My son hates haircuts so much he once threw up from the stress. We ended up purchasing a Calming Clipper kit, which has a guard like clippers but is mounted on scissors and very quiet. My wife cuts his hair gently over the course of about an hour, and he gets time on his tablet or videos while she's doing it.

My son is terrified of scissors and clippers. i cut his hair at home and it does not look great but I can always sneak in a clip here or there to fix anything that is uneven or sticking out. It is not ideal but it has to work until he is able to tolerate the sensations and noise. I have tried going to sensory sensitive kids salons but the outcome was about the same as me doing it myself, it seemed to worsen his anxiety and it was not free.

@A MyAutismTeam Member I cut my 6 year old son’s hair at home, too. I usually need someone there, to help distract my son, but it usually works out okay. I taught myself by watching YouTube videos. My older boys 16 and 13 (neurotypical) won’t let anyone else cut their hair, besides me, that makes me feel good, plus it saves $. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

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A MyAutis...

My 12-yr old nephew had always hated getting a haircut. He is Caucasion/African-American and has the most soft curly black hair I've ever seen. Can't let it get too long, though. After 2 instances of lice (ick! double ick), we've had to make sure his hair was not too long. He's never been to a commercial salon or barber. My husband does all the cutting (he cuts my hair, too). We figured out that Isaiah was really afraid of having his ears cut, so a pair of "Swix" type earmuffs, That did the trick - but I always have to have mine trimmed before his. So far, so good.

I'm a stylist and have had quite a few ASD clients and those with other sensory issues!

I usually prefer to use a razor (gaurded of course) on these guests. I find that the razor is both quieter and safer (especially for those who are extra wiggley or have sudden jerky movements) than both clippers or shears.

I would suggest not having too ambitious of a hairstyle in mind, at least starting out. If you child hates or is afraid of clippers he's probably not going to be able to sit through a fade and forcing it is torture for both the child and the stylist.

I'm also pretty flexible about how "still" they need to sit or even where I cut the hair. They want to sit on a barstool up at the counter? Cool. You wanna stand instead of sit? I'm good with that! (I have one little boy who sits in my lap to get a haircut 😍)

I do try to schedule these guys for our more quiet times as well. Too much conversation/ background noise is super distracting and sometimes overstimulating.

Lastly, sometimes it's just not going to work. Keep bringing them back! Arrange a visit to just observe the environment and have a meet and greet/consultation with the stylist. If you can, stick to one stylist so they can get to stylist can get to know each other and what your kid does or does not like, what their reactions are like, etc. That way no surprises!

I'm also in the Jax area if you'd like to contact me and arrange a time to meet & greet! 😁