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How to give your child a great haircut while the salons are closed

The coronavirus may have closed salons in Arizona, but here are one stylist's tips to help you give your kid a stylish haircut.

PHOENIX — Does your child need a haircut, and you are left wondering what to do with all salons and barbershops closed across the state of Arizona due to the coronavirus? Don't worry, you are not alone. 

12 News reached out to Heather Colla, the manager of the Snip-Its Kids Haircuts in Gilbert for help. 

Her first tip: Be patient. 

"You need to understand that your child may not want to get their hair cut," Colla said. "They may not want you to cut their hair, so just having patience with them is going to help the haircut be more successful." 

She also said to search online for a reliable pair of clippers and a good edge trimmer, and you can see examples of those in the video above. 

When it comes to the trimmers, Colla had two pieces of advice. Make sure you are folding your child's ear down when trimming around the ear to make sure you don't nick it and to always have the moving blade away from your child's skin. 

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“I think one of the biggest things when working with trimmers is making sure that the moving blade is away from your child’s skin because that blade will catch them and it will make them bleed," Colla said.  

If your daughter has bangs and needs them trimmed, Colla said it is better to start lower on your child's face than you may think. 

"What I recommend doing is maybe starting around the bridge of the nose and working your way up to the length that you prefer," Colla said. "This is just going to help make sure that you don’t go too short."

She also said during this time of social distancing, parents should be making sure to maintain their child's hair. That includes making sure their hair is being washed at least 1-3 times a week. She also says girls should make sure to brush their hair twice a day. 

"It’s going to help maintain your daughter’s hair," Colla said. "It’s going to keep all the knots out, it’s going to keep it from breaking and damaging the hair, so that way you don’t have to cut it short from all the tangle damage."  

She also offered tips for parents who may have a child with special needs, saying the best thing to do for them is to show them your tools before you use them. 

"Show them the clippers, turn them on, let them hear it, let them feel the vibrations," Colla said. "You can put it on their hands, you can put it on their arms, you can put it on their legs, just wherever they feel comfortable with you putting it to their body. That’s going to help them understand more of what’s going on and that the clippers aren’t scary; they are there to help them get those little hairs that bother them out of the way.”  

She also had advice for wives who may be cutting their husband's hair. 

"The one thing I recommend is creating your line before you start going in with the fade," Colla said. "We hear a lot about parents or wives or anyone wanting to cut a family member's hair, and they take the fade too high. So now they have a military cut, high and tight, which isn’t what they wanted.

"I just recommend, you know, finding your guide and then working that up to blend in with the top, and then make sure you’re cutting straight lines. You want to make sure your arms are straight and nothing’s tilted so that way you have a clean cut.”

And if your child just absolutely hates getting their hair cut, Colla had this last tip. 

"Don’t force it. If they’re really just not ready for it, just hold off, even if it’s only for an hour or the next day because you don’t want to put them in a situation where they don’t want to get their hair cut again," Colla said. 

If you have questions, you can text Team 12 at (602) 444-1212 or email us at connect@12news.com. 

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