Oh, dads, we feel your pain. It’s time to get your daughter ready for school, her hair is a hot mess, and you’re not sure what to do with it. Even the ponytail, which seems simple, just isn’t.
Jessica Tellez pulls Ashlynn Bradley’s hair into a ponytail at Urban Betty Salon. Deborah Cannon/For American-Statesman photos
Urban Betty Salon hair stylist Jessica Tellez is teaching a daddy/daughter hair styling class. She’s starting what she calls the 101 class: that’s ponytails and buns. Pigtails and braids are more complicated, and she’ll save those for the 2.0 class. Here are the basics on creating ponytails and buns.
Basic ponytail
1. Spray a detangler such as Bumble and Bumble Prep Primer on the hair.
2. Use a Wet Brush, which can be used on wet hair or dry hair, to brush out thehair. The Wet Brush is made to not hurt.
3. Start at the bottom of the hair and brush to the end, then go higher up the hair and brush to the end. Take it at a section at a time until everything is detangled.
4. Pull the hair into a ponytail by combing underneath, then supporting the bottom. Brush the top of the hair while holding the bottom in a ponytail to smooth out the top.
5. Hold the hair with one hand. With the other hand, use two fingers to spread the ponytail holder.
6. Hold the ponytail holder over the ponytail and grab the ponytail with that hand. With the other hand, pull the ponytail holder over the ponytail to its bottom side and pull the ponytail through. Continue to keep a tight grip on the hair with the top hand.
7. Twist the holder and pull the hair through again and again. Be sure to hold the ponytail with the other hand until the hair is secured by the holder.
8. If you mess up, remove the holder, brush the bottom of the ponytail, the sides and then the top again, and repeat steps 5-7.
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Basic high ponytail on ethnic hair
1. Spray a detangler, conditioner such as Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer, on the hair.
2. Comb out the hair.
3. Use only the side of the Wet Brush to move the hair into place and move the primer through the hair. Brush underneath and the sides and then the top.
4. Move the hair into a ponytail, holding the base of the hair. The hair will naturally stay where you have placed it, but it’s still a good idea to hold onto the ponytail you are forming with one hand.
Stylist Jessica Tellez pulls Josephine Pitts’s hair into a top ponytail at Urban Betty Salon on Friday, March 23, 2018. Deborah Cannon /For AMERICAN-STATESMAN
5. With the other hand, use two fingers to spread the ponytail holder.
6. Hold the ponytail holder over the ponytail and grab the ponytail with that hand. With the other hand, pull the ponytail holder top piece over the ponytail to its bottom and pull the ponytail through. Continue to keep a tight grip on the hair.
7. Twist the holder and pull the hair through again and again. Be sure to hold the ponytail with the other hand until the hair is secured by the holder.
Josephine Pitts shows off her top ponytail at Urban Betty Salon on Friday, March 23, 2018. Deborah Cannon /For AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Bun
1. Create a ponytail using the steps above.
2. Secure it with a holder.
3. Add more primer to the hair to give you more grip.
4. Twist the hair by holding the ponytail at the end and turning it hand over hand until it is all twisted throughout.
5. Twist the hair around itself like a coiled snake against the head.
6. Lock it into place by using bobby pins. Grab the side of a coil at the top and stick it into the hair. Grab another pin and go through the side until they lock in place.
7. Continue to alternate pins in a crisscross shape until you feel the bun is secure.
Tips:
Brush hair every night and have your daughter sing “Happy Birthday” three times while doing it to make sure you are doing it enough.
Use shampoo only at the scalp. Use conditioner at the ends. Make sure all of it gets rinsed out.
When brushing, start with the bottom layer of the hair. Put the top layers in a clip on the top of the head to get them out of the way. Once you get the first layer, add another layer, brush it out, then another, until all the hair is smooth.
Daddy/Daughter Hair Class
When: 10 a.m. April 21
Where: Urban Betty Salon, 1206 W. 38th St., Suite 1107
Tickets: $75, technically sold out but contact the salon if you’re interested in a future class
Information: urbanbetty.com, 512-371-7663