Do you want your hair to look as beautiful and bouncy as Michelle's or as smooth and textured as my bridesmaid Heather's?
My beautiful clients followed all the correct steps below to help me prepare their hair for their event, and yours can look just as beautiful by following a few simple steps. Here I answer all your questions about your bridal hair prep, to help you move into your Big day!
1. Shall I wash My hair?
The answer is yes, but when to do it for your hair type is most important:
Normal/Dry hair: I suggest my clients wash their hair the night before.
Greasy/Oily hair: If you have particularly oily hair, try washing your hair in the morning.
If you have booked an updo style and would like to wash your hair in the morning, I would suggest making sure your hair is 100% dry before getting into the chair for your turn. If you have booked a blow-dry, then, of course, wet hair is better. Generally, a stylist would have booked a time slot into their itinerary for an updo only. That would only include styling and not enough time to blow-dry.
Schedules are very tight on a wedding morning, so adding an unscheduled blow-dry on top of the morning routine can put pressure onto your stylist and add anywhere between 10-30 minutes onto the schedule. I know it is a woman's prerogative to be running late on their wedding day, but you do not want to run too far behind schedule. Your registrar definitely will not thank you for it.
2. How shall I wash my hair?
There seems like an obvious answer to this question, but how many of you wash your hair twice? Not many, I'm guessing.
There is a reason that a hairdresser will wash your hair twice in a Salon. To make sure your hair is really clean! The first shampoo only gets rid of the surface dirt, so always wash twice for a deeper clean. You never know you might get an extra day out of your blow-dry. Many clients have thanked me for this little tip throughout my career.
3. When shall I wash my hair?
When is the best time for you to wash your hair?
I have many different answers to this, and everyone is different. It's all about judging when your hair is at its best, and it all depends on your hair type. You will know when your hair starts feeling dirty, and if that is the case, you have left it too long. You want to find that medium. For me, I prefer second-day hair.
For greasy hair, I would recommend washing your hair the morning of your wedding day to ensure that your hair has a little bounce to it so that it doesn't stick to your head as flat as a pancake. Seriously, no one can work with that. No matter how much dry shampoo we can use, it just isn't going to happen!
For dry/damaged/curly hair, please wash your hair the night before. I know so many of you want to go out the night before with your family, but this is important. If your hair is particularly dry, damaged, or curly, it will need to keep as much moisture as it can get, so then your hair is best to have slept in overnight.
4. Is it a good idea to use a conditioner?
There are two answers to this, yes and no.
You can probably judge this for yourself. I prefer hair with as little conditioner as possible. Everyone hates me when I say no conditioner, so I have softened over the years and have slightly changed my tune. Now I suggest the tiniest amount, and I MEAN the smallest blob of conditioner, just on the very ends. You can always add more if you feel the need. It is better to add product than rewash your hair. I suggest applying the product only to the very ends of your hair so that the majority of your hair is not too soft and limp that I cannot manipulate it into shape. If you feel like you can go without conditioner, if you have fine hair, thin hair, or greasy, then go for it. If I were your hairstylist, I would add moisturising products if I felt your hair needed it.
5. Am I able to blow dry or straighten my hair after I wash it?
Blow-dry, yes. Try to avoid straightening your hair. Instead, I recommend smoothing your hair over with a big round hairbrush or paddle brush. It helps iron out kinks and reduces or adds volume depending on the hair type. Smoothing over your hair helps us stylists and saves a lot of time on the wedding morning.
6. May I tie my hair up?
Yes, you can, but no braids, please! Yes, you can tie your hair up when you sleep. I sleep like this to keep my style in shape and get the most out of my blow-dry. (I am planning a video on this in February). I suggest tying your hair up on the top of your head like pebbles (from The Flintstones, you will know what I mean if you're my age or older!) and tie with a soft, loose scrunchie. Yes, you will look silly, but it helps reduce kinks and helps with the volume. I literally sleep like this every night, so my blow-dry will last the whole week. (I do have dry curly hair).
7. Brush. Your. Hair!
Lastly, a question I never get asked. It seems like an obvious one, but sometimes it's not. Some wedding mornings are crazy busy you can't find any time for yourself. But please, can you brush your hair before relaxing in the chair? If you have not brushed your hair from the day before, it can take up a good 5-10 minutes to untangle some very tangly slept-in hair. Per-person, it can add a bit of time of just untangling the hair before I get to start on to your wedding morning.
So if you are thinking, what shall I do to my hair? Follow these steps so you can help prep your hair to look just as good as any of my brides, bridesmaids, and clients.
If you fancy heading over and checking out some other hairstyles and wedding inspo to my instagram, you can do so here Hayleylawsbridal
Love Hayley
Disclaimer: I am a hair and makeup artist that has been consistent in the hair and beauty world for over 15 years. However, your wedding stylist might have a different preparation guide that she works with and would like you to follow. Above is just a suggestion and guide that I would like my clients to follow.