Philippe Morgese became a single dad when his daughter, Emma, was just a year old. Emma had a head full of hair, and he realized he would need to learn how to style it.
The Florida dad told BuzzFeed News he started out easy, with hair clips. But as Emma grew, he graduated to pigtails.
He then moved on to more complicated hairstyles, and soon taught himself to be a pro.
Over time, Morgese began to get many compliments on Emma's hair. He also received inquiries from other dads, asking him for advice on how to do hair themselves.
After getting multiple inquiries, Morgese had the idea of getting a group of men together to teach them what he has learned about doing hair.
"I thought it would be easier to show them in person," he said.
As he thought about it more, Morgese said he realized it would be a great way to help other dads and give back to his community.
"I get a lot of credit for doing her hair and hear compliments about my role as a father because of it," he said. "I want other dads to be able to experience that."
So, Morgese reached out to a local beauty school, International Academy, and asked them if they would provide a space for free for the class. He said he wasn't sure what response he would get, but they thought it was a great idea.
Seven dads and daughters showed up to the first class. The dads did "great," Morgese said.
The dads practiced "some basics with hair combing, ponytails, a bun, and a three-strand braid," Morgese said.
“There was some struggling, but all the dads really put in the effort,” he added.
Morgese said he was so happy with how it turned out, he decided to share photos of the event on Reddit to hopefully inspire others.
The pictures have since been viewed nearly 2 million times.
Now, Morgese said he plans on holding more classes, and even started a Facebook page for them, which he calls the Daddy Daughter Hair Factory.
Morgese said that people's reactions to his efforts with his daughter have made him a more confident parent, and he is thrilled to share that with other dads.
"I feel like the kudos have made me a better dad," he said. "When you hear 'you are such an awesome dad,' you start to believe it and let go of the mistakes you make as a parent."