At the start of the school year, the dreaded morning ritual of wondering what to do with students’ hair rears its head.
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From ponytails to french braids and who can forget the man bun – keeping hair neat and tidy is very common in school policies.
Dreams business owner Jodie Saunders has opened her doors and offered her services to the community for any parent that could be “tearing their hair out” with the thought of the school year upon them.
“The idea came to me after hearing about a father in America starting a class for other dads who needed to learn how to do school hair,” she said.
“I was then talking to a friend of mine who said she was absent for school photos one day.
“The father had to do the student’s hair and the mother was horrified when the photos were delivered.”
Mrs Saunders said it's not just fathers who may need a helping hand, but mothers and other caregivers might need some guidance too.
“Nits are very prevalent in younger children,” she said.
“Nits aren’t just in school-aged children, but childcare and kindergartens as well.”
Mrs Saunders said by pulling the hair back and securing it can help in the prevention of nits.
“This isn’t just for girls, many boys have longer hair these days,” she said.
Although there are many tutorials available, Mrs Saunders said you can never beat learning as you go with someone right there helping you.
“I can start off with something as basic as a ponytail and go through french braids with ribbons,” she said.
“Following tutorial videos are sometimes hard and they go to fast.
“I’m happy to work at any pace needed.”
With a nursing background and a mother herself, Mrs Saunders has been through school years with her own children.
“When my daughter was in primary school I started a nit program,” she said.
“We checked every child and once a week with conditioner we would treat with conditioner and do a funky hairstyle in their hair.
“The kids weren’t picked on, some even said ‘I wish I had nits so I could have a cool hairstyle too’.”
Children can also go along to seek guidance from Mrs Saunders on how to put their hair into a ponytail and also tips on how to brush their hair.
Mrs Saunders opened her Barkly Street shop in December and said this is one way she can give back to the community.
“I have tea and coffee here and people can come and gather and maybe learn a couple of new hairstyles they can try on their children,” she said.
Mrs Saunders opens her doors at 11am on Saturdays and welcomes the community to come along.
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