Cutting your kids' hair at home

So  my  mom is actually  off this week so today she has the girls while I  try to make a dent  in my ever growing pile of laundry (I sent Raya to my mom's in a pull up one day, because she had no clean underwear, prompting my mom to purchase her like 16 new pair of underwear lol) so needless to say my laundry is behind. However maybe  next time if I go over to my mom's not wearing a shirt she'll buy me new clothes? Hmmm....might be worth a shot ;-)

I  am also making  a pretty good dent in Etsy orders, having completed 3 mustache birthday shirts, 2 tie shirts, and working on a pile of 3 hungry caterpillar birthday shirt....whew!  ....so all in all today's been a good day haha.

Which leads to my blog post today----I got nothin'. No new pictures even! But every time I post about cutting Raya's hair I  always get a lot of curious folk asking me about it and my very first hair cut post is one of my most read posts of all time---constantly get searches for "cutting toddler hair" or "cutting your kids' hair  at home"....leading them straight to my blog. So I thought today I'd give a few hair cutting tips for you all! Enjoy :-)

First things first...I have no professional  training so I essentially am making this stuff up haha.

Second thing....having professional  training is NOT necessary when cutting your kids' hair. I mean seriously people, is my 2.5 year old going to fret about the hack  job I did? No. You are pretty much fine cutting your kids' hair  until  at least age 5, with no repercussions because they have no idea  what a good haircut looks  like anyways. And even  after age 5, if they don't have their  own money  to hitch a cab to the salon they are pretty much at your mercy....so have fun and  test out your skills. You never know, you might be really good at it!

So here is a reminder of the haircuts I've given Raya. This is the very first cut I gave her. Drastic, but definitely proved that Miss Raya looks good in a bob.

Then her  2nd haircut....went a little  shorter, but still  cute! (And that's the important thing to remember....just start by taking 1/2inch off, and  then slowly  take  more off until  it's the length you want. If you accidentally screw up, just take off a little more length to even it  out. Your kid isn't going to freak  if you end up cutting 1.5 inches instead of 1.....kids are very forgiving!)

And then the most recent  haircut, which wasn't nearly  as drastic, but still  definitely freshened up her  look and  added in some more manageable layers

See? It's easy people! Your mission is to at least *try* cutting your kids' hair at home at least once. If you discover you have absolutely no knack for it then at least you know. But it's crazy not to try because I promise it's much easier than you would guess!!

Step 1: Prepare your space. I like to use a booster seat positioned on the kitchen floor, pointed towards cartoons on tv....give your kid a lollipop for good measure. You will have a cooperative client for at least 30 minutes (or however long Dora/Caillou/ Mickey Mouse is on for :-)

Step 2: Get a haircutting scissors, comb, and spray bottle of water. Wet the entire head of hair and comb it straight.

Step 3: Theses directions are for your basic blunt cut with some layers as desired.  If your kid wants a fancy hairstyle I  can't help you. Raya gets the option of bald or whatever mama decides. She usually picks the latter.

Start in the back and cut a straight line where you want the  desired length. Remember that  when it dries it will get slightly shorter. When in doubt  start a little longer than your desired length giving you room to adjust if you get it a little crooked the first time. Then starting in the back  with the  chunk of hair you cut just continue going around the head towards the front....each time you grab a chunk of hair to cut make sure a little bit of the shorter hair from the previous cut is in your new chunk....then you know exactly what length to cut the new chunk. Once you get to the front comb their hair  down over their face....you can easily see now if the left and right side are the same length. Success! Your blunt cut is done :-)

Now, Raya  has stick  straight hair and it doesn't hide imperfections as easily as curls or waves. (If your kid has curly hair you could do an at home cut  with your eyes closed practically---so easy!) But alas my girls have straight hair, so  to help hide imperfections (and to make the cut seem more stylish) I add layers.

Here is an explanation of how to add basic layers:

Basically just start in the back and grab narrow sections of hair and hold them out towards you. Then cut at an angle so that the hair on top is going to end up shorter and the hair on bottom is  longer.  You just  added your first layers! Do  that all the way around the  whole head.  I  love  adding layers and sometimes get addicted  and can't  stop myself lol...it's fun and you really  can't mess it  up! Just  remember  to always cut at the angle, and never  cut straight across, or your layers will look like lines running across the back  of their head, rather than all blended.

Step 4: Stand back  and admire  your work! And remember, the first hour you will likely think  "OMG, what  did I just do"...but trust me, that's normal. You are used to seeing your kid look a certain way and a haircut is sometimes shocking.  But live with it for a day of two before  you freak out or start trying touch ups. If you start trying to touch things up right away before living with it for awhile  you will likely cause more harm than good. Just put down the scissors and walk away! :-)

....And for boys, well you moms of boys have absolutely no excuse for not cutting  hair at home. They are BOYS. haha. Get a hair clippers, select the length you want, and run it over their head. I  cut Lee's hair, and sometimes he cuts his  *own* hair. Those hair cutting buzzers are dummy proof.

And if you don't  want to use the clippers, just do like I did for Sawyer.  Use your fingers as a guide and just cut the entire head the same length. With curls like  Sawyers this is actually  easier than the clippers.

DISCLAIMER:  If you try my "Techniques" and  your kid's hair ends up looking like it had a bad run-in with the  lawnmower I cannot be held liable. At that point take him/her to the  nearest Cost Cutters and  let them fix your mistakes lol. And really, that's the worse that  can happen by  trying this at home...not the end of the world when you figure you really  aren't out anything by at least attempting it yourself!