“Just a trim” can feel like a marathon when a young person is neurodivergent. You’re not alone – and you’re in the right place.

Why our salon is different

At Marianne’s hair salon, we offer calm, sensory-aware haircuts. We’ve built our approach around lived experience and practical strategies that help reduce overwhelm and make the whole experience more predictable, compassionate, and successful.

As a mum of a college-aged son with autism, hairdresser Marianne deeply understands how stressful and upsetting haircuts can be – for your young person and for you. That’s why she created a dedicated service designed for autism haircuts and haircuts for people who are neurodivergent as well as broader special needs haircuts.

Here, we focus on making the environment quieter, the process at a pace to suit you , and the communication clearer. The goal is simple: fewer battles, fewer tears, and a haircut that feels like a win.

A process that respects differences

Marianne’s experience has shown that haircuts need to be quick and precise, to minimise overwhelm from the experience.

Here’s how she works:

• Meet-and-ease: time to explore the space, touch the chair, and see tools before we start (if required).
• Choice & control: clippers vs. scissors, cape or no cape, breaks on request, mirrors angled as preferred.
• Step-by-step cues: visual prompts and plain-English explanations so nothing arrives “out of the blue.”

A calmer, sensory-aware environment

Many neurodivergent people find traditional salons overwhelming: loud dryers, strong smells, bright lights, busy chatter. Sensory overload can quickly turn a simple appointment into a struggle.

At Marianne’s you’ll find:

• Noise reduction: no background music during your slot; quieter tools; dryers used only with consent.
• Gentle lighting & minimal smells: toned-down lighting and fragrance-aware product choices.