Camps and everyday life
Sensory-Friendly Haircuts in Los Angeles
Salons in Pasadena, Brentwood, Sherman Oaks, Encino and Long Beach whose own sites say they work with kids who find haircuts hard, and how to make any haircut easier.
Sensory-friendly haircuts in Los Angeles are offered by a few salons that slow down for autistic and sensory-sensitive kids, including The Great Bear Cut in Pasadena, Cookie Cutters in Brentwood and Sherman Oaks, Sharkey’s in Encino and Black Sheep Salon in Long Beach. What they offer varies, from stylists who never force a cut and will spread it over several visits to fragrance-free products, a private room or ear plugs. A kids’ cut at Cookie Cutters is $29.95. Practicing at home first helps at any salon.
On this page
5 salons for sensory-friendly haircuts in Los Angeles
Each salon’s own site says it adapts haircuts for kids with sensory needs, autism or other special needs. Few spell out exactly how, so call first and use the questions below. We didn’t find an LA in-home stylist whose own site promises sensory-friendly cuts; see Cutting at home, below, for that route.
The Great Bear Cut
Pasadena
Good for Kids who need several tries to finish a cut
The Great Bear Cut’s sensory-friendly page promises never to force a haircut. Stylists let a parent stay close or give a child space, use gentle techniques and keep trying, and count a trim, or just sitting in the chair, as progress across several visits if needed. Its pages name kids on the autism spectrum and kids with sensory sensitivities. Book online, call, or text (833) 627-5065.
- Never forces a haircut
- Cuts can span several visits
- Parent can stay close
- Text: 833-627-5065
Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids (Brentwood)
Brentwood · 11740 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 108, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Good for Kids who settle with a show to watch
This kids’ salon says it trains its stylists to work with each child’s needs, including kids with special needs or sensory issues, and that its stylists have even been known to give haircuts while walking around the salon. Every station has a TV with kids’ shows and a car-shaped chair, and there’s an indoor play area. Its signature kids’ cut is $29.95. Open daily.
- Stylists trained for special needs
- TV at every station
- Kids’ cut $29.95
- Open 7 days
Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids (Sherman Oaks)
Sherman Oaks · 14006 Riverside Dr, Suite 124, Los Angeles, CA 91423
Good for Valley families
The Sherman Oaks location of the same kids’ salon chain makes the same promise: stylists trained to work with each child’s needs, including special needs and sensory issues, and known to cut hair while walking around the salon. A kids’ cut is $29.95, or $35 with a shampoo, and a baby’s first haircut package is $30. Open daily, weekdays until 6:30 p.m.
- Stylists trained for special needs
- Kids’ cut $29.95
- Open 7 days
- Weekdays until 6:30 p.m.
Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids (Encino)
17200 Ventura Blvd, Suite 108, Encino, CA 91316
Good for Kids who like to know what’s coming
Sharkey’s has a tool on its site for kids with anxiety or sensory sensitivities: you build a custom story about the haircut to read together beforehand. Kids sit in car-shaped chairs and watch cartoons or Netflix, and every cut comes with a wash and blow-dry, so say so if water or the dryer is hard for your child. The site doesn’t list other sensory accommodations; call to ask.
- Custom pre-haircut story
- Wash and blow-dry included
- Car chairs and cartoons
sharkeyscutsforkidsencino.com (opens their site)818-855-1353
Black Sheep Salon
537 W Willow St, Long Beach, CA 90806
Good for Quiet, fragrance-free or wheelchair-friendly cuts
Black Sheep is an all-ages Long Beach salon whose staff is mostly disabled and neurodivergent. On request you can book a chat-free cut, a fragrance-free or product-free cut for sensory sensitivities, a private room, or ear plugs against noise and water. Chairs move aside for wheelchair users, and a portable sink means no transfer for a wash. Kids pay adult rates, and canceling with less than 48 hours’ notice costs half the service.
- Chat-free cuts on request
- Fragrance-free or product-free
- Private room available
- Wheelchair users can stay seated
- Disabled parking behind the salon
How to prepare your child for a haircut
A haircut piles hard sensations together: buzzing clippers, a cape at the neck, itchy loose hair, a stranger close to the face, water and a loud dryer. Take them apart and practice them one at a time, in the days before the cut.
- Visit first, without a cut. Ask the salon if you can stop by at a quiet time to look around, sit in the chair and meet the stylist. The Great Bear Cut counts just sitting in the chair as progress.
- Make a picture story. Photos or drawings of the salon, the chair, the cape, the scissors and clippers, and the finish (a sticker, a snack, going home). Read it together for a few days. Sharkey’s will help you build one on its site.
- Practice at home. Comb, spray a little water, drape a towel like a cape, touch around the ears and the back of the neck, and play a clipper sound softly, then a little louder.
- Plan for noise. Noise-canceling headphones or ear plugs can take the edge off clippers and dryers. Black Sheep Salon has ear plugs on request.
- Choose scissors or clippers. Clippers are fast but loud, and they buzz against the skin; scissors are quiet but slower and work close to the ears. A longer, simple style needs fewer passes.
- Pick your time. Go when your child is rested and fed, and ask which hour is usually quietest at the salon.
- Pack comfort. A favorite show or fidget, a snack for after, and a spare shirt, since stray hair itches.
What to ask the salon
Call before you book, and ask:
- Have you cut hair for kids with autism or sensory needs? What did you change for them?
- When are you quietest? Can we have the first appointment of the day, or a private room?
- Can you turn off the music or TV, skip the dryer, or use fragrance-free products?
- Scissors, clippers or both? Do you have quieter clippers?
- Can my child sit on my lap, stand or move around during the cut?
- What if we have to stop halfway? Do you charge for a partial cut, or for canceling at the last minute?
- How long will it take, and will we have to wait?
Then tell the stylist what works for your child: words to use and to avoid, what calms them, and how they show they need a break. If your child sees an occupational therapist or a behavior therapist, ask them to help plan the practice steps; our guides to pediatric occupational therapy and in-home ABA therapy list LA providers.
Cutting at home, or having a stylist come to you
Some kids do best in their own space, on their own schedule. There are two ways to make that work.
Have a licensed stylist come to you. In California, barbers and cosmetologists normally work in a licensed salon, but the state’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology allows two exceptions. Since October 1, 2021, a licensee who holds a Personal Service Permit can cut hair in a client’s home. And when illness or a physical or mental disability makes it necessary, a salon can send one of its licensed stylists to you; the Board suggests telling the salon about any disability and the accommodations you need. Check any stylist’s license on the state’s license search.
Cut it yourself. If you’d rather do it at home, a few things help:
- Use scissors if clipper noise is the problem, or clippers with a guard if scissors near the face are.
- Work in short sessions: the sides today, the back tomorrow.
- Cut while your child is absorbed in a show or a snack. Or try trimming with scissors at bath time, when loose hair rinses away; never use plug-in clippers near water.
- Keep the style simple, so it grows out evenly between cuts.
Questions parents ask
What is a sensory-friendly haircut?
A haircut adapted for a child whose senses are easily overwhelmed, often a child with autism or sensory processing differences. Depending on the salon, that can mean a quieter time or a private room, scissors instead of clippers, no wash or dryer, fragrance-free products, breaks, a parent close by, and no forcing. It can also mean spreading one haircut over several visits.
How do I find an autism-friendly barber near me in LA?
Start with the five salons above, then call kids’ salons and barbers near you and ask the questions in this guide. Your child’s occupational therapist, ABA team or regional center service coordinator may know stylists other families like, and parents in local special needs groups are worth asking too. A short visit without a cut is a good test of whether a stylist is patient with your child.
Can a barber come to my house in California?
Yes, in two cases. A licensed barber or cosmetologist with a Personal Service Permit from the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology can cut hair in your home; the permit took effect October 1, 2021. And when a child’s illness or physical or mental disability makes it necessary, a licensed salon can send one of its licensees to you. Check the license on the state’s license search at search.dca.ca.gov.
Should I use scissors or clippers for a child with sensory issues?
Whichever your child tolerates. Clippers are quick but loud, and they vibrate against the skin; scissors are quiet but take longer and work close to the ears and eyes. Try both at home first, playing the clipper sound softly and touching a comb to the neck. Ask the salon whether it has quieter clippers, and tell the stylist your child’s choice before the cut starts.
What if my child won’t sit in the chair?
Stop, and try again another day; forcing it can make the next haircut harder. Break the cut into pieces: one visit to sit, one for the sides, one for the back. Let your child sit on your lap, stand or move around if the stylist is willing; Cookie Cutters says its stylists have been known to cut hair while walking around the salon. The Great Bear Cut says a finished cut may take several visits.
How much does a kids’ haircut cost in Los Angeles?
It varies by salon. Of the places above, Cookie Cutters lists a kids’ cut at $29.95 ($35 with a shampoo in Sherman Oaks), and Black Sheep Salon charges kids the same as adults. Ask whether a sensory-friendly appointment costs more, whether you pay for a partial cut, and what the cancellation policy is; Black Sheep charges half the service for canceling with less than 48 hours’ notice.
How we made this list
We searched the web for sensory-friendly, autism-friendly and special needs haircuts across LA County, including in-home barbers, then read each salon’s own site. A salon made the list only if its own pages say it adapts cuts for kids with sensory needs, autism or other special needs; directory tags and reviews didn’t count. Promising salons whose sites don’t say so, and in-home services based outside LA, were left out.
No one paid to be on it. It’s information to start from, not medical or legal advice: check services, costs and coverage with each provider before you book. Spotted something out of date, or run a place that belongs here? Write to hello@summerground.com.