Ability Cuts by Elizabeth Cervantes

My sweet girl got her first BIG girl haircut!

We cut off almost FOUR inches and she’s only THREE years old!

That’s the powerful effect of consistent haircuts (every eight weeks) since she was 13 months old! 🤍

✨ A little surprise opening at Ability Cuts ✨

This is one of those rare weeks that only comes around maybe once a year… there’s a little lull! 🤍

So if you’ve been wanting to get your kiddo in but haven’t been able to snag a spot, this is your moment!! ✂️💛

I would absolutely love to some new faces in the chair!

📲 You can book through the app below or just text me at 615-944-1888 and I’ll help you find a time that works!

book.thecut.co/abilitycuts

💡 Don’t forget to click into each individual day — there are more openings than it looks at first glance!

I’ll be working:
🗓 Monday–Saturday (April 20th-25th)
🗓 Monday–Thursday (April 27th-30th)

We’ll be heading out for our family vacation May 1st–10th ☀️ so this is the perfect time to get in before we go!

So excited to see all my sweet friends soon 💛✨

That fresh fade though! Perfect for this little cutie! 👏🏻🤍

My sweet buddy all cleaned up and fresh for Easter! 🤍

If you’re local, you have to follow this cookie business! 🤍

I’m not exaggerating when I say these are the softest, creamiest cookies I’ve ever had. The texture alone is unreal—perfectly gooey, melt-in-your-mouth, and full of flavor in every bite.

And the customizations?! Absolutely adorable. From themed sets to the tiniest thoughtful details, you can tell so much care goes into every single order.

With Easter right around the corner, these would be the cutest addition to baskets, brunch tables, or even as a sweet little gift!🐰🍪🌷

We love supporting small businesses around here, and this one is 1000% worth the hype.

If you’ve been looking for your new go-to treat… this is it.

These beautiful custom cookies are created by Shea, the heart behind .shift.sweets!
After years of working as a nurse, Shea found a creative outlet in decorating cookies. What started as a way to unwind has grown into a passion and a budding business. Through her beautiful custom cookie designs, Shea is turning a “second shift” hobby into a dream — one cookie at a time!

Ability Cuts isn’t just a kids salon ⬇️

It’s a space intentionally designed to help a child’s nervous system calm down — so haircuts can feel safe instead of scary.

When you walk in, you’ll notice the natural tones and our calming green room. Those earthy colors aren’t accidental — they create a grounded, peaceful environment that helps many kids regulate before we even start.

You may also notice there’s a soft linen scent in the air. Subtle. Clean. Comforting. Because strong smells can be a huge sensory trigger, and we want our space to feel gentle from the first breath.

Look up and you’ll see the light covers in the ceiling. They’re there to dilute harsh LED lighting, which can be overstimulating and take a real toll on the nervous system — especially for kids with sensory sensitivities, autism, ADHD, or anxiety.

Then there’s the fun part… the things that make kids light up. All the toys that are rotated monthly to keep the excitement and wonder alive! The power of choice matters — and letting kids pick a toy while they get a haircut gives them control in a moment that can feel overwhelming.

And yes… the shelves of stuffies, candies, and prizes. Those aren’t just decorations — they’re positive reinforcement for a job well done. Because finishing a haircut when it’s hard deserves to be celebrated.

Every detail in this room has a purpose:
✨ comfort
✨ regulation
✨ safety
✨ trust
✨ joy

Ability Cuts was built for the kids who struggle in traditional salon spaces…and what I have learned is this:

When you design with those kids in mind, every child benefits! 🤍

There are moments in life that feel small at the time… but later you realize they were the turning point.

Before Ability Cuts had a name.
Before there was a sensory-friendly salon.
Before I fully understood what was stirring in my heart…

There was Emily.

I was working at a local barber shop when my childhood best friend’s parents reached out. They had friends whose daughter couldn’t get her hair cut in a traditional salon space. Would I be willing to help?

Without hesitation, I said yes.

I went to their home that summer here in Tennessee. When I met Emily, I noticed right away what made her light up — ladybugs and tidying things. I asked her parents, “Where is her happy place?” They told me, “On the back porch with a bucket of gravel. She likes to swipe and knock and clean the pebbles off the porch floor.”

So that’s where we went.

On the back porch.
In the summertime heat.
With a bucket of gravel beside her.

And we did her haircut in the one place she felt safe.

She was calm.
She was happy.
She was in control.

And I remember standing there thinking — how unfair is it that there isn’t a place in this world designed for her? A place where she doesn’t have to adjust to the environment… where the environment adjusts to her.

My brother Levi was the match.
Emily was the motion.

She lit the spark that had been quietly living inside me all along — the love for this community, the calling to create something different, the vision that would one day become Ability Cuts.

I will forever be grateful for her family — for their trust in me.

And I still have the “Emily’s Embellishment” charm she made for me at her very first appointment in the Ability Cuts space. It hangs on my mirror in my work area to this day.

Every morning when I look at it, it reminds me why I wake up and choose this.

Emily’s parents are some of the most inspiring, loving, and supportive people I know. They advocate fiercely, love deeply, and see the beauty in their daughter in a way that changes everyone around them. Even in moments when the world was shining a spotlight on their beautiful family — in articles written about their story — they chose to shine light on me and on Ability Cuts.

That kind of generosity humbles me more than I can put into words.

Ability Cuts was built on love.
On trust.
On porches with gravel buckets.
On families who just needed someone willing to meet their child where they were.

🤍

“The family also sings the praises of Ability Cuts in Cool Springs. Owner Elizabeth Cervantes, whose brother has special needs, saw a gap in accessible hair care and now provides compassionate, expert cuts for clients with similar challenges.”