You see that your baby has long hair now and you want to give them their first haircut all by yourself. We understand the sentiment, you might not want to hand over the baby to someone else to cut their hair at such a tender age. This might make you wonder how to cut baby hair?
Is It The Right Time?
As excited as you may be, you have to wait for the correct time. Usually, it is advisable to cut a baby’s hair after they turn 1. However, a lot of religious and cultural groups have a set of rituals regarding the baby’s haircut. Before you go ahead with cutting your baby’s hair, consult the group members, and find out about it.
Some babies are born with a lot of hair naturally, that does not mean you have to cut them off after a few months. You will find some babies who start balding, do not worry, it is natural. The post-birth hormones in the babies make the hair shed.
If you feel that the baby’s hair has reached the eye level, and you have to cut it immediately(even if they haven’t turned 1), you can do that. You might require to cut your baby’s hair due to medical reasons.
Ways To Do It
There are mainly two techniques to cut your baby’s hair.
1. With Scissors
2. With Clippers
Some might believe that shaving or trimming the baby’s hair will make it grow faster and longer. This is an absolute myth. On the contrary, trying to shave or trim might hurt the baby’s soft scalp.
Getting Prepared
Before we get to the main part, you need a lot of preparation to get started.
1. Get The Supplies
Before starting off, make sure that you have all these following items ready.
- Towel
- Cloth covering
- Scissors, of course. Preferably salon-styled ones. You can also use nail-clipping scissors. Clippers, if you need them.
- Comb
- Spray Bottle
- A baby sitter or a high chair.
- A small envelope if you are going to save the first lock.
Additionally, you can ask someone to be your helper. Someone has to be there to distract or pacify the baby while you are cutting their hair. Keep their toys handy.
The best way to distract them is to put on their favorite video and cut while they are engrossed.
2. Choosing The Time
As someone who has been a parent for some months, you might have got the idea that your baby’s mood changes like a rollercoaster. For cutting their hair, you need them to be at their best behavior.
It is recommended that the baby is given proper rest and has their tummy full before you start the mission.
Some parents try to cut their baby’s hair during their nap. Prevent this. If the baby wakes up in the middle of the sleep, it will make your work much more difficult.
3. Distracting The Baby
Now, this is one of the most important yet difficult parts. Your baby has to be distracted by something all the time. If they are not, it might lead to a blunder. That is why you should have a helper with you.
Before you start cutting their hair, make sure to hype your baby. Babies are usually quite good at understanding your mood. If you appear nervous around them, they might act out. Making them believe that this is going to be fun.
Try to walk them through the process as you are doing it. Be cheerful as you do it. You can also give them the spray bottle or comb to play with. This will keep them interested. You can also give them their toys, make them watch videos, or hand them their favorite snack!
4. Be On Guard
Babies are very unpredictable. Despite taking all the necessary precautions, things might go south. Your baby could either take this really well, and get along with all the distractions you have set up.
On the contrary, your baby might get terrified at the sound of the scissors or clippers. They might wail and also throw tantrums. If this escalates, abort the mission. If you force the baby, they might grow more desperate and start moving around a lot. This will hamper your work.
Even though your baby is quiet, you should still be on your guard at all times. They can move suddenly, causing a minor accident.
Cutting The Hair
Let’s get into the technical portion of how to cut baby hair.
1. Using Scissors
If you are using scissors to cut the hair, follow these steps.
a. Lightly dampen the baby’s hair with water. Use the spraying bottle to do so.
b. Separate the hair into different sections.
c. Take a section between two fingers, and take it away from the head.
d. Use your fingers as a marker of how much you want to cut. Then snip that portion off.
e. After you are done with one section, move on to the next.
f. Make sure to go for small angled cuts as they blend easily.
g. Go in a line. Either from front to back or vice versa.
h. Protect the baby’s ears with your hands while trimming around the neck and ears.
2. Using Clippers
While using clippers, make sure that you do not press them too hard on the baby’s head. Be very careful while using them.
a. Go for a high-level guard until you have your desired length. If you go for 1, there is a high probability that it will be a lot shorter than you expected. You can go for a shorter 2 or longer 2.
b. Keep an eye on the lever of the guard and keep changing it according to your need.
c. Keep going around the baby’s head and see if it is all even. If you want the top hair to be a little longer, you can use a higher guard for that area, and for the sides use 2. This will create a good transition. You can also use a combination of scissors and clippers to make the hair look stylish.
How To Cut Baby Hair – Taking Care
You need to take care of the baby’s hair too. That does not mean you have to wash it regularly. Washing it regularly might make them catch a cold. You can wash their hair twice to thrice a week, maximum.
Do not go for very fancy products for your baby’s hair. Their skin is very sensitive and will react badly to the harsh chemicals. There are a lot of baby products on the market, but not everything might suit your child. The best advice will be given by the baby’s dermatologist.
It is best not to experiment with products too much. Go for what the doctor has to say and they should be fine.
You can give a head massage to your baby once in a while. However, unlike adults, they do not need hard massage tactics. Take a small bowl of baby hair oil, or any oil, heat till its lukewarm; slowly rub that oil on the baby’s head. However, if the baby feels that the oil is still too hot, make sure to cool it down a bit and then try again.
Massaging the scalp will not only help hair grow stronger, but the quality of the hair will improve too. However, if you see that the baby is catching a cold, do not do it further.
After they turn one, start combing their hair. There are special baby combs available too.
Combing their hair is good for the blood circulation underneath and will strengthen the roots of the hair.
Keep checking if the baby has lice or if there are any brown or yellow flakes on the scalp. If there are flakes, the condition is called “cradle cap”. Make sure to go to the baby’s dermatologist and have that checked out. Do not try to shave the hair off by yourself under these circumstances, until prescribed to.
Happy Trimming!
If you feel that cutting your baby’s hair is tough, you can go to the salon too. Some people wonder how to cut their baby boy’s hair and take them to a local barbershop. This should be avoided. Whether it’s a girl or a boy, take them to a salon. In the salon, they usually will use good products that are specifically made for babies and also do it with a lot of care.
Avoid cutting their hair before they turn one. Using scissors or clippers at such a tender age is not good for the baby.
You can also save a lock of hair from the first hair cut. This is a sentimental memory that every parent wants to preserve. Keep the lock in a sealed envelope or plastic pouch and place it in a diary. You can also make a small journal and keep it there. When they grow up, you can have a good walk down the memory lane.
