Let me start with a couple quick disclosures here. First, I am not a stay-at-home dad. Secondly, for those guys out there that may ask the question, yes I did feel as though some of my manhood slipped from my kung fu grip as I contemplated writing this post. However, I am writing it nonetheless and my frail ego has remained intact.
Why do I feel the need to clarify? Mostly because dads shouldn’t be able to pull the ignorance card when it comes to maintaining some of your kids’ cuteness, regardless of whether you stay at home or not. As for my second point….let’s just say that it is not uncommon for dads to feel weird about fixing up a little girls hair. But, as my lovely wife would say, “Get over it”. I mean, it’s not like we’re playing with Barbie’s!
A Solemn Oath
Having three little girls, you might assume that I have more “encouragement” towards learning than most. Unfortunately, that is not the case. My wife is what you might call a hair style ninja. In what seems like five minutes, she can have all three girls looking as though they are going to one of those disturbing little girl pageants (minus the freaky makeup). Believe me, it borders on being magical.
No, I have been enabled in my slovenly ways for several years now. But no more! With my wife leaving me and my daughters for a third weekend to fend for ourselves, I have turned a new leaf. Won’t you join me? Vow with me to never again take your daughter’s out to face the disapproving glances of the moms at the mall! At the very least, we can avoid the “Oh, it looks like mom is away again”, comments. I really hate those.
Follow These Steps
Okay, so I am not going to labor through each step of the process but I will give you a couple valuable tips prior to beginning.
1. Please make sure that you are using conditioner in their hair! It is so much easier to work with a mop of hair when you are not fighting through layers of rat’s nests.
2. Make sure you have the right tools: brush, hair styling comb for parts, hair condiments (bows, ribbons, frilly stuff), spray bottle, hair spray, rubber hair bands, clips, and maybe even a detangling spray (any place with hair products will have it).
3. Do not, I repeat, do not try to get too complicated right off the bat. Remember that it doesn’t have to be a red carpet outcome for it to be successful. Think like a minimalist.
With that being said, I have placed a few photos below of my recent triumphs. Apart from creating a video (which I think I will do in the future), the photos should be explanatory enough to give you a good start. I can assure you that they are not perfect creations, but I did get several bewildered accolades by some mom’s at a recent birthday party. I know, my gold medal is in the mail.
How About It Then?
The real point here is to dispel any misnomers about the fact that you have to duplicate the perfection that you see from your wife, or even that of the salon. It’s going to take a little practice and probably some tears born from your clumsiness, but it is completely doable. Trust me, the fact that you whipped up a braid or a tightly drawn pony will have you receiving praise for weeks to come.
I have many great, and some not so great, memories of doing Maddi’s hair. I wouldn’t exchange those moments for anything. New that she is 15 she loves doing it herself. Every dad should take the time and comb through their daughter’s hair. It is priceless!
Very true! I am finding that these small things have such an unbelievable impact on the quality of the relationship between a father and daughter. Thanks for commenting!
You an amazing dad. Love u sooooo much!!!! XOXOXO
Only sometimes….I have allot to learn in the hair department!
funny topic. loved it man
Thanks for taking a look Shawn!
Oh yeah, a daughters hair is a BIG learning curve for a dad! You look a lot more advanced than I ever got. My main objective was always to get the knots out. It’s not that I like screaming, they just had to go.
Here is my take:
http://dad-u.blogspot.com/2010/11/dads-guide-to-washing-his-daughters.html
You got it Tom!
It is an especially big learning curve when your wife does their hair with artist-like perfection!
All we can do is give it a try! Besides, there are some really neat things dads can do that don’t require a stint in beauty school.
I appreciate the conversation Tom!
Being the overachiever I am, I was determined to not have to rely on my wife to do my daughter’s hair. We still laugh about that time in our lives. I could keep up until her hair got too long for me to handle. Pigtails were my fall back do! Thanks for this post… takes me down memory lane.
I completely agree!
I finally got tired of the old “Oh, mommy must be out of town” comment whenever I tried my hand at getting them done up.
I am still lacking when compared to my wife’s mastery, but at least I don’t get those comments any more!
I’m glad that the post took you back to one of those memories that make you smile!
Very sweet. There is something very special about dads and their daughters.
The dad/daughter relationship can either be hugely beneficial or hugely destructive…and I have found that things like hair mean a great deal to both.
The little things are often overlooked but they tend to be the most memorable in the end.
Thanks for stopping by!
These are cute. I was putting my 4yo daughter’s hair in a ponytail the other day, and she says, “If it looks bad, it’s a Dad Ponytail.” I laughed. My wife has been trying to train me in the ways of girl hair. She told me that girls wear their ponytails high, and when I did them low on my daughter, I made her look like a Mexican gangster. LOL!
I wish I could type laughter! That Mexican gangster line is killing me!
It took me a while to get the “high pony tail thing” as well. At least you’re keeping it real brother!
Thanks JB…
Dude! Where are the steps. I have all the right parts to do some dos but no matter what I do I can only manage a ponytail and even that looks like a Dad hair disaster. You didn’t get the real meat of the story here, steps on how to do this. Just pictures. Cute kids by the way.
Very true…the intent was to encourage dads to try to their hand at various do’s.
I’ve actually thought about revisiting this…but I will have to tag-team the examples because solo video has proven too difficult.
There is nothing wrong with a pony by the way!
Thanks for stopping by…
Very impressive. Don’t forget to flaunt to everyone else that you can do your daughters hair. I think that adds the testosterone back. You conquered something and someone noticed. I find the issue with the two-piggie setup is the location of the part. I can never get it straight. It’s the difference between girls growing up combing their dolls hair and boys killing each other. Speaking of which, I totally killed on of my buddies the other night.
Good point Scott! Picking up some bragging rights does add back a testosterone.
The part is definitely a killer! I’ve found that wet hair, along with combing the hair straight back, gets to you a good start. Just keeping rocking those do’s!
Thanks for stopping by!