Yul’s First Ever Haircut

It took us a few weeks to decide whether to have Yul’s haircut or not. There was a temptation to see how long it could get, but it’s summer and it was getting in his eyes, as well as it starting to look like a mullet. I am Australian, but it doesn’t mean that my kids should have mullets…

Letting it grow was more part of my Australian culture where it’s not unusual for a toddler’s hair to get quite long before their first haircut. Hair before a first haircut is likely to still have “baby curls” as well and once cut they don’t come back if a child’s hair is not naturally curly.

In Korea, mothers often shave their baby’s head while their baby is still very young. This is because of a belief that it will make the baby have thicker hair. Although it’s not exactly true, it does mean the hair grows more uniform after being shaved, which can improve appearance if a baby has very patchy hair. This cultural difference can sometimes cause arguments when a Korean mother in law insists on the baby head shaving, while the foreign daughter in law is horrified. My own mother in law had no problem either way so we had no pressure to shave Yul’s head.

Since we had not done the Korean head shaving thing, Yul had never a proper haircut before. To be honest, it did make me sad to think about the hair he has as a baby being cut off. Once I had reassured myself about the decision, Hugh started to have second thoughts! He then got sad about it as it seems like a big moment and he worried because Yul wouldn’t be able to do a little bun like him anymore.

My other worry was Yul ending up with a very bad haircut. I see a lot of bad kids haircuts all the time! Usually because the mother had tried to do it. I was also hesitant to take Yul to a hairdresser who may have not cut hair like Yul’s. Being a biracial kid, his hair is a bit different from the majority of kids here.

Luckily, our friend Han (a friend who has been on our channel before) has recently trained as a hairdresser! With two biracial children of his own, I knew he’d have the experience to deal with Yul’s hair. And he did an amazing job. I thought Yul had been particularly difficult but apparently he did well! It probably took almost an hour, but well worth it. Han was very patient but also managed a style that really suits Yul.

While we wanted to record this moment for ourselves and our own memories, I also wanted to show the time and effort that goes into a child’s haircut: if you want it to look good. Sometimes the skills of hairdressers are not appreciated, which is why so many kids end up with bad haircuts from parent attempts haha. Let’s value the skill and effort it takes to do a toddler’s hair. We were so happy with the result.

What a difference a haircut makes! Although I loved Yul’s long hair, he is now so handsome with his shorter hair and at first he seemed like a much older boy. Everyone in the neighborhood commented about how great he looks as well. I don’t think he realised how much he has changed, but at least he isn’t getting as hot and sweaty in the summer heat now.