My Black 4 Year Old’s First Time Going To A Hair Salon

Some of you may recall my 4-year-old’s hair during her birthday last year, but if you don’t, she got her hair braided for the first time at a hair salon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jasmyn Heard | Love, Just Jass (@love_just_jass)

This was a big deal because as I said, this was her very first time going to a hair shop to get her hair braided.

For the past 4 years, I have been doing and taking care of her hair.

Last year, I even shared her curly routine and how I manage her hair because she has a lot of it.

• Read More: Curly Hair Routine For My Black 3 Year Old

But one of the things that I am not very good at is braiding.

I cannot braid to the scalp so the majority of the time, you will see my daughter’s hair in puffs, buns, and twists.

Having braids is one the things that I look forward to having as a child and even into adulthood, I still rock braids here and there.

Since she was turning 4, my sister thought a good birthday gift would be to take her to the hair salon for the first time to get her hair braided.

And I thought it would be a good idea as well.

Because this was her first time, I wanted to share her experience as well as offer some tips on taking a black child to the beauty salon for the first time.

Here I will be sharing my black 4-year-old’s first time going to a hair salon.

*This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through links in this post. Please check out our Disclaimer Policy for more details.

When Is A Good Age To Take Your Daughter To The Hair Salon?

Before I dive into my daughter’s first time at the hair shop, let’s talk about this.

When is a good age to take your daughter to the hair salon?

Ultimately this will be decided by the parents.

Some parents think that young girls can go as young as 3.

Others think that they shouldn’t go until they are of school age which could be closer to 10.

Another factor that will also likely determine when you take your daughter to the hair salon for the first time is the amount of hair that she has.

If your daughter doesn’t have a lot of hair, then you will probably hold off for a while.

But if your daughter has a lot of hair as mine does, then you may consider going sooner.

Even if it’s to give yourself a break from doing their hair.

Which is essentially why I decided to let her go when she turned 4.

Knowing my daughter, I knew that she would do well because she is used to me doing her hair every week which required her to be still for at least 30 minutes.

So 4 was a good age for her to start.

Most beauticians will not take little girls younger than 3 due to their attention span and possible inability to remain still.

But if you have a 3-year-old who you believe will remain still and sit through getting their hair done, then I say go for it.

Especially if that is something that you want to do.

I want to make sure that I emphasize that this should be something that YOU are ok with doing.

Society has a way of making black women feel like our hair has to always be done and that we can never have hair out of place.

And many of us project that onto our daughters.

If you are taking your daughter to the hair salon, because you constantly feel like your daughter’s hair has to always be done and that if it is not, then your child somehow looks less than.

Then that is the wrong reason.

Personally, I go every 2 to 3 months and in between, I take care of my own hair.

I try to treat going to the hair salon as a form of self-care and a way to give myself a break from doing my own hair.

And I want to teach my daughter to treat it that way as well.

Now that we have an idea of when a good time would be to take your daughter to the hair salon, let’s get into my 4-year-old first time.

My Black 4-Year-Old’s First Time Going To A Hair Salon

Before Going To The Hair Appointment

Before taking my daughter to the hair salon for the first time, I wanted to make sure I prepared her for what it would be like.

One of the first ways I prepared my daughter for her first hair appointment was to talk about it.

If you all have been following me for a while now, then you know that I’m big on talking things through with my daughter.

My daughter, like most 4-year-olds, asks a lot of questions.

Some of her questions were innocent enough such as “Will I be getting my hair cut?” or “Will it hurt if she cuts it?”

All of these questions, I answered to the best of my ability while trying to reassure her that it is a lot like when I do her hair at home.

Having a hair care routine in place also makes trips to the salon much smoother.

Because my daughter was used to me washing her hair and then having to remain still while I styled her hair, she had an idea of what it would be like.

During The Hair Appointment

Once I prepared my daughter as much as I could, it was time for her hair appointment.

As expected, my daughter was nervous and excited to get her hair done.

Since this was her first time, I opted for a hairstyle that wouldn’t take too long to do.

The hairstyle I choose for her took a little over an hour to do.

While she was getting her hair done, I let her have her tablet so she had something to do while she was sitting in the chair.

Throughout the entire process, I kept checking in with her and seeing how she was doing.

I wanted to make sure she was comfortable with the water temperature when the beautician was washing her hair.

The blow dryer wasn’t too hot.

And if the braids weren’t too tight.

I just wanted her to have a good first experience.

If you have young children, then you know how important a good first impression is.

If they don’t have a good experience the first time, then it’s going to be a struggle trying to get them on board again.

Luckily, my daughter had a great experience and is looking forward to the next time she can get her done again.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jasmyn Heard | Love, Just Jass (@love_just_jass)

Tips For Taking Your 4 Year Old The Hair Salon For The First Time

Now that I have shared my daughter’s first experience at the hair salon, I want to share some tips that will helpful for other parents who are considering taking their daughter to the hair shop for the first time.

Talk About What To Expect

As I said earlier, you should definitely talk to your little one about going to the beauty salon.

Especially if they are at an age at which they would understand what is going on.

My 4-year-old is very inquisitive and can comprehend the majority of what I say.

So if I have a conversation with her about going to the hair salon and what the beautician will be doing to her hair, she will understand.

Establish A Hair Care Routine Prior

Another tip I mentioned above is to have a hair care routine in place prior to taking your daughter to the hair salon for the first time.

My daughter has a weekly hair care routine that we do every week that consists of washing, conditioning, and styling her hair.

She has had this routine pretty much since she turned one.

So she is very used to having someone working on her hair.

I truly believe that having a hair care routine in place at home is what made her first time at a hair salon such a success.

If you don’t have a routine for your daughter now, then I highly recommend starting one.

Pick A Stylist That Does Well With Kids

My next tip is to pick a stylist that does well with kids.

If you already have a beautician, then you should definitely check with them to see if they are comfortable working on children’s hair.

Which is exactly what I did.

My beautician works with both adults and kids so I knew that she would be able to do my daughter’s hair.

Some beauticians don’t do children’s hair and only prefer to only work with adults so that is something that you be aware of when finding a stylist.

You want to make sure that they are good with kids and able to do young children’s hair.

Have Entertainment Handy

Although my daughter’s hair appointment lasted an hour and a half, what really helped her sit through her hair appointment was having her tablet handy.

We all know that a child’s attention span is super short.

And having to sit still for a long time can make them really antsy.

So make sure that you have something that will keep them entertained for a little while especially if you find that your little one is getting restless.

The go-to for us is the tablet.

But some people may not agree with that, so whatever entertainment you can provide your child with, make sure to have it handy.

Use Positive & Fun Language

And my last tip is from Just 4 Girls Salon and that is to make it fun by using fun and positive language around this experience.

Talk about how fun this experience will be and how much of a big girl your daughter will be once she gets her hair done.

You can even mention how cool the hair salon is by talking about the big girl chair she will get to sit in.

Or even how cool it will be when she gets her hair washed in the shampoo bowl.

It is already expected that your child will be nervous, so the way to combat some of those nerves is to create excitement with encouraging and positive language.

Your Turn

Well, that is how my 4-year-old’s first time at a hair salon went. I want to hear from you all now. What are some tips that you would add to this list for taking your daughter to the hair salon for the first time? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Black-Owned Baby Care Brands To Try

Love,

Just Jass