For most of us, doing our daughter’s hair is a daily battle. Getting brush through locks and up into a simple pony tail take serious effort.

Which is why checking out Melbourne woman, Shelley Gifford’s Instagram account, Pretty Little Braids, may well stop you in your tracks.

For example;

Shelley, mum to Grace, 6 and George, 4 says braids and plaits have always interested her. “Growing up I always loved braiding, I would take any opportunity to braid my family and friends’ hair. Back then, I only ever knew how to French and Dutch braid, I wasn’t aware that so many other braids existed.”

The former real estate agent is entirely self-taught, learning by watching videos online and following other braiding social media accounts. “I found accounts that were solely set up to showcase hairstyles that mums had created on their daughters. I loved what I saw and it was then that I started my own Facebook and Instagram braiding accounts. I started following other hair and braiding accounts: asking questions and continuously watching video tutorials.”

Shelley says her daughter loves having her hair braided. So much so, she’ll sit still on a daily basis and let her mum do her amazing handiwork. “Grace is fantastic, I’ve been styling her hair since she was a toddler so she doesn’t know any different. It’s her quiet time for TV after she is ready for school so she is more than happy to sit there. For as long as Grace’s hair was long enough to clip back or put into an elastic, I have been styling her hair.”

Shelley recommends spraying hair with a detangler before starting, using a heat protectant spray if you plan on crimping or curling, and finishing with hair spray to avoid fly aways.

For more from Shelley at Pretty Little Braids, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram .

WATCH: Our milkmaid braid tutorial.