10 Dads Who Learned to Do Their Daughters’ Hair, From a 2-Month French Braid to a Firefighter’s Fishtail

Family & kids
10/27/2026
10 Dads Who Learned to Do Their Daughters’ Hair, From a 2-Month French Braid to a Firefighter’s Fishtail

In middle school, my mom did my ponytail at seven in the morning, straight off her night shift, and it always leaned a little to the left. Nobody ever told me it was crooked, and I never asked her to fix it. Hair is the one morning job nobody teaches dads, but these 10 dads learned it anyway, one wobbly braid at a time.

1. Two months, every single day

“2 MONTH FRENCH BRAID TRANSFORMATION”

Really wanted to learn to French braid my girls hair. In my opinion, definitely a skill worth developing!!

This is 2 months work. I braid their hair about everyday. Looked downright awful at first.

My double French braids are a lot better now too!

TBH I find it extremely entertaining when we’re out and about and some lady says, “Cute braid! Did your momma do it?” And they say, “No daddy did!” And they’ll just be in shock and awe.

Ppl def assume my wife braids their hair but honestly I haven’t come across too many women who say they can French braid. Usually when they find out I braid their hair, they say, “I never even learned to braid!”

It’s fun though. Sort of an art. A hobby almost. And I think they look cute!

Just need some compliant children with long hair who will sit still for a bit...or a mannequin head. I did buy one but never actually used it. Don’t find it very satisfying

I wasn’t above bribing them to sit there in the beginning either!

Head moving, holding head straight down, picking up a toy. “Ok don’t move for 10 minutes and daddy gets you a marshmallow sweetie.”

But really ya gotta just be ok with sucking at first. Unless you’re like a braiding savant, it takes some work to develop the hand dexterity.

2. He always dreamed of being a girl dad

Fiona’s husband always dreamed of being a girl dad. Now he has one, a brush and a spot on the playroom floor. Every pigtail gets the same treatment: brushed, parted, tied, and then checked up close, just in case one sits higher than the other.

“He loves doing her hair”

3. He learned from the women who already knew

“‘Did your Mommy do your hair today?’ Dads can do hair too!”

My wife has always worked earlier than I do, so I’ve handled like 90% of our weekday mornings. I’m no professional, but I think I do alright with our daughter’s hair.

Most of the time she just gets a high ponytail, pigtails, or some variation of a simple braid. But sometimes, if we have enough time, I’ll put in the effort to do something like these. Put the TV on and she sits perfectly still for as long as I need her to.

My sister-in-law showed me how to do a French braid, then the lady who gave my daughter her first haircut showed me a Dutch braid. From there, just practice.

Try to find someone in real life who knows how to do it and learn from them. My kid’s haircut lady parted my kid’s hair down the middle and we each took a side, went step by step together. Learning in action!

The braids take a while. Like 30 minutes.

From the author:

My mom learned ponytails on me, at the kitchen counter, with her eyes half closed after a night shift. Nobody taught her either. The dad in this story found the smartest shortcut there is: he asked the women who already knew, in person. I wish someone had stood next to my mom at that counter for just one morning.

4. A mannequin head and two blue ribbons

“I can do everything except dutch/french braids and the girls ALWAYS ask for them. So I ordered this to practice and I think I need to keep practicing lol.”

5. Wrapped around her finger tighter than her curls

“Single dad looking for tips and tricks for my daughters curly hair type. haaalp”

Looking for ways to make the morning routine easier and maintain her natural curls. Please let me know what products would work well with her hair type!

I’m trying to get her hair routine down from 45 min to <20 min as well.

Her hair requires constant maintenance so it’s tough. I gotta stay on top of it or else it will come back and bite me two fold. I really love having her hair out, loud, and proud but if I don’t do something with it the next day, it becomes a scrunchy mess. ONE day of living will make it fro, no matter what.

Thank you all for the kind comments, they are very inspiring and I plan to go through them little by little each day. I did not expect such an overwhelming response but I appreciate it all. My daughter has been my world since she was born, and I’ve been wrapped around her finger tighter than her curls. She has a bubbly personality to match her unique hair.

6. The firefighter’s fishtail

“Getting better at this, boys. Fishtail braid. It’s honestly easy but if you need it to look more impressive than it is. This is the one”

I can do a French! But a Dutch makes my brain hurt. An Infiniti isn’t too bad!

It’s funny. So I’m a firefighter by profession. Masculine environment, but we have a few girls on the job and one in particular who has the added task of putting her hair up when getting on her turnout gear, and she does it effortlessly in about ten seconds and in a number of different ways. It’s what spurred this quest to braid haha.

About 3 mins and two attempts. Admittedly I can do a French and regular braid already, so I had some fundamentals down. If you can do a regular braid, this one is just a minor change.

I think the fishtail is easier than the French.

Once you get quicker it gets better! One is patient with me, the other is mood dependent.

7. The style is called “Elsa”

Charli’s husband learned all of it from tutorials. Now perfecting their daughter’s hair is his pride and joy, every single day, and today’s braid even comes with a name: “Elsa.”

“He watches tutorials, bless”

From the author:

Kids never ask for “a braid.” They ask for Elsa, or for whatever the girl on the bus had yesterday. My mom’s answer to every request I made was the same ponytail with a different hair tie, and I counted each one as a brand-new hairstyle. The name, it turns out, matters more than the braid.

8. A bald dad and the photo inspection

“Where hair dads at?”

Wife has always been a bit of a tom boy and has never really learned any hair styling. More of a pony tail and messy bun type. I was no better as a bald dude...

So when daughter asked for a braid, it was time to hit YouTube. After a couple weeks of basic pony tail braids I’ve just recently figured out French braids now and want to keep adding to the repertoire, its a nice bonding time and makes her super happy.

Pic is second ever French braid attempt... She always asks for a pic to inspect my work lol.

The reaction I got over her first basic braid cemented this as something I wanted to continue lol.

Only started doing it a couple months ago, she was still four at that time. You can always start now!

The best time to plant a tree was years ago, but the next best time is today and all that.

I’ve found putting on a show and chatting with her about it while I do it helps keep her mind off it. I also use this detangling stuff and conditioner in her hair so the brushing is nicer.

9. Not bikes this time

His channel is usually about bikes. One day, the bikes took a break: his daughter sat down in her school uniform, and he walked through a French braid, slowly, step by step, tattooed forearms and all, so other parents could follow along.

“Bit different to the usual, not bikes here just some tips on how to do some awesome hairstyles for your kids.”

From the author:

Last year, when I helped my mom pack for her move and found the shoebox of my old notes, it was held together with one of my hair ties from middle school, the purple one with a plastic star. Mom never said why she kept it, and I didn’t ask. Some things a parent saves just because your hair was in them once.

10. Three weddings, one hairstylist

Three daughters, three weddings: December 2016, July 2023 and September 2024. Every time, the bride’s hair was done by the same man, their dad. And every time, by the end of the night, he also got the hug and the dance.

“A memory I will forever cherish. Baba got to do all his daughters’ hair on their wedding day.”

Three weddings, three brides and one dad with a comb. The curls fall out by the end of the night, but nobody in that family will forget whose hands did them.

Who did your hair before school, and did it ever turn out the way you wanted? Tell us in the comments.

Preview photo credit calculung / Reddit

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