Yesterday Clara and Kate got their first hair cut. As you can see below, their hair is quite different. Clara’s is brown, longer, has a hint of curl, and is a bit thinner. Kate’s is blondish, shorter, straight as a board, and a little thicker.
We needed to clean up Kate’s mullet (for a good laugh listen to The Ballet of Eddie Mullet) and Clara’s stringy-ness. So off to the mall we went since I trust the team at Regis with their hair. I honestly didn’t plan this more than a day out because I knew I’d find an excuse to not do it. Just call me the queen of procrastination.
Garen was out of town so I was going at it alone. Every once in a while I get the urge to do things with them like this by myself just to prove to myself that I’m capable. Sad? Maybe…
But I did get a few tips to share out of the experience for first haircuts with twins at two years old. Here they are, in no particular order:
- Go somewhere they know you. This may sound trivial but the whole team at Regis knows me and my family, so they welcomed them in, which made the girls feel special. It did cost more than I typically would want to spend on a kids haircut but it’s better than having a freaked out kiddo.
- See if they’ll give you a free chair for one of the girls to sit in and watch close by while the other gets her hair done.
- Let them observe someone else getting their hair cut first so they can know what to expect.
- Get them excited about it before you go.
- Take toys like a drawing pad and little stuffed animals. We let the girls take their backpacks that have a couple of diapers and wipes each, small Sesame Street characters, and a chalkboard set from Aunt Haley, plus a snack catcher of Cheerios. Of that, I’d reconsider the Cheerios, which ended up going everywhere at some point. I’d probably do pretzels or veggie sticks.
- Let them hold a comb or spray water bottle. This worked well to keep them occupied during the actual haircuts.
- When the hairdresser needs them to look down to get the back of their hair, tell them to look at their belly button.
- Make sure they’re high enough to see the mirror. They like to watch themselves.
- Decide ahead of time if you want to keep a lock of their hair or not. If so, bring something to keep them in separately and label them ahead of time to make it easy.
- I’ve seen a lot of friends who hold their kids if they’re too scared. This could be an option to consider the first time, although it does make it more difficult for the hairdresser.
My girls did great. It was actually way easier than I anticipated. Here’s a few photos from the experience. 
So serious always!
Clara enjoyed lounging around until her turn!
Kate enjoyed snacking too. 
This is the best we could do to get them both to look at the camera. Imagine that. You can see that now Kate has a bob instead of a mullet and Clara has bangs.
If you’re planning your kids’ or kiddos’ first haircuts, the above tips will likely help.
What other tips do you have? I can always use them for the next round!
Chicken Minus Head 