First Hair Cut Milestone [Family Documentary Photography]
Both of my kids have super curly hair. They get it from my husband — along with their beautiful complexion and dark color hair. I think it’s probably unlikely that I’ll have a kiddo that resembles me quite the way they resemble him. I’ll continue to be the redheaded, pale skinned anomaly in my little family, but I’m ok with that (I would also totally have a party if I had a redheaded child of my own!) :)
Zoe is 4 1/2 and had never had a haircut. When we wash her hair and pour water over it, it reaches all the way down her back. We talk about how long and beautiful it is whenever we can. It’s not so she can get a big head about it, but so she’s confident in herself. We want her to know how to handle criticism as well as compliments since she will undoubtedly face both and at 4 1/2 years old, already has. I absolutely cringe when someone talks about her bouncy curls, but follows up with the backhanded compliment, “She’ll hate it when she’s older.” I always think, “Well, yeah, geez if she hears that enough she’s going to think she’s *supposed* to hate it as she gets older.” I so hope she will always embrace her hair. As the only redheaded girl in my family (I have 3 brothers who also boast red hair), I learned from a very young age that my hair is a conversation starter, a defining characteristic, and it’s part of who I am. My hope is that Zoe embraces her unique, crazy, sometimes frizzy, sometimes perfect ringlets, of thick gorgeous curly hair.
Finn is 2 1/2 and also had never had a haircut. His curls started out just like Zoe’s did — one little tuft of curls in the front that soon became a head full of curls. I love them and he’s used to getting his hair done right after we do Zoe’s. If we don’t stay on top of maintaining their curls by combing through them with our fingers, water, and some kid’s leave in conditioner (We use California Baby’s Calendula Leave In Conditioner and no I’m not getting paid to advertise for them. It’s a product we love and stand by!), they get serious tangles and it’s a bathroom war. As Finn’s hair started falling in front of his eyes, and draping down his neck into a curly mullet, we decided it was probably time to give him his first hair cut. And since we were taking Finn in, we figured it would be a great opportunity to get Zoe her first cut as well simply to keep it healthy and strong.
I’m making it my mission to photograph our daily lives’ more. I am constantly taking photos of other families as part of my job, which I love. Sometimes my own family gets the short end of the stick though, so when it was time for haircuts, it was time for some documentation, especially since my husband was stuck at work that day. Documentary photography is my new greatest obsession and ranks right up there with birth photography for me (and really, birth photography is a documentation of labor, delivery, and birth, so this is a natural transition for me)!
I took the kids to Amber Sky Salon for their first haircuts. Per their website, they’re a “family centered St. Louis hair salon.” Their motto is very cool and I was sold on them the instant I read, "Whether you need to breastfeed or your toddlers need to stand on their heads and belt “Old McDonald” at the top of their lungs, there is no need to be embarrassed." Seriously, if you’re looking for a place for a child’s haircut, I definitely recommend them!
I was nervous Finn would cry and hate it, but he sat like a champ the entire time and listened to everything Kelsey, the hairstylist, had to say. We used FaceTime to let my husband in on the fun and the cuts went surprisingly fast. We were also the first appointment of the day so there weren’t many distractions for the kids, which was nice. After Finn got his luscious locks cut off, we saved some of his hair and Zoe was next.
The goal for Zoe’s hair was just a trim and some shaping so it would lay nice. As I mentioned, some of her hair was all the way down her back, so with some sections of curls, she got about 3-4 inches cut off and other sections just a half inch. The intricacies of curly hair are no joke, which is why we made the appointment with Kelsey, who has naturally curly hair herself.
I can already tell Zoe’s hair is healthier and easier to comb through with my fingers. Finn’s still gets a little styling on top, but he’s not so frustrated with me getting through his curls. We’ve decided we’ll likely let the sides of his grow out a little bit more so his curls show more, but aren’t so mullet like in the back. It was absolutely bittersweet watching both of my “babies” get their first haircuts and watching those adorable little curls fall to the floor. Thankfully, we have their story documented so we can always look back on their first haircuts!
If you are looking for an area of YOUR life to be documented, let me know! I'd love to be there to document your "regular" day, your child's first big hair cut, your Saturday morning breakfast ritual, or any other aspect of your life you don't want to forget!
Comments
Volunteer Photographer