Ten dads sat amid a sea of combs, brushes, spray bottles and elastic bands last Thursday night in an upstairs room in Burlington’s Soda Plant. Clamped to the tables in front of them were mannequin heads with different shades, lengths and textures of hair.
The men were taking part in a 90-minute “Hairdos & Don’ts” workshop sponsored by local nonprofit Dad Guild in order to learn the elusive craft of taming little girls’ locks. Their trusty guides were Dani Diallo, a hairstylist of 24 years who owns Next Level Barbers on Pearl Street, and her 14-year-old daughter, Aissa, who plans to pursue a career in cosmetology.
“My daughter screams every time I brush her hair,” a flannel-clad dad lamented as the class got under way. Another said he struggled to secure his daughter’s tresses before gymnastics class.
Diallo assured them that she’d provide an arsenal of techniques to smooth the process. She started with the basics: detangling, center parts and lice management. Then came ponytails.
One dad sporting a beanie and a beard told the group that every time he tries to achieve the style, his wife said his daughter looked like George Washington. The key, Diallo told him, was pulling the ponytail tighter.
As the difficulty level progressed — from buns to braids to French braids — the men’s concentration increased, and the room quieted.
One dad broke the silence. “It’s like hair juggling,” he said while attempting to weave together three strands of the mannequin’s mane.
Keegan Albaugh, executive director of Dad Guild, likened the French-braiding process to defusing a bomb.
Diallo assured the men that the more they practiced, the easier it would get.
As participants returned their mannequin heads, Jon Kohler said learning to do his daughter’s hair felt like one small but meaningful way he could share the parenting load with his wife. He’d watched YouTube hairstyling tutorials but said the hands-on experience was much more effective.
When he’d told his daughter he was going to a hairstyling class, Kohler said, “she was jazzed.” He couldn’t wait to get home and show her what he’d learned.
For more information on upcoming events, visit dadguild.org.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Daddy Hair Care”
This article appears in Oct 15-21 2025.
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