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Getting a Haircut

Roo Bloom · Social Stories · roobloom.com

  1. Haircut dayToday I am getting my hair cut at the hairdresser.
  2. I might feel worriedI might feel worried, fidgety or unsure.
  3. The chair and the capeI sit in front of a big mirror, and the hairdresser puts a cape around me.
  4. A little waterThe hairdresser might spray my hair with a little water.
  5. Snip, snip, buzzScissors go snip, snip. Clippers buzz and feel tingly on my head.
  6. Helping my bodyI can help my body feel more comfy during the haircut.

    I could try… Cover my ears or use headphones · Hold my calm-down thing · Count slowly · Squeeze my hands, then let go

  7. I can ask for a breakIf it feels like too much, I can ask for a break.

    I can say: “Can we stop for a minute?”

  8. A break, then carry onThe hairdresser stops, and I can wiggle and stretch.
  9. Hair can’t feel scissorsHair can’t feel the scissors, and it keeps growing back.
  10. Look in the mirrorWhen it’s finished, I can look in the mirror at my new hair.
  11. I am learningEach haircut is practice. I can feel proud that I tried.

I can remember

  • Haircuts can feel strange. That’s okay.
  • I can wear my headphones.
  • I can ask, “Can we stop for a minute?”
  • If something hurts, I can say so.
  • I can feel proud that I tried.
For grown-ups

What this story teaches

What happens at a haircut, step by step — the chair, the cape, the spray, the scissors and clippers — that it can feel uncomfortable for a sensitive body, and that headphones and breaks are always allowed.

When to use it

  • A day or two before a haircut, and again on the way.
  • Before a home trim, if the bathroom version is easier to start with.
  • After a haircut that was hard, to plan what could help next time.

For this story

  • Tell the hairdresser ahead of time what is hard (clippers, spray, the cape on the neck) and ask for a quiet time of day.
  • Agree the break phrase with the hairdresser before starting, and make sure it is honoured every time.
  • It’s fine to do a haircut in stages, with scissors only, or at home. The goal is a haircut that doesn’t hurt, not a perfect one.

How to use it

  • Read it together on a calm day, not mid-meltdown. In the hard moment itself, fewer words help more: stay close, keep everyone safe, and save the story for later.
  • Read it again just before a tricky moment you can see coming: on the way to the park, the night before a haircut.
  • Make it fit your child: skip pages, stop when they’ve had enough, swap a detail as you read so it matches your child’s day, or read only the “I can remember” card.
  • Add your child’s first name on the story’s opening page and it appears in a line or two. The name stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.
  • Use the story’s words in real life (“No means not right now”), and model them when you hear “no” too.
  • Notice tries, not perfect calm. Big feelings are allowed; the story is about what to do with them.

Good to know

  • These stories are for everyday disappointments and changes. They never mean a child should put up with pain, fear, unsafe touch, bullying or anything that hurts — telling a trusted adult is always the right answer there.
  • Nothing here asks a child to make eye contact, hug anyone — family included — stop stimming or stop crying. Crying and moving are ways bodies cope, and headphones or a break are always allowed.
  • Where a story says a grown-up will do something — stop when a hand goes up, give a warning, keep a “later” spot — make sure it really happens, or change that page. A signal that isn’t honoured teaches a child their words don’t work.
  • The aim is understanding and choices, not a quiet or compliant child. Asking “why?”, saying no to touch and disagreeing in words are skills to welcome.
  • Visual stories help many children and not every child. Adapt, skip or change any page. This is an educational resource, not therapy or medical advice.