Hair
Hair, sorted
The ponytail and the braid are literally our logo. Here is how to do them without the tears, plus the handful of bits that make hair time calmer.
Written for fumbling hands. Step by step, no faff, and the product picks carry an honest Dad Score. Some links are affiliate links, so we may earn a little if you buy, at no cost to you.
How to
How toHow to do a first ponytail
The five-step ponytail for dads who have never done one, calm, even, and done before she loses patience.
Easy · 3 minutesRead the how-to
How toHow to French braid
The braid that earns you the most credit, broken into steps a beginner can actually follow.
Trickier · 8 minutesRead the how-to
On video
Watch a dad actually do it
Written steps only get you so far with hair. These are the walkthroughs worth the four minutes, from dads who teach this properly. Nothing is sponsored and nobody paid to be on this list.
Worth subscribing to
The dads teaching this
Four channels that will get you further than any single tutorial, including ours.
Daddy Daughter Hair Factory
Philippe Morgese taught himself his daughter’s hair as a single dad, then started teaching other dads for free. Short, calm, no jargon.
Noakes Reviews
His Hair By Dad series walks through braids at dad pace, from someone who clearly learned it the hard way.
How to DAD
Jordan Watson, the New Zealand dad whose deadpan how-tos are mostly a joke and occasionally, accidentally, useful.
Chrissie Wise
Not a dad, but her dad-aimed styles are the ones that survive contact with an impatient four-year-old.
Before you pick up the brush
Questions dads actually ask
Where do I actually start if I have never done her hair?
A ponytail, and only a ponytail, for about two weeks. It teaches you the three things every other style needs: getting the knots out without a row, holding a gather tight in one hand, and looping a bobble without trapping your own fingers. Braids are much easier once those are automatic.
How do I stop it hurting her?
Almost all of the ouch comes from brushing the wrong way. Start at the ends and work up to the roots, hold the hair above where you are brushing so you are not dragging on her scalp, and use a detangling spray or a mist of water on dry knots. Do not pull the finished style tight at the hairline.
What is the difference between a French braid and a Dutch braid?
The same moves, crossed the opposite way. In a French braid the side strands cross over the middle, so the braid sinks into the hair. In a Dutch braid they cross under, so it sits proud on top. Dutch is easier to see while you are learning, which is why a lot of dads find it easier first.
How much kit do I genuinely need?
A wet brush or detangling brush, a spray bottle, and a bag of bobbles you are willing to lose. That is it for the first year. Everything else on our kit pages is a nice-to-have, and we score them honestly on that basis.
Her hair is curly or textured. Does any of this apply?
The tutorials here are written for straight and wavy hair, and we will not pretend otherwise. Curly and coily hair needs its own routine: detangle wet with conditioner, work in sections, and never dry-brush. We would rather point you at specialists than give you half-advice, so that guide is coming rather than bolted on.
How long should this take?
A ponytail should be under three minutes once you have done thirty of them. A French braid is five to ten at first and settles near three. If you are regularly over ten minutes, the problem is usually detangling, not the style.