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–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#autism–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