Have you ever had your hair cut at a rave? Loud music, bright lights? For children on the autism spectrum, that's what a simple trim can feel like. Kate Owens Hines, founder of Kate Kuts salon in Bonita Springs, learned this the hard way.
"Waylon is my fifth son, and when he was diagnosed with autism in 2015 they gave him a 10% quality of life. It meant he was completely nonverbal. He was highly aggressive. He could not tolerate leaving our home. I remember having to wrap him up in a towel so he wouldn't hurt us while we cut his hair. I remember sitting on him to cut his hair, and him fighting for his life. But I just didn't know. So yes, he was my first sensory guest."
That was 2015. Today, Waylon gets his hair cut by his brother Bobby Souza at their mom's salon with no restraints. What changed? Kate spent five years collecting data and created Sensory Safe Solutions, a training curriculum for barbers and stylists.
"We collected 5,000 hours of sensory cutting data over five years, then collaborated with autism specialists and wrote the only curriculum worldwide educating barbers and stylists on how to accommodate those on the autism spectrum. We opened Sensory Safe Solutions in June of 2023, and since then we've created 984,000 safe spaces globally in 45 states and seven countries, with over 4,000 people certified."
The program has grown quickly. The two-hour course, available online or in-person for a fee, equips beauty professionals with practical strategies to recognize sensory needs and adapt environments.
Souza, who has been cutting hair for six years at his mom's salon, sits in his blue barber chair, tattoos on both arms, surrounded by large printout images -- from Pearl Jam to Biggie Smalls. His biggest inspiration is his little brother Waylon, and he's learned to stay calm through anything his brother throws at him -- literally.
"My brother would slap, would do whatever, he made himself throw up one time and wipe the throw up on us. And we couldn't give it any reaction, because if we did, he would know all he has to do is make himself throw up to stop the haircut. So, it kind of is just like a Jedi mind trick, or kind of like a mind game that you kind of have to play, and you do have to be a bit of a tough cookie, but you're doing it for their well-being."
He's also had to adjust his own expectations.
"Just kind of having to put my own perfectionism in their expectations, because I want everybody to leave with, like, crispy lineup and a fresh fade and all that stuff. But sometimes it's like, we just play toys, and I got a couple snips and that's it."
That flexibility is central to the Sensory Safe approach. The key, Owens Hines says, is desensitization -- gradually exposing children to the haircut experience at their own pace. That means meeting clients where they are -- cutting hair on the floor, in the waiting room, even in the parking lot without a cape, if that's what works.
The children's room in the back of Kate Kuts has play toys, a chalkboard and a TV -- registered behavior technician Maddie Erickson says kids aren't obligated to get their haircuts back there. Their comfort is the number one priority. If stylists and barbers could only take one thing away from the training, Erickson says, it would be this:
"No restraints." She explains, "Have you ever seen someone be held down and forced to do something? I honestly, I just feel like everyone in the world deserves dignity and respect. And when you're holding someone down and forcing them to do that, you take all of that away."
Owens Hines has been in the hair industry for 25 years and built Kate Kuts from the ground up. Now her focus is taking Sensory Safe Solutions global.
"My goal for Jan. 1 of 2026, is to make sure that we hit a million safe spaces globally. We're close. It's totally doable. I feel like we're at the base of the mountain, because until every single Barber, stylist, beauty professional is sensory, safe, certified…we're not done."
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