‘It’s an opportunity for bonding’ – my quest to become a Black dad who can do his daughters’ hair

‘An opportunity for bonding’ … Lanre Bakare washes his daughter’s hair under the guidance of stylist Jennie Roberts. Photograph: Wunmi Onibudo/The Guardian

In the basement of Larry King’s salon in Marylebone, London, stylist and curly hair advocate Jennie Roberts is giving me a much-needed pep talk. “It’s all about education and making everything simplified,” she says, perhaps sensing my apprehension as I stand uneasily before her with a comb in hand.

“It’s not a big effort, it is not going to cost a lot of money. Managing curly hair, once you know how, is easy,” Roberts says. “It really is. It’s easier than trying to hide it anyway.”