If your child is fearful or resistant to allowing his or her hair cut, you are not alone. 

The culprit of haircut problems almost always lies with sensory processing problems: 

-Fear of the noise the clippers make 

-Dislike of the feel of the cut hair falling onto the face or body; dislike of the feel of the cape 

-Sensitivity to the scalp 

-Fear of hair salons and barber shops (due to the unfamiliar environment, strange smells, noise, and being touched by a stranger). 

-Past trauma of being held down or nicked by the scissors or clippers (with resultant big reactions from parents/caregivers). 

Steps to successful hair cuts: 

1.  Respect and attempt to understand your child’s fears surrounding haircuts. 

2. Explore and practice the different steps of getting a haircut.  Social stories to help a child understand and conquer their own fears about getting a haircut and ideas of how to cope.  (can we insert an example here?)  Combine the story with play and tools which simulate a haircut.  If your child is fearful of the clippers, start with modeling putting a vibrating massage tool on the different parts of your head.  Model holding it there for the count of 3 and then offer it on your child’s head for the count of 3.  Usually, the area around the ears and the back of the neck are most sensitive.  Work up to vibration to each area of the head for 10 seconds.  Take turns.

3. Explore the idea of haircuts through play.  There are many toys out there that simulate haircut tools and routines, such as a variety of Play Dough barber/beauty shop sets.  This is useful for children if they have the motor skills and intellectual ability to understand this type of play.  Play along with your child and just have fun with it without being too pushy.  Then consider watching a YouTube video of a haircut and talk about it a little bit. 

4. “Practice” giving haircuts to a stuffed animal as a play activity with your child. 

5. Allow the child an opportunity to see mom or dad get a haircut and talk about the process.  Make it a fun adventure if you can.  Have a bag of novel toys that your child only gets to see when going to the barber shop.  

6. If a child can get to know mom or dad’s stylist/barber, this may be helpful. 

7. What relaxes your child?  Many children with sensory processing problems achieve calmness with activities such as swimming or swinging.  Set your child up for success by doing an activity like this prior to a haircut. 

8. If the salon/barber is just too overwhelming for your child, consider doing a haircut at home.  If you are the one doing the haircut for your child, make sure you are in the right state of mind to be patient and compassionate.  Holding a child down to finish a haircut may further engrain the fear, and damage the trust between you.  An awkward looking hair cut is preferable to many more years of resistance to haircuts. 

9. It’s ok if you do the haircut at intervals.  Maybe the child can tolerate 1 minute at a time with a highly preferred reward or break in between.  Set the stage to help the child understand what you have planned. 

10. Capes can be a source of fear for a child.  If your child prefers not to wear one, it’s ok. 

11. If your child is too fearful of the clippers, try scissors.  Continue to work on stories and play that incorporate understanding the clippers.  

12. Keeping haircuts as positive an experience as possible will gradually result in improved compliance.  It is a process that is worth the time investment.