Hair tips for daughter

[Lewis321]

I'm a single dad who has my daughter with me full time. She is at a age where she is very conscious of her appearance and wants her hair to look perfect. I can do different hair styles but am struggling to do a high ponytail that is neat, I struggle to hold all the hair together while tieing the bobble to keep it all in place. 

Anyone got any tips please, I feel guilty because the only person she has to do these kinds of things is me. 

[glows]

Are you left or righthanded? If righthanded, gather all the hair together with both hands, hold the gathered hair gently with your left hand and while hooking a part of the hair elastic, grab the elastic with your right hand, twist and loop. Do it again with the left hand. If she has thick hair she may need two elastics. I have very thick, long and heavy hair so depending on the elastic I've always had to use two or three even if they are thin to hold anything in a ponytail. If she's very young she may not have a lot of hair. 

Something simple is also the side low ponytail over one shoulder. I do that sometimes to keep the hair out of my face and not have that much pressure at the top of my head. 

And if you're feeling frustrated about the position of the bobble, use a regular hair elastic first to gather the hair in ponytail, then go over a second time with the bobble accessory hair elastic (so you have two elastics). Be gentle not to pull and make sure you brush her hair out first so there are no tangles as that can be painful when gathering it up.

[stillafool]

I saw this clip on YouTube "How to make a ponytail using a vacuum".  It's done in seconds, so look it up.  You might want to wash the vacuum attachment first.

[Alpacalia]

The easiest way is to have her flip her head over and brush all the hair toward the front of her head into a ponytail holder.

Then pull the hair a bit to secure it in place.

Also spray a bit of hairspray to smooth it out and hold it in place.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Alpacalia

[Lewis321]

41 minutes ago, glows said:

Are you left or righthanded? If righthanded, gather all the hair together with both hands, hold the gathered hair gently with your left hand and while hooking a part of the hair elastic, grab the elastic with your right hand, twist and loop. Do it again with the left hand. If she has thick hair she may need two elastics. I have very thick, long and heavy hair so depending on the elastic I've always had to use two or three even if they are thin to hold anything in a ponytail. If she's very young she may not have a lot of hair. 

Something simple is also the side low ponytail over one shoulder. I do that sometimes to keep the hair out of my face and not have that much pressure at the top of my head. 

And if you're feeling frustrated about the position of the bobble, use a regular hair elastic first to gather the hair in ponytail, then go over a second time with the bobble accessory hair elastic (so you have two elastics). Be gentle not to pull and make sure you brush her hair out first so there are no tangles as that can be painful when gathering it up.

Much appreciated, the higher the ponytail the more messy the hair gets as in lumps and the less control I have if that makes any sense? 

I can do a ponytail easy it's just a higher one that I'm struggling with. 

[Lewis321]

18 minutes ago, Alpacalia said:

The easiest way is to have her flip her head over and brush all the hair toward the front of her head into a ponytail holder.

Then pull the hair a bit to secure it in place.

Also spray a bit of hairspray to smooth it out and hold it in place.

I have seen this been done but seem to struggle doing it this way myself, the hair always seem to go 'poofy' when I try it this way? 

[stillafool]

2 minutes ago, Lewis321 said:

I can do a ponytail easy it's just a higher one that I'm struggling with. 

Then Alpacalia's idea will work well for that style of ponytail.

[Wiseman2]

1 hour ago, Lewis321 said:

She is at a age where she is very conscious of her appearance and wants her hair to look perfect.

How old is she? It would be great if you took her for her first hair salon visit. It would also be great if you got help from neighbors, relatives, friends, etc.

Let her have a slumber party with her fiends and they can try hairstyles out. Let her pick out her own hairbrushes, hair accessories, shampoo, etc.

[glows]

11 minutes ago, Lewis321 said:

I have seen this been done but seem to struggle doing it this way myself, the hair always seem to go 'poofy' when I try it this way? 

Not sure what you mean by poofy. Do you mean it puffs out on the sides? Use all of the hands to gather it not just fingers. 

I think a party with friends is a great idea and letting them pick out what hairstyles and ties they'd like to use. 

[Acacia98]

Your best bet is to search for videos on YouTube. They have all sorts of content for people who want to learn how to look after/style their hair or their kids' hair. I can't tell what your daughter's hair texture is (makes a world of difference), so I can't give you advice. But you can search for that kind of thing too.

[AndyCapp99]

Keep practicing. It’s not easy but you seem willing to make the effort. Practice when she doesn’t have anywhere to be. 
 

my suggestion is as you keep moving her ponytail higher,  keep gathering the strays and keep brushing from her hairline inwards to keep it neat. 
 

look up “Pretty Hair is fun” How to: basic ponytail on YouTube. 
 

good on you for trying. 
 

 

[Lewis321]

1 hour ago, Wiseman2 said:

How old is she? It would be great if you took her for her first hair salon visit. It would also be great if you got help from neighbors, relatives, friends, etc.

Let her have a slumber party with her fiends and they can try hairstyles out. Let her pick out her own hairbrushes, hair accessories, shampoo, etc.

11

[Lewis321]

1 hour ago, glows said:

Not sure what you mean by poofy. Do you mean it puffs out on the sides? Use all of the hands to gather it not just fingers. 

I think a party with friends is a great idea and letting them pick out what hairstyles and ties they'd like to use. 

Yes that's exactly what I meant, thankyou. 

[Alpacalia]

2 hours ago, Lewis321 said:

I have seen this been done but seem to struggle doing it this way myself, the hair always seem to go 'poofy' when I try it this way? 

Oh you mean the bumps/ridges?

Yes, what you can do is take a round brush and roll it sideways over the bumps to smooth them back when you're brushing the hair into the ponytail. Once it's all smoothed out, take a hair elastic, and secure it.

You can also use a tail comb after you've put the ponytail in place. If you comb through them from the hair line and push the tail comb back, it helps.

Having this kind of time with your daughter is a nice idea. I used to love putting my Dad's hair in curlers. 😊

I also like the idea of having a slumber party.

 

[S2B]

4 hours ago, Lewis321 said:

Much appreciated, the higher the ponytail the more messy the hair gets as in lumps and the less control I have if that makes any sense? 

I can do a ponytail easy it's just a higher one that I'm struggling with. 

Get the hair damp first. Brush it smooth - then begin the pony tail.

the damp hair will dry but it makes it easier to manipulate if it’s not totally dry. It also stays together easier.

[Mrin]

Consider yourself dadhugged. Go on ya mate!

[seapebbles]

Yes, it will help to have the brush and hair a little damp before you start to brush it up into the ponytail. 

I miss those days. By the time my daughter was 12, she didn't want me anywhere near her hair anymore. Enjoy this time together

[Wiseman2]

13 hours ago, Lewis321 said:

11

Ok 👌. She is in puberty so don't expect to do anything "right". Get her dolls with long hair and let her demonstrate what she wants and practice so she can do it herself.

Especially girly stuff. If you can tolerate a bunch of giggly little girls, yes let her socialise with her peers and have a slumber party. Supply the snacks and favors. Take a tylenol.

Remember, she's at the age were her friends are smarter than parents and parents just don't get it.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Wiseman2

[stillafool]

For the Slumber Party it might be a good idea to have a woman there to help you and it will also put the girls mothers at ease.

[ShyViolet]

Youtube is very helpful for stuff like this.

[BrinnM]

Depends on what hair she has. Curly, straight, frizzy, thin, thick, and how long? Shoulder-length? Longer?

[Els]

Seconding the suggestion for a sleepover.

But to answer your question,  if a perfectly sleek high ponytail is desired (like the ones she sees on celebrities or "influencers"), she's not going to get there without products, regardless of how good the technique is. At the very least, they'll use a hair iron to get it completely straight with no frizz, then tie it with the head upside down, then spritz some hairspray so it holds.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Elswyth