5 Tips for Helping Your Daughter with Homecoming Hair and Makeup

by Amy · Published October 11, 2019 · Updated June 22, 2023

Want to help your daughter get her homecoming hair and makeup ready for the dance? Use these tips to get your prep started. Check out this great list of cheap homecoming dresses under 50 dollars! Alternatively, if you’re open to paying a little more, we recommend these stunning hoco dresses by Sherri Hill

Ahh, homecoming — the rite of passage many a teenager goes through at least once in their high school career.

First, be thankful it’s not you this time! It’s your daughter. You get to help her with her homecoming hair and makeup minus all the jitters and awkwardness.

That’s a relief — but that’s where it ends.

You know how it is: everything needs to be perfect. From her hair down to her freshly-painted toenails, she’ll likely want to look her best and for good reason!

Homecoming is like a welcome-back-to-school dance. It usually falls in September or October, mere months after the beginning of the school year. Now is the time to make an impression!

We’re here to help you out. Check out these tips for a stress-free hair and makeup party your daughter will remember forever.

1. Choose the Homecoming Dress First

This is a tip worth mentioning.

Your daughter’s homecoming dress will determine how her hair and makeup get done. For example, a dress with a ton of sparkle and shine will call for more neutral makeup. Or one that is strapless could benefit from a fancy updo rather than cascading waves.

And since school dances aren’t exactly inexpensive, shop smartly.

Check out this great list of cheap homecoming dresses under 50 dollars!

2. Plan Homecoming Hair and Makeup Ahead of Time (And Practice)

Now that you’ve got the dress squared away, get to planning the rest.

Scroll through online resources to find examples of homecoming hairdos. Have your daughter choose or circle ones that appeal to her. The same goes for the homecoming makeup.

Help her decide what she’d like and buy any necessary accessories, eyeshadows, and the like.

Then, in the weeks leading up to the dance, practice. This will take some of the stress and pressure away on the day of homecoming.

3. Keep It Modest

It’s easy to get carried away in the glitz and glam you’ll see online or on the faces of celebrities.

Lightly remind your daughter to keep things more on the modest end.

Not only is it less maintenance for her (no re-applying lipstick in the bathroom all night!) but it’ll translate well with the sweat she’s bound to garner from dancing with her girlfriends all evening.

4. Enlist Some Help. . .

If you’re not exactly a hair and makeup expert, consult with some friends and family.

Do you know anyone who’s great at updos or doing nails? Do you have a makeup artist friend? See if they’d like to come over that evening and help your daughter get ready with you.

Offer an incentive to your helper — such as dinner or drinks on you once your daughter heads off to the dance.

5. . . . Or Hire It

If all else fails, you can always pay professionals!

As many schools host homecoming dances around the same time of year, try to book your help in advance. If your daughter is getting her nails done, start scouting out salons at least a month early. The same goes for makeup booths in the mall or hair salons that do styling.

Then, you could turn getting ready into a whole fun day of pampering. You can even get your nails done, too!