Wednesday 23 October 2013

Success at the Hairdressers

Our youngest son had his hair washed at the hairdressers tonight which is an amazing step forward, as his hair has not been washed properly for months.  He will put the shampoo onto his hair at home, but then won’t let you wash it off.  It has been a battle of wills where hair washing is concerned and to date I have not won and just been soaked in the process!!
 
Tonight we visited our hairdresser at 6.30pm when the salon was quieter.  It was decided that it would be best to cut his hair first and then wash it so that any pieces of hair that had been cut and were on him could be washed away and he wouldn’t feel itchy.  Our son was engaged in the whole process and shown everything the hairdresser was going to use to cut his hair first.  He enjoyed having his nose tickled by the baby size clippers, so that he knew what to expect when she did his hair.  After his hair had been cut, we went upstairs to the ladies part of the salon.  He was covered in towels so that no water could reach his clothes and then placed on a huge booster cushion so that he could reach the basin and he gingerly put his head back to have his hair washed.  He grasped my hand tightly and looked up to the ceiling whilst a miniscule amount of water was put onto his head.  As he became reassured that the water was not going to touch his face, the hairdresser gradually wet more of his hair and then let him smell the shampoo she was going to use.  He enjoyed the sensory input of being able to smell the strong mint scent in advance of it being placed on his hair and the firm pressure of a mini head massage helped to reduce his anxiety.  When the time came for his hair to be towel dryed, we quickly reminded him to keep his eyes looking at the ceiling, so that the water didn’t trickle down his face and leave him with a lasting memory of getting wet.
He has come away feeling happy about the whole process and wants to have his hair washed again. 

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