Hairstyles for parties, picture day and dance

For the days a photo will be taken. Neat, a little more than everyday, and still something you can do.

Every style here is in the free app, with the steps for her hair.

These are the styles tagged for parties or dance in the app. For a school picture day the same list applies: something tidy from the front, done the night before if it will last, or that morning if it will not. The free ones are on this site in full; the rest are in Beyond the Ponytail, an optional one-time pack in the app.

Free, step by step

Tangle-Free BrushingAbout 2 minutes. 5 steps. Toddlers to pre-teens.The foundation skill. Done right it takes two minutes and causes no pain.
High PonytailAbout 4 minutes. 6 steps. Young children to pre-teens.All hair gathered at the very top of her head, giving more height and keeping the neck completely clear.
Half-Up, Half-DownAbout 4 minutes. 6 steps. Young children to pre-teens.The top half of the hair gathered and clipped at the very top of her head; the bottom half left loose.
Two Even BunchesAbout 6 minutes. 7 steps. Babies to older children.Hair divided down the middle and gathered into one ponytail on each side, level with the ears.

In Beyond the Ponytail

The finished look, the time and what you need are on each page. The full steps are in the app, in an optional one-time pack. No subscription.

The techniques that matter here

Making a partingFollow the bone, not your eye.
Holding tensionThe anchor hand, and why it matters more than the elastic.

When it goes wrong

It doesn't look right

Practise it first, in the app

Dad Hair Hero keeps a diary of what you have done and how it went, so the party style is one you have already tried. Free, no account, no tracking. In the app:

Her hair, not hair in general. Choose Straight, Wavy, Thick, Curly or Coily under "her hair today" and the steps and pictures change to the method for her hair.
A check before every step. Each step ends with what it should look and feel like, so you know it is right before you move on.
Fix It, mid-style. When something is not right, "Something's not right" opens the fix for it without leaving the step.
The diary. Add a photo and a note when you finish, and see what you have done and what to try next.

Free, with six everyday styles and all eight techniques. No account, no ads, no tracking.

More ways in: easy hairstyles, curly and coily hair, school hairstyles, toddler hairstyles and sports hairstyles, or all eighteen styles.