Clippers for haircutting - Advice?

[Yarnie]

Hi all.

My ASD son hates, hates, hates having his haircut. Unfortunately, it is dead straight and enormously thick, so letting it grow is not really an option.

I am thinking of trying some clippers, but due to the thickness and coarseness of his hair, I am going to have to shell out for some decent ones. This is all a bit of a gamble as he has a Marmite relationship with vibration and noises.

I was hoping people might share their experiences of using clippers to cut hair. Any tips or recommended devices would be great, too.

[ouryve]

Trawling through the amazon reviews is well worth doing - some seem great at first but then blunt after a few uses. DS1 has this sort of hair, so we chose a set that was rechargeable, but could be used plugged in, too, as it just took so long.

The biggest down side is that he hates all the hair flying everywhere and fidgets so much he ends up with it inside whatever I've tried to cover him with, which makes him fidget more because it itches. I even bought one of those weighted collars, to no avail. I can only use them when he's in the right mood - which meant his hair got so long this time that I ended up having to cut by hand, anyhow.

[Strongecoffeeismydrug]

DS hated having his cut but his issue was the bits of hair falling on him more than the sound or vibration of the clippers.
We solved the problem by buying a beard trimmer with a vacuum and collection pot on it,now he sits happily playing on his iPad and no more tears.
The beard trimmer is adjustable from bald to about what would be about a number 4 with hair clippers so short styles only but it does the job

[Yarnie]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Well, I think I'll get some. I can always eBay them, I suppose. My son doesn't like hair on him, but he mainly objects to people touching his head, so I'm guessing if we can zip through and cut it quickly, he'll have less issues.

How much skill is involved?! His hair looks awful at the moment, so I really shouldn't worry about that!

[Yarnie]

Snipping with the scissors first is more likely to be a problem and his hair is definitely longer than 4cm. Thanks for letting me know. Hmm. Maybe more thought needed...

[eggsandwich]

My ds who is nearly 13 use to hate having his hair trimmed, now I do it regularly so he is not sitting in the chair too long, I brought my clippers from Argos a few years ago and they still do them now, they are Wahl and come with coloured attachments. I also brought online a thick hairdressing brush which I give to my son to brush the fallen hair off himself which he likes to do, then he gets the hoover out for me and likes to watch me hoover the hair up with the attachment. For me trimming the hair regular gets them use to it, but I wouldn't do it if he is having an off day though.

[CouthySaysEatChoccyEggs]

DS2 wouldn't tolerate clippers at all until he was 7yo, it all had to be done with scissors. Until he really wanted his hair even shorter at the back and sides. He still struggles, and is very 'flinchy' and not very still, but he has got used to the hairdresser we use and he just about manages.

Though we do still get squeals if displeasure if any of his own hair dates to drop on his face...

[Yarnie]

I have taken the plunge! Will report back after first cut(!)