Best Back-to-School Haircuts for Kids and Teens

What to book before term starts, what it costs, and how to pick a cut that still looks tidy in week six — for kids on the under-12 menu and teens who have moved to the adult one.

The back-to-school haircut is the one appointment every parent remembers to make and nobody remembers to make early. Term starting is the one date that sends everybody to the barber at once, and the last two days before it are the worst time to try your luck.

So this is two things at once: which cuts actually suit the school year, and how to get one without queuing behind everyone else who left it until Sunday afternoon.

When to book it

Ten days before term, not two. There are two reasons, and the second one matters more than the first.

The obvious reason is availability. The other is that a very fresh cut looks like a very fresh cut. Give it a week and the edges soften, the top settles, and your child looks like themselves rather than like they were marched to the barber the day before. If picture day is early in the term, work backwards from that rather than from the first day.

The under-12 menu

Our kids menu runs to twelve years old, and there are four cuts on it. All four are available at Maple Ridge, Walnut Grove and Willowbrook.

Traditional — $24, about 20 minutes

Scissors and clippers, tidy back and sides, length left on top. The default school cut, and the quickest to sit through — which counts for a lot if your child is five.

Skin Fade — $28, about 25 minutes

Blended right down to the skin at the bottom. It is the sharpest of the four and the one most kids ask for by name. It also grows out fastest.

Taper Fade — $29, about 35 minutes

The same idea, stopped short of the skin, so there is always some hair there. It holds its shape longer than a skin fade, which is the reason to choose it for a school term. Our guide to skin fade versus taper fade goes through the difference properly, and low, mid and high fades covers where the line sits.

Scissor Cut, long hair — $28, about 25 minutes

For children who are keeping the length. Shaped and thinned rather than shortened, so it stops looking heavy without becoming a different haircut.

If you are choosing between them for the first time, the parents’ guide to choosing a kids haircut is the longer version of this section.

Teens, and the jump to the adult menu

From thirteen, they book from the adult menu. It is a genuine change and worth explaining to them rather than letting them discover it at the counter: more time in the chair, a proper consultation, and a higher price.

• Traditional — $29
• Skin Fade — $32, about 30 minutes
• Taper Fade — $36, about 35 minutes
• Scissor Cut — $34

Most teens arrive with a photo on their phone, which is exactly the right instinct. What they are asking for is usually a fade with length and texture left on top. The best haircuts for teen boys right now covers what they are actually requesting and what to ask for at the chair.

If you want low maintenance

A school term is ten to twelve weeks. Nothing survives that untouched, but some cuts age better than others.

• Taper fade over skin fade. A skin fade looks best for about two weeks; a taper still reads as intentional at four or five.
• Traditional over anything. It is the cut that grows out into a slightly longer version of itself instead of into a different shape.
• Leave a little more length on top. Short tops need re-cutting sooner to keep their proportions.
• Use the line-up. A line-up is $15 and takes ten or fifteen minutes. Halfway through the term it buys another few weeks out of the same haircut — the same logic as maintaining a haircut between visits.

School rules, sport and photo day

• Check the school’s policy first. Some schools have rules about shaved patterns, very short grades or colour. It is a short conversation before the cut and an awkward one after it.
• Helmets and headgear. Hockey, cycling, lacrosse — a heavy top gets flattened and sweaty under a helmet. Mention the sport and your barber will take weight out rather than length off.
• Swimming. Chlorine is hard on longer hair. If they swim several times a week, a shorter cut is genuinely less hassle than a longer one.
• Photo day. Three to seven days after the cut is the sweet spot.
• Designs and patterns. We do them — just check the school allows them before you promise anything.

Making the appointment easy

• Book rather than walk in in the fortnight before term. Pick your shop here.
• Earlier in the day is calmer for a child who does not love the chair. We open at 8:00am, seven days a week.
• Bring one photo. One is useful. Five is a negotiation.
• Let them talk to the barber themselves if they are old enough. They will be happier with a cut they asked for.
• Grab them a drink. There is a beverage bar in the shop, and it reliably buys a few more minutes of sitting still.

If you have a toddler rather than a school-age child, that is a different service: Little Legends covers ten months to four years.

Quick answers

What age is the kids menu for?

Twelve and under. From thirteen they book from the adult menu.

How much is a back-to-school haircut?

On the kids menu, $24 to $29 depending on the cut. On the adult menu, $29 to $36.

How far ahead should I book?

Ten days before term if you can, and earlier than that for the last week of August.

How long will it last?

A skin fade looks its best for around two weeks, a taper four to five, a traditional cut five to six. A $15 line-up mid-term stretches any of them.

Can siblings book together?

Yes — book back-to-back appointments with the same barber.

Which shops do kids haircuts?

All three: Maple Ridge, Walnut Grove in Langley and Willowbrook in Surrey.