There aren’t many situations where you’ll find a group of grown men sat in a pub, pint in one hand, carefully trying to master a braid.
But that’s exactly what happened earlier this month at the Lucky Saint pub in London, where “Pints and Ponytails” brought together a group of dads for a slightly unusual kind of evening.
The idea was simple enough. Learn how to do your daughter’s hair. The setting made it a lot more interesting.
Seriously though, what a brilliant idea.
What The Event Actually Was
“Pints and Ponytails” was a small workshop organised by the Secret Life of Dads community, aimed at helping fathers get to grips with basic hair styling.
We’re not talking about anything over the top. This was about the fundamentals. Ponytails, plaits, and the sort of things that actually come up on a normal school morning.
Around 30 to 40 dads turned up, and instead of practising on their kids (which probably wouldn’t have gone well), they worked on mannequin heads laid out across pub tables. There was guidance from people who knew what they were doing, but the whole thing stayed relaxed and informal.
No pressure. No awkward classroom feel. Just dads having a go. And a pint. Or maybe two.
More Important Than It Seems
It’s easy to look at something like this and think it’s just a bit of fun. And it is. But there’s a reason it struck a chord.
Hair is one of those everyday parenting jobs that a lot of dads just never really learn. Not because they don’t want to, but because it’s always been one of those things someone else handled.
Then suddenly you’re the one doing the school run, or getting them ready in the morning, and you realise you’re completely winging it.
And kids notice. Not in a critical way, but in the small details. Whether you can do their hair properly. Whether you take the time to try. Whether you’re confident doing it.
That’s where something like this comes in. It takes a small gap and actually does something about it. It’s important and has a deeper meaning than it seems on the surface.
It Didn’t Take Itself Too Seriously
What makes this work isn’t just the idea. It’s how it was done.
Putting it in a pub changes everything. It immediately makes it feel more accessible, less like you’re signing up for a parenting class and more like you’re just going out for a pint and picking something up along the way.
You can imagine the mix of reactions on the night. A few dads quietly concentrating, some clearly out of their depth, others getting the hang of it quicker than expected. Probably a fair bit of trial and error.
That’s exactly how it should be.
Because the goal isn’t perfection. It’s just getting better than you were before. And doing so in a way that is accessible and low presure.
It Went Viral and I Hope It Comes Back
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Clips from the event ended up doing the rounds online, and people loved it. Not just because it’s a slightly funny visual — dads seriously focused on mannequin heads in a pub — but because it feels genuine.
There’s no big message being forced. It’s just a group of dads trying to improve at something that matters to their kids, and that’s something a lot of people can relate to straight away.
It’s also the sort of thing most of us would probably give a go. Not because anyone expects to walk out suddenly mastering complicated styles, but because it takes away that awkward starting point. Learning something like this is a lot easier when someone shows you properly, rather than guessing your way through it at home.
Even picking up one or two basics would make a difference. A ponytail that actually looks neat, a plait that holds together — small wins, but ones that matter more than you’d think.
The event itself has already been and gone, but it doesn’t feel like a one-off idea. If anything, it’s the kind of thing that could easily pop up again, whether in the same place or somewhere else entirely. They have already done one follow up so another may well come up.
And if it does, it’s well worth keeping an eye on.
Because a lot of modern fatherhood isn’t about big gestures or standout moments. It’s about showing up for the everyday stuff — even the bits you’re not naturally good at — and getting a little bit better at them over time.