What in the name of a prank is this?
It's called Afeitar al Bebé or Shave the Head. It's a Hispanic tradition with many believing if you shave your baby's head their hair will grow back thicker, more evenly and beautiful. Experts say there's no proof that it actually works but many still practice the tradition.
If you plan on shocking your family too here are some tips for Afeitar al Bebé.
- Clean your baby's head/hair normally as you do everyday.
- You can use a manual razor blade but many prefer an electric shaver, also called an electric hair clipper. Use it without the plastic guard to cut the hair as short as possible.
- Make sure the room is warm and your baby has no clothing so the hair doesn't stay in the garments and causes itching
- It's easiest to shave from the hair line to the back in small sections
- Make sure the shaver is well oiled to avoid hair getting stuck causing the clipper to chew your baby's hair
- Give your baby a bath after shaving him to sooth him and clean any hair that has reached their body.
My wife is from a large Hispanic family and I can tell you had I shaved one of our baby's head I'd still be single!! lol!!