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Do you have a child on the autism spectrum who is afraid of getting haircuts and wants to feel comfortable in their own home? Jasmine Avila, licensed barber and owner of Jazzy-J’s Cuts and Fades, runs a mobile business specializing in clients with autism.
Avila reaches people in the community who can’t visit a barbershop for a haircut or other barber services. She said she wanted to help those who needed it, so she decided to bring her haircuts to her clients.
After years of working at Blendz Barbershop, Avila said she felt ready to start her mobile service. Taking the risk of going out on her own, she named the business after herself.
“My name is Jasmine, but everybody that knows me calls me ‘Jazzy,’” she said. “I’m also a rapper and make music, so that’s my rap name.”
Avila said that she began working with those with special needs, going to their homes or meeting them in a park, because they hold an important place in her heart.
“Everybody needs a haircut,” she said, “and when I first started working with my clients on the spectrum, I knew that I was taking on something where I needed to have patience, compassion and understanding.”
Avila said she watched videos on what triggers people on the autism spectrum and what bothers them during haircuts, so she said she always tries to make sure the hair isn’t touching them. She said that scissors and loud clippers can be triggering.
Before cutting someone’s hair, Avila introduces herself and explains what she is going to do. Then she tries to find ways to keep them calm.
“I show them my tools,” Avila said. “I say, ‘Here, do you want to hold the comb? Do you want to hold the scissors? Do you want to see what I’m using? You know, I brought a toy for you. Do you want to play with it?’ I let them see these things, and then I just slowly start.”
After the haircut, Avila gives her clients goody bags, combs, little brushes, stickers and cards.
Hollister resident Enrique Rodriguez recently had Avila give his five-year-old son Jacob a haircut. Rodriguez said she knows how to work with children on the spectrum and lets them be themselves.
“We know sometimes kids cry at barbershops and salons,” he said, “and it’s inconvenient. Kids on the spectrum can be really difficult to accommodate, and finding the right place for them can be challenging. Jazzy comes through and does a good job.”
Hollister resident Lisa Gonzalez, who has Avila cut her five-year-old son Isaac’s hair, said she saw the barber on Instagram and noticed that she was mobile, which caught her eye.
“We love that she’s patient with him,” Gonzalez said. “She’s amazing with them, and I tell her she’s going to be his barber forever. I hope she’s barbering till she’s old.”
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