Socal Dads Turn To Braids And Beer For Solidarity And Support

GOLETA — For a fewer minutes, nan ambiance wrong Captain Fatty’s Brewery successful Santa Barbara County was quiet, different from nan accustomed Friday nighttime clamor.

On this precocious May evening, nan 15 men gathered location were contemplating tackling thing fewer had antecedently had nan courageousness aliases accomplishment to return on. Austin Nieves, a caller transplant to nan area and nan man who had brought this brave group together, collapsed nan strained soundlessness by handing retired beers.

Within minutes, nan men, who ranged successful property from 30 to 60, began chatting among themselves.

Then they started braiding hair.

The May 22 arena — Goleta’s type of nan viral U.K.-inspired “Pints and Ponytails” nighttime — was sold out. The thought is to person expert hairstylists train uninitiated aliases intimidated fathers connected really to comb and braid their kids’ hair, utilizing salon-type caput mannequins but successful a mounting for bros.

“When nan first guys sewage there, they were stiff,” said Nieves, a Pasadena autochthonal who moved to Santa Barbara successful April 2025. “Then aft that first beer, they went from sitting astir nan separator of nan barroom to jumping correct into learning and giving it a shot.”

Dads group members Dan Ucko, left, and Eric Schalla participate successful nan hairstyling arena astatine Captain Fatty’s Brewery successful Goleta.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The gathering was 1 of respective begetter functions by nan Santa Barbara Dads group, which Nieves founded past spring.

May’s father statement offered, on pinch nan suds, a learning acquisition and camaraderie among fathers, which Nieves believes is overmuch needed.

“When my woman had our son, she instantly became portion of astatine slightest 5 mom groups and classes that offered her help, advice, relationship and training,” Nieves said. “As a first-time father, I really only had my brothers, who had children themselves, to move to.”

Scientific studies person shown that arsenic fathers person taken a much progressive domiciled successful kid rearing, they’ve faced loneliness, uncertainty and confusion.

Researchers Chris Knoester and David J. Eggebeen wrote successful 2006 successful nan “Journal of Family Issues” that fatherhood leads “to declines successful feelings of well-being and information successful societal activities” arsenic fathers walk little clip pinch friends.

Clinical psychologists Hillary Halpern and Maureen Perry-Jenkins documented that nan modulation from azygous life to fatherhood is often accompanied by a roller coaster of emotions. And researchers from Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute determined successful a 2021 study that fathers mightiness require thief “during their modulation to fatherhood.”

After a friends competition, Chi Jou “Belle” Lin selects nan winning mannequin during nan May 22 meetup.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

One specified measurement to assistance men is specifically a fathers group, according to nan 2021 study.

Most men “were mostly satisfied pinch participating successful begetter groups and described that they positively impacted their narration pinch their partner and child.”

The accrued interaction besides helped amended “their self-confidence and family equality and decreased their loneliness.”

Nieves agreed that his leisure clip and attraction changed sharply aft nan commencement of his child, Hudson, now 3 years old, arsenic did his friend group updates.

“They were talking astir each this crazy nosy aliases TV shows and I was talking astir my boy being capable to assistance his head,” Nieves said. “That’s erstwhile I knew I had to branch out.”

Nieves, past surviving successful Costa Mesa pinch his wife, Katie, created nan Orange County Dads nine in October 2023.

His group of merry men held meetups at java shops, beer halls and the zoo, hosted vacation hootenannies and moreover offered CPR classes.

Its occurrence helped spawn a section successful nan Whittier area.

Though strictly a fathers club, nan group, Nieves said, has grown acknowledgment to wives and partners sharing his societal media posts pinch their husbands.

Mikhail Alfon, laminitis of Blue Light Media, a societal media strategy agency, took his son, Santos, to aggregate Orange County meetups.

“This is our first kid and evidently life changes a lot,” said Alfon successful a societal media post. “Finding peers and friends that are successful nan aforesaid shape of life is great.”

That consciousness of community, however, faced a situation arsenic Nieves and his family purchased a location successful Santa Barbara and moved successful April 2025.

Peter Aguilar, left, and Fredy Medel activity connected their technique. Medel’s partner, Daniela Fajardo, holding their 1-year-old daughter, Faylani, records nan event.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Within a month, however, he had established a Santa Barbara-based dads group. Their first meetup was successful May 2025, and they’ve made a constituent to stitchery erstwhile a month.

Austin Jones, a Santa Barbara-based existent property supplier and investor, recovered Nieves done Instagram.

“I’m a husband, a dada and businessman, and it ends up being a batch of hats but very small support, astatine times,” Jones said. “It’s bully to find group successful nan trenches pinch you.”

Jones was intrigued by Pints and Ponytails arsenic he’s battled nan hair-care needs of his 2 ½-year-old daughter, Noa, and her textured, curly locks.

In a short while, Jones had gained capable assurance successful whipping his mannequin’s hairsbreadth into a ponytail that he vowed to effort pinch his girl soon.

“I was only beautiful bully astatine putting connected a headband earlier this,” he quipped.

The six mannequin heads and nan hr of instruction came courtesy of Santa Barbara cosmetologist Chi Jou “Belle” Lin, who offers area mobile services.

“I saw nan societal media station and a batch of group reached retired to maine to thatch nan class,” Lin said. “I had to help.”

Lin said nan mannequins she brought varied successful hairsbreadth magnitude and type, from consecutive to coily, but besides good successful texture, arsenic she tried to replicate young children’s hair.

She besides taught nan fathers basal hair-care techniques, including shampooing, detangling, checking for lice and really to necktie ponytails and braids.

Even if they started retired reticent, nan fathers became progressive participants, asking questions astir creating a neat French braid, what to do astir tangled ponytails and really to woody pinch frightened children, Lin said.

“I was really impressed pinch nan dads and their skills and nan real-life questions,” said nan stylist, who has individual acquisition astatine location successful her 2 ½-year-old daughter, Lotus. “Not each men person nan courageousness to inquire questions.”

For Nieves, nan concealed successful gaining caller dads and retaining others is simplicity.

“If you unfastened nan door, nan fathers will travel because everyone tin usage immoderate help,” Nieves said. “But they conscionable request to cognize it exists and they’re not alone.”

Days aft nan Goleta get-together, Santa Barbara dada Eric Drachman became a personage astatine nan preschool of his daughter, Noa, who is soon to beryllium 3.

“When nan videos of nan arena were posted, nan teachers astatine nan schoolhouse recognized me,” Drachman said. “They would inquire my daughter, ‘Who did your hair?’”

The query that intends most, however, is erstwhile Noa asks her begetter to hole her hair.

“She asks occasionally,” he said. “It‘s specified a nosy move we have.”