Had a kid freak out mid-fade and I think I saved it

Yesterday at my chair in the shop, I was about halfway through a mid skin fade on this 8 year old. His mom said he was good with clippers. He was fine until I switched to the trimmer for the line-up, the sound must have spooked him. He jerked his head hard right as I was going for the temple line. I froze, my hand jumped back, but the trimmer still nicked him. Not deep, but a clear little red line. His eyes got huge. I stayed calm, said 'Whoa, buddy, my bad, let's get a cool bandage on that.' I grabbed a Spider-Man bandage from my drawer, put it on, and told him he earned a lollipop for being tough. He settled down, mom was cool about it, and I finished the cut by doing the rest with my shears and a comb instead. The fade wasn't perfect, but the kid left smiling with his bandage and a sucker. What's your go-to move when a client, especially a little one, gets jumpy?

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2 Comments

amygonzalez5mo ago

Ever see that trick where you let them hold the clippers turned off? Read about a barber who does that with little kids. Lets them feel the weight, push the button to hear the buzz in their own hand. Makes it less scary when it's near their head. Sounds smart, like giving them some control back.

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the_sarah5mo ago

That letting them hold the clippers thing works great, but what about the sound itself? I keep a pair of over-ear headphones in my station for sensory sensitive kids, muffles the buzz way better than just talking through it.

2