Haircuts and Eczema From Our Members… Originally printed in July, 2005 Recently, the following questions were asked of members on the online TMM Discussion List: “I'm looking for suggestions on the best places to get haircuts for the kids. We've done the local salon and Snip-Its, but both are expensive. We haven't tried a barber shop for the boys yet. Are they any cheaper?” ~Karen O. I go to “HairUnlimited.” It's a shop that costs $12.95 for kids. Sometimes I can find a $1 off coupon, but that's about it. As for the barbers, I don't feel they do any better around here and they aren't any cheaper. ~Nancy W. We used to do Snip-Its in the beginning, but then took the boys to a local barber. They were not very personable and I recall the cut was still like $9. Add some personality and it would be worth the $14 at Snip-Its, but not times 3 or 4. Now, I beg my mother to do the kids whenever she can. She was a hairdresser for 20+ years, so she has the skill and patience. We bought her the quietest, kid-friendly clippers for Christmas to make the job easier. I think she recently picked up some kid-friendly capes and we do the trims on the kitchen counter. ~Renée R. We've been taking the kids (especially the boys who need haircuts so often) to the local beauty school. They are students working under the supervision of their instructor. Sometimes it takes a bit longer than the barber shop or hair salon, but it only costs $3 and they don't take tips where we go. I've even had a manicure ($5) while they were cutting all the kids. The results so far have been very good. There was just one time when I thought they cut one boys hair too short, but it grows so darn fast that it really didn't matter. ~Kathie Q. I have taken, on occasion, my boys to the barber. It is about $10 per kid. They do a great job and if it gets cut short for the summer, they need another in August for school. My sister cuts my girls’ hair. ~Maureen W. I invested in a pair of clippers for $20. They have more than paid for themselves at this point. My set included nice hair scissors, the different blades for the clippers and a how-to video. It is not difficult to do boys hair. Girl’s hair is a matter of getting it straight all the way around. I got my clippers from Wal-mart (Con-air brand), but you can get them at Target and even pharmacies. I even do my husband's hair now too. Huge savings. ~Laurie K. I used to take the girls to Snip-Its. They loved it of course, and you used to be able to buy a pre-pay coupon book that made it cheaper (also for free they stamp a card with every cut and you get the ninth one free). However, it was not convenient for us and still too expensive for what it was. Now, we take the girls to Supercuts. The haircuts are fine - sometimes a bit straighter than others along the bottom edge, but stylish enough. We save money by doing bangs only ($5) on alternate cuts (Michaela, who has all one-length-long hair, we skip entirely alternate cuts). If I was brave, I could do the bangs myself, but I need to go in anyway for me (for those who don't know me, I keep my hair very short thus needing a cut every 6 weeks). My mom used to cut my hair, and then I used to cut my father's and my sisters' hair when I was a teenager (no training, I used tape to make a straight edge!). My mom paid me $2 per cut. I vowed I'd never do that to my kids after some of the strange cuts I got/gave - but if you know a hairdresser personally, lucky you!! ~Lisa G. There is a place on Main Street in Melrose. It is located in the plaza with Johnnies Foodmaster. I don't know the name of it and I haven't been there myself... However, we have some friends that live in Melrose and the twins (boy/girl) get their hair cut there (they are 5) and they always look great. The charge for kids is $5. I only found out about it recently... we're going to try it for the next round of haircuts. ~Lynn M. I also bought a clipper and have given my boys (and hubby) buzz cuts. The kit I got came with a video, and it's pretty easy. Of course, it takes me much longer than the pros at Supercuts, which is not a good thing with antsy kids. So, I've been splurging and taking the kids to Supercuts simply because they are much more efficient than I am. ~Sue S. ------------ “To all those families with eczema, can you share any remedies that you swear work for you. My baby son has it really bad on his cheeks, to the point where his skin gets infected. I have read on these pages suggestions of using Aveeno products, but my doctor and my experience with it tells me it does more harm than good in drying out the skin. I have tried: Hydrolatum, Aquaphor, Eucerin, Hydrocortisone in non-face areas, and.... I have started a non-milk diet for me (since I’m nursing him), but nothing seems to work. I think I will avoid Elidel since there are immune system complications reported.” ~Michelle N. My babies are currently using Desonide which was prescribed for them. I had to keep after my doctor, but finally got some help in the end. ~Michelle W. One of my daughters had eczema very badly and we did the following which helped a lot. We started to use Tide Free to wash their clothes. We only use hypoallergenic Dove soap, even for their hair, and we use all-cotton clothes (polyester makes eczema much worse). We stayed away from all per-fumed items. We also washed their sheets in hot water once per week. We also did use Elidel for a short time until we got it under control. ~Judith M. See if your pediatrician will send you to a pediatric dermatologist. You CAN use meds like Elidel and Protopic, BUT you have to be very careful about using them on broken skin (they are absorbed into the blood stream). They don't have a lot of data (and they are not FDA approved for) kids under two - although many doctors will still use them in that age group. I believe there were some recent warnings on the use of Elidel - I forget what they were. It’s definitely a great medicine, but they all have their drawbacks and potential warnings. It would probably safe for you to use a very low dose Hydrocortisone cream on his face - sparingly- ie: 0.5% HC with aloe (you can get that at CVS). Maybe Benedryl syrup when the itching is real bad. ~Jenny L. We use Protopic... works as well as/if not better than Elidel and it's also not a steroid. ~Gayle C. We used Lansinoh - it is very thick and occlusive, but does not deal with the inflammation (will keep anything from contacting and prevent drying out). The allergenic part of the sheep lanolin is removed, so it is marketed as hypoallergenic. You should check with your doctor before using if the eczema is severe. ~Lisa G. We've had a lot of luck with Cetaphil cleanser for baths, and twice a day lotion that's fragrance-free (we haven't found much of a difference between lotions, but I do like Curel and Eucerin). The key has been bathing every other day or less (if they aren't rolling in the mulch delivered this week), and [rinsing] them right before they get out so they aren't sitting in soapy water. I also keep the lotion next to the diapers in case I notice a dry patch while changing. ~Thea R. My 3-year old suffered similarly as an infant and, like you, we tried everything to get him comfortable. Although I think you are in a bit worse predicament than we were, we did get some relief from the occasional OTC lotions... How-ever, when an infection would start, we would use an antibiotic or anti-fungal ointment, and then seal it with a layer of Aquaphor. My son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy, finally, at about 15-months, and that proved to be the culprit. I don't know how strict you are being with your own avoidance diet, but you will find dairy hidden in a lot of unexpected places!! Also, two very good friends of mine have sons with eczema/allergies as well and they are both allergic to eggs and wheat which can also often cause the skin reactions... worth considering. ~Shannon L.