First salon trip!

Her highness went in for her first salon trip today - technically, not her first hair cut because her first haircut was when I cut her hair at about 8 months (read the post here) - I cut her hair every 3-4 weeks from then on till she was about 11 months old. 

After that, she simply would not co-operate. And I let her be in the hope that one day it will grow long enough that she'd let me tie it or cut it. Well, the curls kept growing and falling all over her face and eyes but nothing would let me come near them - till a subtle change a couple of weeks back when she started letting me tie it ("all pretty pretty", she says) - but only when going outside. I did not feel confident taking her to a professional till Vish and I finally decided to just take a go at it - her hair was becoming quite a sight - an unruly one at that. Also our upcoming India trip during the infamous monsoon period seemed motivation enough.

I have been talking to M about a hair cut for a while, so I sat her down again today and explained to her what she could expect, and then when I finally asked her, so we'll go to get you a hair cut, she very boringly replied "okay". 

Okay it was - a non-busy Friday afternoon at the kids' parlor (Pigtails and Crewcuts) - a huge train track and cars and planes for seats - lots of mirrors, TVs with cartoons, our munchkin had enough distractions - but what I really found amusing was that when the guy starting cutting, all her attention was focused on what he was doing - very pensively she was observing his movements, our reactions - the plane and the cartoons all forgotten. She did not create a fuss - I expected her to be a little hesitant, but as always, her curiosity does get the better of her and which is good! Towards the end, she was beginning to get restless but she managed to stay put - she noticed the hair falling and some fell on her hands - which she promptly asked to be cleaned - "hair falling, very dirty" were her exact words.

After getting off her seat, she looked at all the hair on the floor, and was quick to issue her instruction, "Mommy clean it up" - Yeah, right, the world's cleanliness is my core job and competency! 

With a little encouragement, she managed to say a "thank you so much" to the hair dresser and also added "it feels good" - I think she was referring to the gel he put in her hair at the end. She got a small toy to choose from a chest, for which the "thank you" came unprompted (obviously!) and we were back home in (almost) no time!

I uncrossed my crossed fingers and hope that she keeps up this attitude in salon trips that shall follow :).

First haircut

As if it was not enough that mommy has become a manicurist/pedicurist, she is experimenting with hair styling too!

Yes, you heard that right. Manya had a first haircut and I did it for her, right at home, in her bath tub. Before you start hyperventilating, hear me out. It's nothing great. I just combed her shampooed hair straight down onto her forehead and chopped it off straight. Similarly the long strands at the back that have been irritating her for a while were also cut off. Ofcourse, it's a far from perfect job, but it serves the purpose, for the time being.

Her hair was all over her eyes and ears and I had had enough of pushing it back a million times during the day. M herself had started getting irritated - so Vish and I decided it was time she got a trim. We inquired at a few kid salons - but they don't take children less that 1 year of age. Even then, I read a lot of horror stories about even the most expensive hairdressers nipping off the ear every once in a while. So finally, after enough encouragement from Vish and my mom, I took advantage of an exceptionally happy bathing time, when M was busy playing with her water toys. It was simple and quick, and Vish actually said he quite likes it. So, there, I too was happy with the end results.

By the way, history does repeat itself. My mom did exactly the same for me. Infact, she was my hair stylist till I was almost 2. :)

[For those wondering about the hindu ritual - "mundan" (shaving of the head hair completely) - Vish and I have decided not to go for it for various reasons. 1. I come from a family where this ritual is not practiced for girls - and I personally find it quite scary (so even if the ritual was there, I wouldn't have gone for it). The whole idea of a blade all over that sweet little head gives me the shivers. Why to unnecessarily subject my baby to crying and stress? | 2. I don't agree with the religious explanation behind the ritual (previous birth memories, dirty hair from the womb etc. etc.) | 3. There is no scientific proof that hair grows "better" or "thicker" after shaving it off - I have confirmed this from quite a few hairdressers and doctors, even though some moms claim that hair grew more evenly after the shave - but that will anyways happen, I guess. M has decent hair, in any case.]