Opinions needed - Thinking of giving DD a really short hair cut.

skibunny59 · July 2014

2 year old DD has always had a ton of hair since she was born. At 8 months I could do pigtails. When she was younger her hair was still like the very fine baby hair and wouldn't really get many tangles in it and she would actually let me do stuff with it. Now that she is older, she rarely wants me to do pigtails, ponytails, braids, etc. Every once in awhile she will let me put a clip or bow in it but more often than not it is just loose or with a stretchy headband which she puts on herself over her forehead so that she looks like either a hippie or, according to my husband, an 80's workout girl.

Anyway, now that she has actual kid hair and not baby hair anymore it gets tangled all the time and she HATES when i brush or comb it. I try to be as gentle as possible and I even bought a detangler but she still hates it and it has turned into a battle. I'm thinking of getting it cut really short but I still want her to look feminine and not boyish. Any suggestions? I've talked to her about it and she seems to be interested in getting it cut short. DH and I are a little sad because we like it long but we also realize that it's her hair, not ours.

TiffanyBerry · July 2014

Boar hair brush and then comb with leave in conditioner. While watching TV or the iPad. That's the only way we can get DD to do it. But she doesn't want to cut her hair either, so that's part of it.

I don't have great suggestions other than going to talk to a hair dresser who does kids cuts and seeing what they might suggest. They might even have some pictures for your DD to look at ?

Emerald27 · July 2014

Definitely show her pictures before you cut her hair. When I was little (though older than your DD), I complained to my grandmother who was babysitting me that I was hot. She offered to give me a haircut to make me feel cooler, and I was really happy/interested. I vividly remember her sitting behind me and asking; "is this better?" And I would feel behind my head and say; "a bit shorter." She kept cutting until I was satisfied.

I had gorgeous, long, thick, curly blonde hair...when my mom picked me up, it was GONE! And I was a wreck when I looked in the mirror. I didn't know that that was what I would look like (a boy), and I complained for weeks that I looked like a boy. Of course, my mom had to take me straight to a hairdresser because my grandmother did such a terrible job. It was a huge nightmare.

Not that your daughter won't look super cute with a short haircut (and when done right there are plenty of feminine and cute short cuts available), but just make sure that she REALLY understands what cutting her hair will mean before you do it...because it takes a long time for it to grow back!

anna.ce · July 2014

Aww I love long hair too but if she really wants short hair, maybe suggest an a-line? I love that cut but my face shape is horrible for if. So consider her face shape and show her a pic of how she likes it?

ashiscute · July 2014

My DD doesn't like it either but I guess I just do it anyway. Her hair is shoulder length (it was much longer but we cut like 4 inches off in the spring) and very wavy and thick. I brush it using detangler 3 times each day and then either braid it in pigtails or put it in a bun. The pigtails take a few minutes and she usually watches something on my phone. But the bun is quick and doesn't involve bows just a regular pony tail holder. And both of them keep it from getting too tangled.

I would be very hesitant to cut my DD's hair so I would try other things first. Good luck!

skibunny59 · July 2014

Thanks Ladies for your suggestions. I will definitely show her some pictures of short haircuts. Every once in awhile I can get her to wear pigtails or ponytails. I usually point out a little girl at music class or the park who had their hair done and say, "Oh, look how pretty so-and-so looks with her hair done." I keep explaining to her that she won't be able to wear pigtails or ponytails for a long time if we cut her hair but she doesn't seem to care. It makes me a little sad because isn't that the fun of having a little girl? When I was pregnant with her I always dreamed of braiding and doing my little girl's hair.

skibunny59 · July 2014

catbenatar said:

DD loved it when we cut her hair super short. We did it to get it to grow in thicker and it worked. Here's when she got it cut. I don't think she looked "boyish." It was super short in the back and longer in the front. I thought she looked pretty chic for a toddler.

Your DD's hair is really cute and no it's not boyish. Was it your idea to get it cut that short or hers? See I feel like my DD wouldn't really care even if it were short and looked boyish. I just want it to look feminine for myself not really because I think she will care. She is super girly about certain things (nail polish and jewelry) and not so girly about other things. She doesn't care so much about hair or bows and usually wants to wear shorts and a top instead of dresses.

Anyway, thanks for sharing the pic.

SunAndRain · July 2014

In addition to the great advice already provided, I would recommend brushing her hair during bath time while there is conditioner in it. And I would use shampoo before the conditioner, as usual.

I have fine, curly hair that was more than I could handle when I was young. I finally figured out that if I pull a plastic toothed brush through it while there is conditioner in it the knots would just come undone. No pain or tugging. I brush my hair every day in the shower.

law&order · July 2014

DS has a friend with short hair. She has a darling little pixie cut and is too cute. She looks like a girl with short hair

I love it.

kristinc01 · July 2014

It sounds like you feel long hair is tied to beauty when you are pointing out to her that other girls with their hair done and telling her they are so pretty. I get you're just trying positive reinforcement to try and deal with her long hair but maybe don't tie long hair to beauty so she doesn't get in her mind that girls with short are aren't beautiful and they're boyish. The pictures pp put above are darling. Since you said she was interested in cutting it - see if she understands that it is permanent and if she does - go for it.

skibunny59 · July 2014

KristinBrichacek said:

It sounds like you feel long hair is tied to beauty when you are pointing out to her that other girls with their hair done and telling her they are so pretty. I get you're just trying positive reinforcement to try and deal with her long hair but maybe don't tie long hair to beauty so she doesn't get in her mind that girls with short are aren't beautiful and they're boyish. The pictures pp put above are darling. Since you said she was interested in cutting it - see if she understands that it is permanent and if she does - go for it.

I think you are misunderstanding me or maybe I'm misunderstanding you. The reason I want her hair pulled back is because 1. it gets less tangled this way 2. it's not a mess in her face when she's playing. It has nothing to do with beauty. The reason I point out other girls with their hair done is because most times this is the only way she'll let me do anything with her hair.

DH and I are the type of parents that really try not to make a big deal about what she looks like or her being girly or pretty. At least not in front of her. For example, today she picked out her outfit and wore striped pink and purple shorts, a yellow top and her pink Hello Kitty rainboots even though it's like 80 degrees here and not raining.

Irishsapphire · July 2014

When my daughter was 1 years old, we would just get her bangs cut. And then when she got closer to 2 years old, we got her first official haircut. I took her into a kids salon and got a recommendation from the stylist. She ended up laying my daughter's hair and cutting her bangs. It looked really cute. My daughter's hair has a tendency to look like "Matilda gone wild" hairdo when it is too long and not styled.

And I got my hair styled like her and cut off a couple of inches.

anakah · July 2014

Late reply, but something that has helped me with DD is to give her options. Do you want 1 ponytail or 2? Do you want bun-buns or ponytails? DD is also really into "matching" so if she says no to either of the two previous questions than I ask her if she wants a big ponytail or bun-bun to match mommy's.

LSU628 · July 2014

DD goes through spurts where she wants her hair really short like Daddy's when her hair is unruly or in her face a lot. We've cut is short a few times, but I prefer it kind of shoulder length so I can pull it up for gymnastics. Combing her hair while in the tub/shower is a great suggestion. I had really long, thick, curly hair as a child so combing and brushing my hair resulted in a lot of tears and agony. A good conditioner will go a long ways. I'm including a pic of DD's latest short hair cut. I think she still looks girly and cute!

sunnyday016 · July 2014

My DD is 5, and has had many bob cuts over the past 3 years. It always looks adorable

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Opinions needed - Thinking of giving DD a really short hair cut.

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