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From ballet buns to ponytails, a Winnipeg dance mom is helping fathers and father figures alike learn the ins and outs of doing their daughters’ hair.
Lyren Cherlet first got the idea to teach dads the tricks of the tress trade late last year, after one of her fellow dance moms broke her wrist at the most inopportune time – competition season.
“She was kind of panicking because her husband didn’t know how to do her daughter’s hair,” she told CTV News.
That gave Cherlet, who has worked as a film and television makeup artist for nearly 20 years, an idea.
During her social media travels, she had learned about classes being offered in the U.K., teaching fathers how to do basic hairstyles. Cherlet thought dads on this side of the pond could benefit from something similar.
With that, Beers and Braids was born – a series of hair classes held by Cherlet at breweries and pubs throughout Winnipeg.
Mannequin heads with flowing locks are lined up along bar tables where participating dads learn how to brush, bobby pin, bun and braid in between sips of beer.
“They’re trepidatious when they come in, and then once they’re done, they’re just ecstatic,” Cherlet said.
“They go home beaming with pride to their daughters just because they have this confidence now that they can actually do their daughter’s hair.”
The first two Beers and Braids events sold out.
After another round of classes booked up fast, Cherlet added even more through the summer to try to keep up with demand.
Marcelle Rizzuto, co-owner of Lineage House Salon, is also combing through constant requests for more dad hair lessons after hosting an inaugural class earlier this month.
Eight dads with daughters in tow learned how to comb without pulling and some basic styles, like ponytails, pigtails and braids.
“It was just kind of going to be a one-off and kind of just see what the reaction was to it, and now we still have people messaging almost every single day, asking when the next one is.”
Now the plan is to offer a session every month.
She hopes each dad she teaches, many of whom were enrolled by their wife or partner, will keep practicing their skills when they get home.
“I think it’s important for either partner to know how to do those things. Plus, it obviously takes off weight from the other partner being the only one who knows how to do that one thing,” she said.
As for Cherlet, she hopes each dad she teaches leaves with newly earned confidence with a comb and a new style of bonding with their child.
“I’ve heard some fun stories when the dad has become the only certified person to do a French braid now, so that’s awesome.”