If you ask grandmothers why they should cut their baby’s hair at 12 months old, the most common answers will be the following phrases: “To make the hair thicker,” “That’s what our great-grandmothers did,” and “This will help drive away evil spirits.”

Such signs and superstitions encourage many parents to adhere to a ritual, the meaning of which they still do not understand. It is necessary to separate myths from the real state of affairs and have an idea of ​​how to properly care for children's hair.

Why do children get their hair cut every year?

Today, many parents implement rituals and ceremonies associated with a small child, without thinking about their meaning and purpose. And almost no one thinks about whether this or that procedure is necessary or whether it is just another superstition.

Most ancient peoples have traditions that require children to have their hair cut at a strictly defined age.

These rituals are associated with religious or mystical beliefs:

• For example, Indian parents and today they cut the hair of one-year-old babies, as if saying goodbye to their past life and “programming” them for a more successful entry into the future;
• Mongolian parents All relatives are invited to the child’s first haircut. The celebration consists of all guests cutting a lock of hair, giving some gift to the baby and saying wishes;
• in Israel Little boys brought up in religious families wear sidelocks until they are three years old. However, ordinary parents also adhere to this rule. At the age of 3, the most respected relative cuts the hair first, then other guests join the ritual.

The ancient Slavs also had a ritual based on folk beliefs. Thus, parents were warned against cutting their children’s hair, because people believed that early haircut (before 12 months of age) would lead to weakness, pain, unluckiness, and poverty of the child.

Slavic rituals

In Ancient Rus', cutting the hair of a one-year-old baby was intended to symbolize the transition to a completely different life and protect the child from the evil eye, damage and the pranks of small demons.

The haircut of a one-year-old child was carried out according to strict rules and specific algorithm:

1. They started picking up scissors at 12 months. If you are late or rush with a haircut, then it will lose its sacred meaning. That is, the ritual will become a regular hygienic procedure.
2. In order for children's hair to grow back faster, a haircut per year had to be done on the growing moon. This rule was especially true for female infants.
3. Usually the godparents performed the ritual, since they could not trust such a thing to a stranger. A sheep skin was spread in the middle of the nursery and the baby was placed on it. The intended parents cut off the baby's locks in four places, like a cross.
4. Afterwards, the hair was hidden behind the icon and was considered a kind of amulet that protected against diseases and damage. There is also information that the strands were buried in an anthill (for wealth) or placed under the ceiling.

And today, parents continue to believe that the strands cut off at 12 months should be kept at home. They take it out and put it under the pillow if the baby has nightmares. Another use case is to demonstrate a curl to a first grader for better learning.

Grooming one-year-old children is still a popular procedure, because many parents are confident in the usefulness of such actions. Moms and dads once heard from grandmothers that children's hair would become thicker, fuller and healthier.

It is necessary to understand whether parents’ opinions about the benefits of an “anniversary” hairstyle have any basis or are common common misconceptions:

Read below for a more detailed debunking of popular myths about children's hair. However, it is safe to say that such superstitions are quite tenacious and have been passed on from generation to generation for several centuries.

Pros and cons of cutting children's hair early

In Soviet times, one-year-old children were usually cut bald, without thinking about why such a procedure was necessary. And if the child was wearing a pantsuit, then it was almost impossible to understand who was in front of you - a boy or a girl.

Arguments against"

Modern experts are convinced that cutting a one-year-old child’s hair is not only not beneficial, but can even cause harm. children's health significant harm.

Hair, as noted earlier, is formed in babies while still in the mother’s womb, which is why children are born with fluff on the head and even all over the body.

After some time, the newborn hair begins to fall out, and more mature hairs appear in its place. By the way, they often have a completely different color. It is also normal that new hair is delayed.

Trichologists lead Several arguments refuting the importance of a child’s haircut per year:

1. The basis of the hairs are bulbs, which are located inside the skin. Therefore, everything that happens outside to the hair can in no way affect its formation in the inner layers.
2. Some mothers and fathers are convinced that after cutting their hair becomes thicker. However, this impression is deceptive, since the density is created due to the equal length of all children's hairs.
3. Hair follicles at 1 year of age are excessively weak and susceptible to damage. That's why even the most careful parents can accidentally pull the scissors and injure the hair follicles. This, on the contrary, will harm hair growth.
4. One-year-old babies have very delicate skin, including on their heads. Often a child feels severe discomfort as a result of irritated skin, especially since prickly stubble begins to grow on the head.
5. Using a shaving machine results in small scratches. These microscopic lesions become a “gateway” for pathogens. And this is already fraught with infection and inflammation.

There are no scientific studies that would confirm that after a haircut at the age of one, children’s hair grows faster, looks healthier and thicker. The appearance of hair depends on good nutrition, rich in vitamins, genes and proper hygiene.

Despite the fact that cutting a child's hair at 12 months will not have a positive effect on the hair structure, in some situations a haircut may still be necessary.

When getting rid of excess hair on the head is justified:

1. Because of his long hair, the boy is often mistaken for a baby. In this case, mothers who are tired of explaining that the stroller is not “ beautiful girl”, and the future man decides to use scissors (it’s still not worth shaving the child).
2. Hot summer is another reason to get rid of excessive vegetation. Usually children whose first anniversary falls in the summer months get their hair cut. With a short hairstyle, it will be easier for an active baby to survive hot weather.
3. A haircut is also permissible if long bangs covers his eyes. Firstly, hair constantly gets into the child’s mouth while eating, and secondly, overgrown curls can reduce the child’s visual acuity.
4. Head injuries are an important reason to cut your hair. Many kids are curious and constantly exploring. the world. Unfortunately, the process of learning is often accompanied by scratches. To treat the head, you will have to cut your hair.
5. Many children have infantile scabs on their heads, which are extremely difficult to remove. It is not recommended to comb them, but for better treatment, you can cut the hairs short. Of course, in this case you cannot shave your head.

The desire of parents to see their child neatly cut hair is understandable. However, for this it is absolutely not necessary to cut it bald; it is enough to simply cut off the bangs that cover the eyes, or trim the strands that get into the mouth.

How to cut a one-year-old child's hair?

If you still decide in favor of cutting your one-year-old child’s hair, you need to understand how this procedure is performed correctly. Usually, excess hair is removed from a child’s head at home, and not in a hairdresser, by performing a few important rules:

• no need to shave the baby. The machine is suitable for adults only. At the age of one, the clipper can injure the hair follicles due to clinging to the hair. In addition, the noise it makes can frighten a child;
• take the right scissors. This tool should have rounded tips. These scissors will not scratch your scalp. As a last resort, you can use a trimmer, the sound of which is not as strong as that of a machine;
• wet your hair first. It will be easier to cut a one-year-old child's hair if you wash his hair before the procedure. Wet hair is more convenient for trimming;
• wait until the child calms down. In order for the haircut to go without any problems, you need to choose the most suitable time for it. For example, wait until the child has had lunch or taken a nap. If the baby cries or is sick, the procedure is postponed.
• create a comfortable environment. It is important to make sure that the baby feels comfortable. To do this, you need to prepare new interesting cars or dolls or certain delicacies. You should also communicate with the child in a calm voice at all times;
• wash the child. As soon as the procedure is completed, you need to wash the baby in warm water to get rid of hairs. Be sure to carefully inspect all folds so as not to forget sharp stubble.

A mandatory item is to treat the child’s head with an antiseptic (chlorhexidine), if you did not use scissors, but a shaving machine. You should also lubricate the skin with baby moisturizer.

As a conclusion

If the baby is categorically against a haircut, there is no need to insist. A similar procedure can always be carried out after a couple of months. A child's haircut must be postponed if he has recently been ill or has undergone any medical manipulation of the head.

Is it necessary to cut a child's hair every year? This is not at all necessary. But if for some reason you decide to resort to hairdressing manipulations, you need to firmly know how to cut a baby’s hair, with what tools, in what environment. This will help avoid possible negative consequences.

If necessary ? This is a question parents ask on the eve of their baby's first birthday. Many grandmothers answer unequivocally - you must shave, then your hair will grow beautiful and thick. Should you blindly follow such advice? Let's try to figure it out.

A little history

In the old days, it was not allowed to cut the hair of a baby under one year old. It was believed that such a procedure would interfere with his further development and harm his health. The first locks of hair were treated as a talisman; they were kept for a long time and sewn into the clothes of their sons before joining the army. It was believed that this helped to avoid dangers and protected from injury or injury.

A one-year-old child was shaved bald, believing that after this the hair would grow better. Many parents did this a few decades ago. From the characteristic “hairstyle” it was easy to guess the age of the baby. However, why shaving should change the structure of the hair was not explained or the answer was vague: the first fuzz must be shaved off to allow real hair to grow.

In fact, this procedure was a simple prevention of lice, infections and skin diseases. Therefore, if there are no medical indications, then there is no special need for shaving your hair.

Why not?

Shaving will not make your hair thicker

The thickness of the hair is determined genetically. The hair structure is formed in utero, so shaving will not affect the thickness of the hair.

Hair is renewed naturally

The fluff on a newborn's head is replaced by real hair gradually and without external intervention. The claim that it prevents hair growth is baseless.

Risk of cuts

There is a high probability of damaging the fragile scalp. Painful sensations can lead to physical and psychological discomfort. Subsequently, even an older child will find it difficult to tolerate hair cutting.

Risk of damage to hair follicles

Shaving can injure hair follicles; they take a long time to recover. In this case, instead of the thick hair inherent in nature, thin hair will grow.

Psychological trauma

Many parents have noticed that children react painfully to hair cutting - they cry or even scream and break out. This is not a simple whim. Psychologists say that kids perceive themselves as a whole; they consider hair an important part of themselves, like arms or legs.

Children's hair, more than other parts of the body, is shrouded in mysterious myths, rumors and prejudices. For example, most mothers believe that cutting a haircut for a child under one year old can lead to disruption of the invisible connection between mother and child, while others even believe that the baby, along with infant hair, will be deprived of good luck, health and well-being in the future. But grandmother’s advice to be sure to cut a child’s hair every year promises the child later thick and beautiful hair.

A famous pediatrician knows for sure what is true and what is not. Evgeny Komarovsky.

About children's hair

Some babies are born with an impressive head of hair, while others are almost bald. This depends on congenital characteristics, as well as on the rate of hair growth during intrauterine development. However, in the first months of life, partial hair loss is considered normal, because the infant hair of a newborn gradually changes to a more formed structure.

A baby's hair does not look like an adult's because it does not have a medula, a small microscopic rod responsible for the main function of the hairline - heat preservation. Baby hairs, therefore, do not warm his head at all. However, this is not a reason, according to Evgeniy Komarovsky, to put several hats and bonnets on her. The baby will not freeze, because he has more active blood circulation. A quarter of the blood volume is supplied by the brain, and since this process is intense, it is the head that sweats first of all.

Myths and truth

• “You can’t cut your hair until you’re a year old” is a myth. If the child Thick hair, and it’s July heat outside and the head is sweating, then it’s more hygienic and healthier to cut your baby’s hair. The connection between good luck in the future and the first baby curls has not been proven by anyone, as well as the fact that it is carried out through the hair. emotional connection baby with mother.
• “Children’s hair needs to be washed more often with baby soap” is a myth, and a rather dangerous one, warns Evgeniy Komarovsky. Washing your hair every day with soap, even hypoallergenic baby soap, can lead to hair loss rather than active growth. Wash your hair with detergents The doctor recommends no more than once a week.

• “You need to brush your baby’s hair more often” is a myth. Often combing, although it may be enjoyable for some children, injures the hair.
• “You need to strengthen your hair with herbal decoctions” is a myth. Komarovsky calls it a commercially profitable rumor. It is beneficial for manufacturers and sellers of various products based on herbs and herbs. Weak hair cannot be strengthened. You don't have to spoil them.

Should I cut my hair bald a year?

This question is asked to Evgeny Komarovsky most often. Real battles arise in families on this topic, since dads, who are less susceptible to hoaxes, do not attach due importance to the problem, and this makes mothers worry even more. Parents are interested not only in whether to cut their child’s hair every year, but also in where and how to properly dispose of the toddler’s hair so that he is not jinxed, “stole his vitality,” or offended.

The haircut itself will not harm a one-year-old toddler, says Evgeny Komarovsky. But you shouldn’t hope that your hair will begin to grow thick and curly if it was thin and straight until a year ago. The density and thickness of hair, the speed of its growth, texture and color - all this information is stored at the genetic level long before the child is born.

As soon as fertilization of the egg has occurred, the set of genes is strictly defined, and it implies everything - whether the baby will be brown-haired or blond, and whether his hair will be thick.

Accordingly, cutting or shaving your head cannot change anything in the genetic code, and therefore these manipulations do not affect the quality of hair in any way. Relatives may have the illusion that the hair has become stronger and thicker, since, according to Evgeniy Komarovsky, the hair that grows back after a haircut looks more voluminous and feels harder to the touch. But this is nothing more than an illusion. Therefore, whether to cut a haircut per year or not is up to the parents to decide. If the baby is not cut, nothing terrible will happen, just as no miracle will happen if he is shaved.

Regarding where to put your cut hair, Komarovsky advises using maximum imagination. If you want to bury them under a pear tree in the garden on a full moon, go ahead. If you want to burn it and scatter the ashes over the river, no problem either. Since medicine has not proven that there is any connection between the cut off hair and the fate of the child. If you really want to find such a connection, it is better to address this issue with healers, magicians or shamans.

Why does the back of my head go bald?

This is the second most popular question that Dr. Komarovsky has to answer. Many parents, and even pediatricians, claim that a receding hairline on the back of the head before the age of one year is a sign of rickets. Evgeny Komarovskoy claims that baldness of the occipital part of the head has nothing to do with rickets. It’s just that a baby up to 6 months spends most of his life in a lying position. When he learns to turn his head from side to side, he begins to actively use this new skill. The hair rubs against the bed and is simply wiped off.

Should I wear hats and bonnets?

If hair falls out all over the head, then the cause may be a lack of vitamins, poor nutrition, as well as chronic overheating of the scalp, which threatens all children whose parents and grandmothers are accustomed to wearing hats for their little ones. The caps should be removed so that the scalp begins to “breathe”, then with a high degree of probability, nothing else will need to be done, since the quality of the hair will soon noticeably improve and hair loss will stop.

Hats should also be avoided when the child is ill. Cap with high temperature can become very dangerous, because the child, according to Komarovsky, simply has nowhere to “dump” excess heat.

Possible problems

The list of pathological disorders in hair growth is quite large, but, according to Evgeniy Komarovsky, every mother should know it:

• ringworm(hair falls out a lot, in some places the bald patches look like they have been trimmed). This fungal disease should be treated by a pediatric infectious disease specialist;
• alopecia(hair loss due to severe immune-allergic pathologies). With this kind of baldness, the hair roots are damaged. The disease will be treated by a pediatrician and an allergist;
• syndrome of obsessive movements and conditions(the child damages the hair mechanically - by twirling it around his finger, tearing it out, plucking it). Treatment is rarely needed, neurosis often goes away on its own, but a consultation with a child neurologist, psychologist and psychiatrist will not hurt;
• stress, fear, emotional trauma(hair growth is disrupted at the biochemical level, as well as as a result of spasm of blood vessels in the scalp). If you have a problem, you should contact your pediatrician and pediatric neurologist;

• avitaminosis(hair loss is greatly affected by deficiency of B vitamins and zinc). The problem should be addressed to a pediatrician;
• hypervitaminosis(hair loss and brittleness as a result of an overdose of vitamins, in particular excessive consumption of vitamin A). Discussed with pediatrician;
• medicinal side effects(some medications cause hair problems). The phenomenon is temporary and does not particularly require treatment, but you can discuss it with your treating pediatrician;
• hypothyroidism(hair suffers due to problems with the thyroid gland). Treated by an endocrinologist.

The doctor advises not to exaggerate the problems associated with children's hair. The first time you should cut your child's hair is when the growing hair begins to cause inconvenience to him or his relatives. If you suspect a disease, immediately go to a doctor who knows why, how and why.

Dr. Komarovsky will talk about problems that children may have with hair, as well as common prejudices associated with hair:

• First haircut
• Komarovsky about a haircut per year

Surely, you have more than once heard the question from your loved ones and acquaintances: “Are you going to get a haircut when you’re a year old?” And we involuntarily thought: is it really necessary or not? And in general, why cut a child’s hair every year? The most common answers to this question are: “So that the hair is thick”, “It’s necessary” and “But of course!” There are many myths surrounding the ritual of cutting or shaving babies for the first time, and most of them have their roots in ancient traditions of peoples.

Why do babies get their hair cut?

Many manipulations with children have always been carried out simply because “everyone does it,” and few people think about why this is necessary and is it necessary at all?

Traditions

In many cultures around the world, it is customary to cut or shave the heads of children at a certain age, following religious rituals, folk traditions and just superstitions. For example, in India, babies' hair was cut as a sign of farewell to their past life and movement into the future. In Mongolia, a baby's first haircut is a celebration to which the whole family is invited. Each guest cuts a strand, presents a gift to the baby and says wishes. In Israel, it is customary not to cut boys' hair until they are three years old (many non-religious families also adhere to this).

In Slavic culture, the ritual of the first haircut is also associated with religious traditions and folk culture. The main rule is not to touch your hair for up to a year. There was a belief that if you cut a baby’s hair before he is 12 months old, he will be weak and often get sick, and will not be lucky, rich, etc. Shaving a child's head symbolized the transition to new life and served as a way to drive away evil spirits from the precious child.

In ancient times in Rus' there was a ritual when, at one year old, the godparents cut off the baby’s locks in four places, in the shape of a cross. Then they were placed behind images (icons) and kept as a powerful amulet against troubles and illnesses. The baby's first haircut was done according to lunar calendar, and in particular - to the growing Moon. Such calendars are still compiled annually and released for free sale.

Nowadays, there are also many different signs regarding the haircut of one-year-old children. For example, some parents believe that if a lock of hair cut off at the age of one is shown to the child when he goes to first grade, he will study well. Another sign says that a cut lock of hair placed under a baby’s pillow will bring him good dreams.

Misconceptions

Today, many parents cut their children's hair when they are one year old because they are convinced of the benefits of this action - supposedly the hair will become thicker, thicker and healthier (the same myth circulates in the army). And indeed, when the hair begins to grow back after shaving, it seems that it has become thicker. In fact, this is just an appearance, because there are no more hair follicles.

"Pros and cons"

Some two or three decades ago, we didn’t even ask ourselves whether it was necessary to cut a child’s hair bald every year, but simply cut it. Moreover, they shaved both boys and girls equally, and for this reason “ original hairstyle“It was easy to determine that the baby had recently had his first birthday.

Why you shouldn't cut your hair

Hair begins to develop in children even in the prenatal period, so babies are born with fluff on their head and entire body. During the first months of life, natal hairs fall out and thicker, more mature hairs begin to grow, which may differ in color and texture. Don't be alarmed if the fuzz has already fallen out and new hair does not appear - this is normal. There are several reasons why you shouldn’t cut your one-year-old’s hair.

• Doesn't make sense. Hair starts growing inside the skin in hair follicles, and what you do to it on the outside has no effect on its development inside the follicle.
• Deceptive effect. Sometimes parents think that after cutting the hair becomes thicker - in fact, this effect creates uniform hair growth (that is, the length of all hairs is the same).
• It can cause harm. No matter how carefully we work with tools, there is always a risk of damage to hair and follicles. Accidentally pulled with scissors or scratched with a clipper - several weak children's follicles are damaged.
• Discomfort . After shaving the head, the stubble that soon appears can cause irritation on the delicate baby skin and, as a result, severe discomfort. In addition, without hair, the baby may simply be cold.
• Risk of infection. The smallest scratches from a machine or pimples on irritated skin can cause inflammation due to the entry of pathogenic microorganisms (for example, streptococcus).

There is no scientific evidence that babies' hair grows faster, healthier or thicker after shaving. The beauty of hair is ensured by good nutrition, proper hygiene and heredity. Why cut your child's hair bald every year? The answer is simple - there is no need.

When might a haircut be needed?

Although cutting children's hair will not make it look better in the future, there are situations when it is really necessary to get rid of excess hair (we are talking about trimming, not shaving):

• infant crusts are difficult to remove;
• long bangs fall over the eyes;
• Mom thinks her hair is ugly;
• very hot;
• The boy's hair is too long and he is mistaken for a girl.

How to get a haircut correctly

If, after weighing all the pros and cons, you still come to the conclusion that your child should be cut, you need to take into account several important rules.

• Cut your hair, don't shave! A shaving machine, even a very good one, can damage the hair follicles, as it sometimes tends to catch hair. In addition, it can simply scare the baby. Give preference to scissors with rounded ends. But if your family or religious traditions require a clean shave, use a trimmer (it is not so noisy). But under no circumstances should you shave your baby with a machine!
• After swimming. Wash your baby's hair and cut slightly damp hair.
• Times of Day . Choose an appropriate time for this procedure when the child is usually calmest. For example, after lunch, sleep and food. You should not start this procedure if the baby is not in the mood or is sick.
• Setting. Make sure that the child is comfortable, prepare in advance interesting (preferably new) toys or healthy treats to distract him. During the procedure, talk to him all the time. If possible, invite a hairdresser who specializes in infant haircuts to your home (and not your neighbor - just because you are afraid).
• After the haircut. At the end of the procedure, you need to bathe the baby in a warm bath to remove the cut hair from the body. Carefully inspect all the folds of the skin so as not to leave bristles, which can then prick.
• Disinfection. If you did not cut the baby's head, but rather shaved it, it must be treated with a disinfectant (for example, Miramistin) and lubricated with moisturizer. Do not use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to treat children's skin!

If you see that your child categorically refuses hairdressing services, do not insist, but simply postpone this event for a month or two. Moreover, you should not start a haircut if your baby has recently undergone painful medical procedures on his head.

In fact, no one knows for sure why a one-year-old child should have their hair cut. Some people follow traditions and the advice of their elders, while others, on the contrary, strive to keep up with the times and do not believe in omens. In any case, whether to cut a baby's hair or not is a purely parental decision. The main thing is to do everything according to the rules and take precautions.

Print

In general, I am not a superstitious person, that is, I do not advocate the extermination of black cats and I boldly ride bus No. 13, even on Fridays. However, during the entire pregnancy I never cut my hair, and I didn’t buy a single thing for my future daughter in advance. And it’s not that I was afraid of anything, but that’s what my mother advised, and I’m used to listening to her advice.

With the birth of a child, there was more “superstitious” advice, however, there was no time to listen to them, much less implement them, Sashenka was very restless: she screamed a lot, slept little, and gained weight slowly. True, something grew quickly on her - hair. She was born hairy, and by the time she was six months old, I firmly decided to take up the scissors. No such luck:

A child’s hair can only be cut when he is one year old, and it must be bare, the mother said categorically.

My question “why” remained unanswered, or rather with the answer “it’s necessary.”

What to do? There is no one else to ask, it’s too late to go to the library, and there’s no time to read books. But, thank God, there is a place in the world where you can find a question with any answer. And I climbed on.

As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one interested in the issue of cutting children’s hair. After reading eighteen pages, I realized two things. Firstly, there can only be two options: either cut it or not cut it. Secondly, no one will decide for me how to do everything without incurring the wrath of the gods.

Reading the messages, I either grabbed the scissors and the clipper, or hid them away, with horror imagining my beauty bald. Having become completely confused, I decided to put everything into categories, that is, according to opinions.

For complete "nudity" Not many mothers spoke per year, but they wrote very convincingly:

Tabletka : “I WILL cut my daughter’s hair!!! And not because of the signs that they believed before, but in order to cut off her birth hair, which she has absolutely no use for!!”

Elena A : “...why does a baby need intrauterine hair, because it is a well-known fact that hair is nourished, all sorts of substances (like vitamins and minerals) pass through it, like tubes, and the older and longer hair, the less healthy and strong he is. My baby had a fuzz of fuzz, and even 15 centimeters long, one shorter, the other longer. I don’t know if hair becomes thicker according to the rules of hairdressing science, but now my boy is 1.5, and most of the 2-year-old girls can only envy him!..."

Pavel : “If you take energy into account, then I will tonsure mine. I believe that over the course of a year a lot of bad things have accumulated in my hair IMHO.”

Euphoria : “We cut our daughter’s hair when she was one year old and don’t regret it at all. My friends were surprised: how can a girl walk bald? And they didn’t cut theirs. Now this girl has new hairs emerging from under her “baby” hair, and it turns out to be something like an undercoat with fluff..."

morzha: “I cut both my daughters with the smallest nozzle when they were 1.5 years old. When I cut my eldest’s hair, my heart ached and I was very worried. But my hair really got better! Therefore, she cut the youngest’s hair completely calmly, and without worrying. Now he’s running around with a hedgehog on his head, by summer he’ll be completely fine.”

No less convincingly were they expressed opponents of the “bald haircut” , and their number was much larger:

mama7: “...at one time my mother didn’t cut my hair, but my grandmother cut my sister’s hair. I don’t know where to go with my hair, but she can count it. So I’m sure that cutting your hair bald doesn’t have any effect...”

Michelle : “We won’t cut it bald - I really don’t want to see the baby bald... and the thickness and beauty of the hair depends on the genes, after all... we’ll cut it a little to tidy it up and remove the fluff.”

Tuchka: "Girl ki, from my own experience (sad and not of my own free will), I can say that without hair the head is very cold. Especially in winter. In winter, I slept and even walked around the house in a headscarf so that my head wouldn’t be so cold. That’s why I didn’t cut my girls’ hair.”

Lena12: “Girls, don’t cut your hair, don’t shave. My hairdresser explained to me that hair is formed and acquires its final appearance(thickness, color) only by the age of 12, when the formation of the hair follicle ends. Until that time, hair must be handled very carefully; small children should not be cut with a clipper at all...”

Natalek: “My friend, a seemingly educated girl, knows that if you cut your hair, don’t cut it, your hair won’t grow anymore... And what: she couldn’t stand it, listened to her grandmothers and cut her little hair off at the age of one year and 9 months. And the girl has been walking almost bald for two months now! It would be better if she had those hairs..."

Embu : “I will never cut my child’s hair. (...) The pediatrician told me that it’s stupid to cut your hair or shave it - it won’t make you better because... “heredity plays a role here, but you can do harm - the still fragile hair follicles suffer and then the hair becomes thin and brittle.”

But most of all I liked it very much neutral and very informative post :

Lena12: “The ritual of tonsuring a child a year existed back in pre-Christian Rus'. Back then, not every child lived to see one year old. If he survived, he was accepted into the family. Thus, tonsure was the initiation of a one-year-old child into the family. (...) A casing was placed on the floor in the middle of the room with the sheepskin facing up, a one-year-old child was placed on it, and the named father cut several locks of hair in the shape of a cross. Thus, only a strand of hair was cut per year. But they cut their heads, most likely for hygienic purposes, and initially the haircut procedure was not a ritual. It was especially popular during the war years, when infectious diseases carried by lice were widespread."

Bah, that means I should trim my daughter’s curls at the root to prevent infectious diseases? Moreover, she must wait up to a year to “initiate the child into the family.” But what about the symbolic cutting of the child’s hair by the priest at baptism? Or is it also strictly prohibited to baptize a child under one year old? By whom? Someone's grandmother?

Well, I do not! And wishing all the grandmothers a long life, I took the scissors and carefully trimmed my princess’s bangs, deciding once and for all that she would never be bald, at least not on my initiative.

Because:

• Each child is individual, which means that it is impossible to fit him into one superstitious belief;
• no haircut (at one year or five months) will add hair follicles to the child’s already formed head;
• the thickness and fullness of hair after a “bald” haircut is more logical to explain by the “placebo” effect than by the influence of magical forces;

  P.S. By the time we were one year old, we managed to cut our hair four times, now Alexandra is four, and she has beautiful fluffy hair, just like her mother’s!