Snip-its® Untangles the Challenges of Haircuts for Children with Autism

Kid-Focused Hair Salon Franchise Provides At-Home Tips, “Lights It Up Blue” for Autism Awareness Month

MINNEAPOLIS--()--As the prevalence of autism continues to increase – now affecting 1-in-68 children in America – even the most mundane tasks, such as a haircut, continue to create an abundance of stress on children and parents alike. This April, Snip-its, the nation’s leading kid-focused hair salon and entertainment concept, is shining through to ease the fears and stresses experienced by children, parents and hair stylists.

Beginning on April 2, or World Autism Awareness Day, Snip-its salons across the country will be participating in the “Light It up Blue” movement to support the hundreds of thousands of children living with autism. Throughout the month, Snip-its locations will be decorating the inside of the salons in blue using streamers, balloons and lights to raise awareness of the disease.

Virtually unheard of in the children’s hair care segment, for the last 8 years, Snip-its has partnered with the national Autism Speaks organization to implement a unique and one-of-a kind stylist training program specifically for children with autism. Stylists undergo a training webinar, where they learn about autism, how to work with kids that have sensory issues, and methods for easing the stress.

“Our commitments to making every child with autism feel comfortable in what could otherwise be a scary and uncomfortable situation is perfected through the comprehensive training our stylists experience created together with Autism Speaks,” said Marsha Cole, Director of Artistic Education of Snip-its. “As we continue to provide a unique and premium service, we aim to maintain a safe and fun haircutting experience for children and relaxing environment for parents.”

In addition to its support through the “Light It Up Blue” movement, Snip-its is also sharing with parents the following home hair care and grooming tips to ease the stress of at-home haircuts for their children with autism:

Before:

  • Before shampooing, show the shampoo to your child and allow them to smell and touch the shampoo. Repeat the same process for conditioning.
  • To allow for a fun and quick process, let the child have a bath toy to play with for comfort.

During:

  • If your child is sensitive to having their hair combed, use a leave-in spray detangler to make combing the hair easier.
  • Comb the child’s hair with a wide tooth comb, this will create less tension on the child’s hair and be more comfortable for the child.
  • For gently removing tangles and pulling on longer hair, start by combing out the ends of the hair first and then slowly work your way up toward the scalp.

After:

  • To dry the child’s hair, show the child the blow dryer, and turn the dryer on to a warm setting and with a lower speed.
  • Blow some warm air on the child’s hands or arms so they can feel that it’s warm and won’t hurt. If the child is comfortable with the blow dryer, proceed with drying the hair.
  • Use a paddle or vent brush to assist with drying and lessening any added tension on the hair.

Each and every day at salons across the country, Snip-its welcomes children with autism at any time during regular business hours and also provides services for these children outside of regular business hours to accommodate those who require a less stimulating environment. Before bringing in a child with autism in for a haircut, parents are encouraged to call the salon ahead of time to speak with a stylist on how to create an environment that meets their child’s needs. To further ensure an enjoyable salon experience, Snip-its advocates that parents bring their child in during an off-peak time.

Snip-its currently has 65 locations across the county that provides friendly and knowledgeable staff, animated gadgets, computer games and a character filled entertaining environment geared to creating an enjoyable haircutting experience. Snip-its serves as a solution for parents who are looking for a way to untangle the challenges of trying to find a convenient haircutting experience for their children.

About Snip-its

Snip-its is the nation’s fastest growing child haircut franchise that is dedicated to making haircuts fun for children and relaxing for parents. Founded in 1995 by busy mother, Joanna Meiseles, Snip-its is turning a traditionally mundane and often unpleasant experience into a fun-filled, animated adventure. As the leader in the underserved child hair care industry, Snip-its offers quality children’s hair care and an environment that is welcoming, wholesome, and entertaining. For more information about the company, please visit www.snipits.com.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Fishman PR
Danielle Naccarato, 847-945-1300
dnaccarato@fishmanpr.com

Release Summary

This April, Snip-its provides at-home hair cutting tips for parents, participates in “Lights It Up Blue” campaign for Autism Awareness Month.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Fishman PR
Danielle Naccarato, 847-945-1300
dnaccarato@fishmanpr.com