By George Mathias
A mum runs hairdressing workshops teaching dads how to style their daughters hair because it’s “not just a job for women”.
Sarah Eaton, 38, teaches men how to brush hair, tie it back, style it and do plaits and braids.
She got the idea after she started lessons showing mums how to do elaborate braids – and many said their male partners would like to brush up on their skills too.
Now she runs hour-long Dad & Me workshops at her local community centre where they learn how to do the basics like ponytails, bunches and buns on their kids.
Sarah, a hairstylist, from Armadale, West Lothian, said: “It’s for any child with long hair and acts as a safe environment where they can ask any questions.
“I teach them the basics of how to brush their hair and how to use de-tangle spray.
“At the end of the hour session they are all able to do the basics and every dad has said to me how much more confident it has made them feel.
“The look of admiration on their face after each session is amazing.”
Sarah, who runs her own company Bonnie Braids, came up with the dad workshop idea after trying to dress up her two daughters Ella, nine, and Aisling, seven, for Halloween in 2022.
She bought them both them red synthetic wigs which she planned to braid but was surprised to find how hard it was to do.
After chatting to mums in her town, Sarah decided to launch a workshops to show mums how to do Dutch and French braids.
Sarah said: “It went really well, and then a few mums started telling me how their husbands wanted to learn how to tie and brush hair, so I decided to set one up for them.”
Sarah has run three sessions so far, and says they are only getting more and more popular.
“It’s usually the mums who are signing the dads up, but then the dads come and the reaction of their face when it finally clicks is so nice to see,” she said.
One of the activities in the workshop which draws the most laughs is when the dads are learning how to do the high bun.
Sarah added: “We get the kids to stand up, the dads hold the hair up high and while the girls spin around, the kids are so happy because dad can do a bun for their ballet.
“It’s all about overcoming the fact that doing hair is a female goal, it’s not.”
Sarah runs the workshops on an “ad hoc basis” with a maximum of eight dads per session.
“It just goes to show who valuable it is to break down stigmas,” she said.
“Dads should feel just as able to do their daughters hair in the morning before school.”
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