Daddy Daughter Hair Factory
This page was created to share the Daddy Daughter Hair Factory. You will find a beginners manual, tutorials and the story of how it was created. DDHF was created to encourage fathers who are learning about hair, and support them on this journey. “It’s not about the braid, it’s about the bond”
The Daddy Daughter Hair Factory was created to help the fathers in the community learn how to do their daughters hair. I found it to be a great way to bond with our girls and it helped build confidence in the daughters as well. Learning how to do hair is a simple way to play an important part in your daughter’s day to day life.
Check out some of our GREAT ARTICLES on BRAIDS
Best Individual Braids Hairstyles
Jumbo Braids Hairstyles that you will love
BASIC HAIR CARE AND MAINTENANCE
In this section, the best practices with hair will be described. I will discuss washing, conditioning, cutting and other random tips I learned about keeping the hair healthy.
- Cutting the hair and why it’s important: The hair should be trimmed every 2 to 3 months. This helps keep the ends healthy and stops split ends from forming or splitting up the follicle. Split ends are responsible for creating tangles and destroying the appearance of hair.
- Washing the hair: I only wash the hair when it is necessary. This may depend on your hair type, but I have found that washing every second or third day is the best for us. The temperature of the water is not as important, but really hot water can irritate the scalp. When researching for shampoos, you may be overwhelmed. I recommend trying a few and seeing what works best for your hair type. I good shampoo will have your hair feeling clean and it should rinse clean as well. You should only shampoo the roots regularly and sometimes you may need to do it twice to help wash away dirt/oil.
- Conditioning the hair: Conditioner should be used after shampoo to help keep the hair healthy and tangle-free. I recommend buying a few and researching what works best for your hair, with so many hair types, it is hard to give an opinion on a particular product. What I can say about conditioner is that you should condition the hair, not the roots, and leave it in a few minutes if possible and rinsing with cooler water will make a noticeable difference.
- Things to consider when swimming with hair: Most people don’t consider this, but your hair is like a sponge. When you jump into a pool with chlorine water or an ocean with salt water, those chemicals and minerals are absorbing into your hair. Chlorine will damage the texture of hair along with turning it a shade of green in some instances. If you can put your hair into a bun and get it wet with clean water first, it will help reduce the possible damage while swimming. I have my daughter get her hair wet using the pool shower before she gets in and I have her rinse when she gets out. This saves us from the headache of repairing the hair when we get home.
- Protecting your hair from the sun: If you spend a lot of time in the sun, you should consider wearing a hat or investing in a product to prevent the UV rays from damaging your hair.
- Shower filters: Something to consider when washing is the quality of your water. I recommend getting your water tested and at the very least, get a shower head filter. Reducing the chlorine can help keep the hair healthy. A shower filter also helps keep your shower free of water spots and leaves your skin feeling clean after a rinse.
- Brushing routines: We found it best to brush and braid her hair once in the morning and once in the evening to keep the hair free of tangles that build up over time. It helps you catch little tangles before they leave you with painful knots that are difficult to remove.
- Hair is delicate when it is wet: A healthy strand of hair can stretch up to 30% when it is wet, so it is important to be gentle when brushing. If you style wet hair, do it loose so the hair has the opportunity to shrink. Tight hairstyles with wet hair can cause breakage especially when you are doing tight braids or other styles that are typically tight to the head.
- Braiding before bedtime: I found that braiding before bed helped prevent tangles that would come from a night of sleep. It is important to consider how your child sleeps and position the braid in a comfortable spot for them. Waking up with waves in your hair is a bonus!
GETTING STARTED: GET YOUR CHILD READY
Children are not always willing to sit still without entertainment, so I will discuss some tips I’ve learned to help you keep your child distracted. It is important to consider your child and plan hairstyles that are possible with their age or ability to. Most basic styles can be done in just a few minutes and most children can sit through that. We are trying to make this process a pleasure for them, so follow these tips to make that happen 🙂
- Be Gentle: This is the most important thing to consider because you don’t want to cause discomfort for your daughter. You can start by a gentle massage to the scalp to help get them comfortable. The scalp is sensitive and even the tiniest tangles can produce pain along with causing breakage to the hair. Make sure to open the line of communication with your daughter and have her alert you if she is uncomfortable. Her opinion matters more than a hairstyle, so please work with her.
- Be Quick: Be prepared with supplies before you start and work swiftly to get the process over with. If you are just going to brush the hair and leave it in a ponytail, this should be no more than a minute. Don’t let your pursuit for perfection get in the way of completing the hairstyle, you will get better as you practice.
- Seat Position: Find a comfortable place for your child to sit. With shorter hair, you can get away with them sitting on your lap. Longer hair will require a stool or another chair that allows you access to the hair. Chairs with backs on them will get in the way and make this process more difficult. This is a great opportunity for you to work on their posture by guiding them to sit upright with their chin up.
- Distracting your child: This can come in many forms, but I encourage you to choose some of the better options out there. You can distract your child by simply talking to them and explaining what you are doing with their hair step by step. You could also get them into reading a book, my daughter is a fan of Garfield comics while I’m doing her hair and it keeps her attention, plus I get the occasional laugh which is always great. You could use the TV, phone or tablet as well, just make sure you don’t get distracted yourself. When you reach a point in doing their hair that you need them to look up, instruct them to look at something in particular and count to 10 or 20 seconds; this makes that process much easier for them to follow.
- Reward your child: Use this opportunity to compliment your children on how well behaved they are and how proud you are of them for sitting still. Show them their hair either with mirrors or by taking a picture and sharing it. You will find that they enjoy the reveal and love the encouragement. Sometimes in the class, we use lollipops, but you may consider a healthy fruit snack that they would like as a reward, instead of candy.