Girl dads embrace hair care at happy hour

Some dads are spending happy hour dealing with braids along with their beers.

Pints & Ponytails is one of many hairstyling classes offered for dads who need some tips. 

On a recent Thursday evening in south London, almost 30 fathers gathered at a rooftop bar with pints in one hand and hair ties in the other to practice ponytails, braids, and buns on mannequin heads.

For many, its about much more than mastering a fishtail braid: it all comes down to bonding with their daughters.

• "If you're going to get your daughter ready, then you've got to be able to do everything," said one attendee, Dharmesh Tailor, who has an 18-month-old daughter. 
• He sees hairstyling time as a valuable bonding experience with his girl.

Pints & Ponytails was created by two dads who wanted to help fathers feel more confident with a task that's traditionally fallen to moms. The classes have since attracted millions of views online, inspired similar events elsewhere, and created a space where dads swap hairstyling tips while also talking about parenting, relationships, and life.

Being a hands-on dad is in. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, millennial fathers now spend ~2.5 more hours/week on childcare than dads did a decade ago, as more families work toward sharing parental responsibilities.

The classes tackle mistakes head-on, encouraging dads to get out of their comfort zones and try something new. Whether it's finally nailing a plait or learning the trick to keeping a hair tie from slipping, everything is celebrated.

For these dads, some of the sweetest acts of parenting—beyond the grand gestures—include learning how to braid two tiny pigtails before they’re off to school.