Braiding and bonding: Dads learn how to handle daughters' hair

Seven dads and 10 daughters bonded and braided hair Saturday afternoon in the Penzel Conference Room during the Cape Girardeau Public Library’s Daddy-Daughter Hair Factory.

Jamie Clifton, hair stylist and owner of the Kuts Plus salon in Cape Girardeau, led the workshop, which focused on teaching fathers how to help their daughters have healthy hair and how to style their daughter’s hair.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity for the dads to bond with the girls and learn a little bit about how to do their hair,” Clifton said.

After giving the fathers a brush, two combs and a bottle of detangling spray, Clifton went over the importance of haircuts and gentle brushing techniques that wouldn’t hurt their daughters’ hair.

While the girls colored pictures and played with books, Clifton gave the fathers an overview of healthy hair-care practices and explained the appropriate times to use various types of combs and brushes.

With her 12-year-old daughter Emeri as a model, Clifton went on to teach the dads to tie ponytails, half-ponytails, buns and braids.

While some fathers combed their daughters’ hair with ease, some with curly-haired children needed more time and attention.

Most fathers only had one head of hair to handle. Stephen Dixon of Cape Girardeau combed down the curly hair of all three of his daughters.

Although Dixon knew little about styling hair when he arrived, he now had mastered the art of tying a braid.

“I’ve never done the braiding at all. I’ve done a ponytail and I’ve done a bun, but I’ve never done a braid before,” Dixon said. “This definitely helped us grow closer and bond a lot more.”

By the end of the workshop, the fathers showed off their daughter’s new hairdos to each other while the girls showed off their colorings.

Mark Barr let his daughter Ariel, 9, comb his hair while the other fathers finished tying their daughters’ hair.

Barr said he does his daughter’s hair about once a week.

“It was kind of comical watching the other dads try,” Barr said with a laugh. “It was a blast, and time with my little girl is always good.”

bmatthews@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address:

711 Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, Mo.