trim - waste of your time and money.

I do them for free for my clients, but in case I am not in your area - try this at home:

Here is what you'll need:

Clips

Comb

Shears - whatever is sharpest around the house

When dealing with hair, one fundamental concept is to divide the hair to make it more manageable and so you will only have to deal with the hair you need to.

Separate the sides of the hair you don't consider part of her bangs and secure snugly with clips.

Take one level of her bangs and clip them up.

I am going to assume you are right handed from here forward.

Take the center portion of her bangs and hold them in your left hand.

Take your shears and "point cut" - do NOT cut a straight or horizontal line across her bangs when you are doing this at home. I find the rate of error to be high doing it that way.  Point cutting involves cutting directly into the line of the hair NOT straight across.  You will cut toward her hair line, alternating long and short snips.  It will break up the "straight across" bang that your child may currently be sporting.

Point cut until you have reached your desired length - this will create a soft look and is very forgiving.

Example of a softened bang that will be created (mostly the left side)  by point cutting

Go to your next section which will be the hair directly to your right.  Then proceed to the right.  Make sure both sides match up.

Next pull down the bangs that were secure on top.

Point cut starting with your left hand and the middle part of her hair.  Match it up with the hair underneath and then move right, then left.

Tussle her bangs a little and make sure they are all matched up - remember the look will be soft and is not intended to be a blunt line.

This is how you will get through to the next hair cut for your sweet one!

Send me some feedback about how this worked for you and let me know if you have any questions.

www.runningwithshears.com

arica@runningwithshears.com

Kiddos & Hair Cuts - Make it Successful

Does your little one have anxiety going to a salon?  Tried everything?  Here are a few tips to make the hair cut a little more bearable - for every one .

Don't take all of your children at the same time - this tends to create a frenzy of children and parents often have a difficult time relaying their ideal cut for their kiddo when they are distracted and end up disappointed.

Ask the stylist to go slow and show your child the shears, let them feel the buzzer in their hands and next to their ear before the service even begins.

Don't let the stylist assume your child will be ok with a cape being thrown over them for the service.  My kiddos need to touch and feel and have an explanation for what is going to happen and why (it protects them from itchy hair).  I also have a kid cape - it has lots of animals and colors - it gives me a springboard for conversation during the hair cut.

Here is something that worked for me: 

One of my biggest success happened with a boy (4 years) who I knew was going to fight me tooth and nail and was a wiggly little one.  I went through the above steps, but since I work at people's homes, I took him into a bathroom that was away from the other children, with a parent - it was quiet so he didn't have to deal with the added distraction of his siblings.  I pulled out my secret weapon, hoping it would work and it did.  Where he happened to be seated was directly across where I had placed his favorite candy.  I told him that as soon as we were done, he could have the candy.  He was immediately concerned that his sister and friend would not get some: it was MY lucky day - the extras I brought along were going to pay off.  We talked about why it was important to stay still (scissors are sharp!), he mistook the information, which happened to pay off for me - he was more worried that I was going to cut myself if he wiggled than him!  We had polite conversation and before he knew it - we were done.  I think that another part of what worked for him is that we did the cut in his own home... he didn't have much time to think in the car and have anxiety over the hair cut to come.

I don't think the "candy" presented at the end is a great idea - it needs to be right in front of their face so they have a reward (if you choose candy) to look at during what may be a stressful time for him or her.  If you see a big bowl of candy when you walk in the salon and you don't prefer your child to have that as a reward when they are done, please quietly ask the stylist to not offer it to your child.  You as a parent may want to have your own focal point as a reward.

To minimize the chaos that may be difficult for your child at a busy salon is to call ahead and find out when the slow times occur and go then!  You might find the good fortune of a stylist who can take the extra time to take a few more steps with your little one.

Mama:  don't expect perfection from the stylist or your child.  Every child wiggles, even if it is just a little.

Down and dirty     

Sometimes a stylist may be rushing through a cut to make their numbers, especially at the lower end, quickie salons.  They have to get a client in and out of their chairs within 15 minutes - not a lot of time to calm the kiddo down before starting, explain the service, hear your ideas about what you want the hair to look like and clean up and check you out.  If the stylist hits it out of the park: tip well - they remember.

Let me know if you have any questions or feedback!

I am a mobile service that comes to your home - servicing you and your family with all salon needs - find out more here: 

www.runningwithshears.com

arica@runningwithshears.com