How to braid your daughter's hair: a beginner's guide for dads

Right, let me say the thing you need to hear before you pick up a comb: your first braid will be wonky, and that is completely fine. Every dad who can now whip up a neat French braid started with a lopsided lump that fell out by lunchtime. This is a skill you build with your hands over a few weeks, not a talent you either have or you do not, so let us get you from nervous to handy.

How do I start braiding my daughter's hair if I have never done it before?

Start by practising on anything except your daughter's actual head before the school run. Hair braiding is muscle memory in your fingers, and you want to make the early mistakes when there is no audience and no clock ticking.

Good practice targets, in order of usefulness:

1. A doll with long, thick hair, or a braiding head if you want to get serious.
2. A willing partner, friend or your own hair if it is long enough.
3. Yarn or three shoelaces tied to a door handle, which sounds daft but teaches the over-under rhythm brilliantly.

Give it three or four short goes before you try the real thing. Ten minutes here and there beats one long frustrating session, for you and for her.

The right mindset matters as much as technique. Keep it light, let her hold the mirror, and stop while she is still happy rather than pushing for perfect. A finished plait that took two attempts and a giggle beats a flawless one that ended in tears.

What kit do I need to braid hair?

You need surprisingly little, and most of it costs a few pounds. Here is the short list that covers every braid in this guide.

• A wide-tooth comb for detangling and a fine-tooth comb or a rat-tail comb for clean parting.
• Small hair elastics, the snag-free kind. Buy a big bag because they vanish.
• A spray bottle of water, or a leave-in detangling spray, to keep hair damp and manageable.
• A few clips or bobbles to hold sections out of the way.
• Optional but lovely: a bit of styling cream or oil for flyaways, and ribbons or scrunchies she gets to choose.

Damp hair is your best friend as a beginner. Dry hair slips, splits and fights you, so a light mist of water makes the whole job easier. Do not soak it, just take the squeak out.

How do you do a basic three-strand plait?

A basic plait is three sections of hair crossed over each other in turn, and it is the foundation for everything else. Master this and the fancier braids are just variations.

1. Brush the hair through so it is tangle-free, then gather it into a ponytail or let it hang loose for a side plait.
2. Split it into three equal sections. Hold the left in your left hand, the right in your right, and the middle however you can.
3. Cross the right section over the middle. The right strand is now the new middle.
4. Cross the left section over the middle. The left strand is now the new middle.
5. Keep going, right over middle, left over middle, pulling gently so it stays neat but not tight.
6. When you reach the end, wrap a small elastic around the bottom twice or three times.

Say it out loud as you go: right over, left over, right over, left over. The rhythm is the whole game. Once your hands know it without your brain narrating, you are ready for the next step.

If you want a full set of looks that build on this plait, our guide to eight hairstyles any dad can learn walks through them step by step.

How do you do a French braid?

A French braid is a three-strand plait where you add a little more hair to each section as you cross it down the head. That is the only difference, and it is what makes the braid sit flat against the scalp.

1. At the crown, take a small section of hair and split it into three. Do your first normal cross, right over middle, left over middle.
2. Before the next cross on the right, scoop up a thin strip of loose hair from the right side of the head and add it to the right section.
3. Cross that combined right section over the middle.
4. Now add a thin strip of loose hair to the left section, then cross it over the middle.
5. Repeat all the way down: gather, then cross, alternating sides, keeping your sections roughly even.
6. When you run out of loose hair to gather, finish it off as a normal three-strand plait and secure with an elastic.

The two things beginners find tricky are keeping the added bits the same size and keeping your fingers close to the head. Take smaller pieces than you think you need. Thin, even gathers look far tidier than big greedy handfuls.

How do you do a Dutch braid?

A Dutch braid is exactly the same as a French braid, except you cross each section under the middle instead of over. That one change makes the braid pop up off the head in a raised, bold line, which is why people call it an inside-out or reverse French braid.

1. Start as you would for a French braid, taking a section at the crown and splitting it into three.
2. Cross the right section under the middle, then the left section under the middle.
3. Add a thin strip of loose hair to the right section, then cross it under the middle.
4. Add a thin strip to the left section, then cross it under the middle.
5. Carry on down the head, gather then cross under, alternating sides.
6. Finish as a normal plait once the loose hair runs out, and secure the end.

If you can do a French braid, you already have this. Just keep telling yourself "under, not over" until it sticks. Dutch braids hold up better for sport and rougher play, so they are a brilliant one for PE days.

How do you do a fishtail braid?

A fishtail braid uses just two sections instead of three, and you move a thin strand from the outside of one section across to the other. It looks far more complicated than it is, and there is no adding of hair to learn.

1. Gather the hair into a ponytail to start with, which makes it much easier while you learn.
2. Split it into two equal sections, one in each hand.
3. Take a thin strand from the outer edge of the right section, bring it across the top, and join it to the inside of the left section.
4. Take a thin strand from the outer edge of the left section, bring it across, and join it to the inside of the right section.
5. Keep swapping thin strands from the outside in, right then left, working down.
6. Secure the end, then gently tug the sides outwards if you want that loose, textured look.

The secret to a good fishtail is thin strands. The thinner the pieces you cross over, the finer and more impressive the pattern. Thicker strands are quicker but the braid looks chunky and loose. Start chunky to learn the movement, then go finer as your confidence grows.

Finishing touches that make a braid look proper

The difference between a school-run scramble and a braid that earns a "wow" is almost always in the small finishing details. None of these are hard.

• Sectioning: Use the pointed end of a comb to make clean, straight parts. A tidy part is half the battle and instantly makes things look deliberate.
• Tension: Aim for firm and even, not tight. If she winces or you see the skin pulling at the roots, ease off. Even tension all the way down stops the braid going baggy at one end and pinched at the other.
• Flyaways: Smooth stray hairs with a tiny bit of styling cream, a dab of oil or a slightly damp hand. A wet toothbrush is brilliant for taming the fine bits around the hairline.
• Securing the end: Wrap the elastic two or three times and leave a small tail of hair below it so it does not ping loose. For a neater finish, wrap a thin piece of hair around the elastic and tuck it under.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Most beginner braid problems come down to four issues, and each has a quick fix. If a braid is going wrong, it is almost certainly one of these.

• Uneven tension: The braid is tight in places and loose in others. Fix it by holding all your sections with the same firmness and keeping your hands close to the head as you work. Do not yank one side harder than the other.
• Losing the section: You lose track of which strand is which and the pattern collapses. Slow right down, and if you are French or Dutch braiding, pause with the sections pinned under your fingers while you gather the next bit of hair.
• Hair too dry: Dry hair slips out and frizzes. Mist it lightly with water or detangling spray before you start, and keep the bottle handy for a quick top-up.
• Hair too tangled: Knots drag and hurt, which ends the session fast. Always comb fully from the ends upwards before you begin, holding the length so you are not tugging the roots.

When it goes wrong, do not unpick the whole thing in a huff. Slide the elastic off, comb it out, and start again calmly. Every redo is practice, and she will not remember the wonky attempts, only that Dad kept going.

Does braiding work the same on curly and Afro hair?

The braiding moves are identical across all hair types, but the prep and the products change quite a bit with texture. Curly, coily and Afro hair generally wants more moisture and a gentler hand than straight hair.

A few things worth knowing:

• Work on damp hair with a proper leave-in conditioner or a curl cream, not just water, so strands stretch and do not snap.
• Detangle with a wide-tooth comb or your fingers, working in small sections from the ends up, and take your time.
• Coily hair shrinks, so a braid will sit tighter and shorter than you expect. That is normal.
• For protective styles like cornrows, the technique is a Dutch braid worked flat to the scalp in rows. It takes practice, and there is no shame in booking a session with a specialist to learn on your specific child's hair.

If you are still finding your feet, ask other parents, a good local salon or your own family what works for your daughter's particular texture. Hair type is personal, and a tip from someone with the same hair beats any general guide.

A quick word before you start

You do not need to be brilliant at this. You need to show up, keep it gentle, and laugh off the early disasters. The fact that you are learning at all is the bit she will carry with her.

If you fancy a few bits for the job, we have hand-picked some lovely independent brands run by and for girl dads, and our own caps and tees for dads of daughters are over in the shop. Now go and practise on that doll. The school run will thank you.