Children

Styles for babies and children. 18 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.

Children's hair carries a surprising amount of ritual. In many cultures a baby's or child's first haircut is a ceremony: the Hindu mundan, the Jewish upsherin at three, the Muslim shaving of a baby's head on the seventh day, the shaving of a baby's head at one month in some Chinese families. Everyday children's styles, the bowl cut, pigtails, afro puffs and neat braids, are often made by parents at home.

First haircuts

In the Hindu mundan, a child's birth hair is shaved in the first, third or fifth year, often at a temple or by a holy river, sometimes leaving a tuft. In the Jewish upsherin, a boy's hair is cut for the first time at three, leaving the sidelocks. In the Islamic aqiqah, a baby's head is shaved on the seventh day and silver of the hair's weight is given to charity. In ancient Egypt children wore a single long sidelock until puberty.

Everyday children's styles

Bowl cuts, made by cutting round the head along an even line, have been a home haircut for children for centuries. Girls in many countries wear two plaits or pigtails to school, often with ribbons, as in Indian schools. Afro puffs and cornrows with beads are common styles for Black children. School rules on children's hair, especially on braids, locs and length, have been tested in courts in several countries.