Bridal hair care - What should I be doing?
Hey everyone! Colette and Sophie have got together to talk about hair care before the wedding day, discussing practical tips for brides to be on maintaining healthy hair.
So, I'm engaged Colette, what should I be doing to help prep my hair for the wedding day?
If you’re a bride who experiments with colouring their hair then you need to think about this first. Ideally you want to decide on your hair colour 12 months before the wedding.
Disclamier: I am not a hairdresser, I specialise in Bridal hair so when it comes to colouring your hair and time frames for it I am not the person to ask but a year before you need to begin thinking about what it’ll take to get to the colour you want. You’ve got to consider where your appointments fall in the run up to your wedding. *
If you need further information on colouring your hair I will be able to direct you to the correct people.
Should I just grow my hair and not get it cut..?
That’s the worst thing you could do. You need to be getting regular trims, roughly every 12 weeks. Especially if you use a lot of heat on your hair. It’s important to remove any split ends because the ends of the hair can look like straw. If they aren’t removed, when curling the hair it doesn’t look healthy or have longevity. If you are wanting face framing piece as part of your hair style you need to consider getting layers cut in around your face. If you are unsure about face framing and don’t currently have them cut in then hold off until you’ve spoken with your hairstylist and had your hair trial. Reason being it’s easier to tie up your front face framing when they are longer.
'When you do get your face framing cut in, a good length is somewhere between your jaw line and your collar bone!'
What hair treatments do you recommend?
At home hair treatments are perfect and my first recommendation is to include a hair mask into your hair regime.
Loreal Paris Pro Longer hair mask. It smells amazing and I would recommending using it every 7-10 days depending on how often you wash your hair. This particular hair mask helps reduce split ends and makes hair fuller and thicker.
It’s important to invest in a good shampoo. Try and avoid buying the basic supermarket brands because they frequently contain harsh ingredients like sulphates and silicones that can strip hair of it’s natural oils, leading to dryness and dullness.
It’s also important to use a clarifying shampoo every now and then especially if you use product in your hair, for example dry shampoo. Clarifying shampoo helps remove the product build up and excess oil.
Hair regrowth...
It’s very important that you have a healthy scalp.
You could include a scalp exfoliator. I tend to use this once every 7-10 days. It’s designed to remove dead skin cells and build up which then helps with hair growth. I love using ‘Scalp Therapy’ by Osmo. Dry shampoo would be one of the product that can cause a build up on your scalp. If you use this regular and don’t remove it from your scalp then this will clog your hair follicles and could have an effect on hair growth.
Another way to encourage hair growth is by giving it a gentle massage. A brilliant time to do this, is in the shower when using your shampoo. You can buy a scalp stimulator brush to use in the shower.
An added extra to help towards your hair growing is hair supplements. I haven’t ever tried them but you can buy gummies that encourage strong nails and healthy hair.
I have a friend that has tried ‘Champo’ hair oil after having a baby to help the hair along her hairline grow back. She recently said that she was very impressed with the oil and has since her hairline at the front improve massively. A lot thicker.
I love using hair oil in general. If you find that your hair is dry or damaged its brilliant to add this into your hair from wet before blow drying. It adds extra moisture to the hair and that’s what your hair needs when its dry and damaged. I also add a little in after styling the hair to add a barrier against any outside moisture, (humidity, rain). I use a hair serum from Indola. It s a lightweight formula with coconut oil and it’s great for adding shine, controlling frizz and its great for anti static.
How should Brides prep their hair for a wedding morning?
Every bridal hairstylist will have their own preference and will also personalise the bridal prep for brides if they need to. Generally though, everyone should arrive on the wedding morning with their hair freshly washed and blow dried as smooth as possible with a brush the day before or morning of. The idea that “dirty hair is best and it holds better” is a myth.
There are a few product options when blow drying. You’ll want to use something that has heat defence. This could simply be a heat defence spray.
You can also use hair oils through the mid to lengths before blow drying. This adds moisture to the hair and is perfect for hair that tends to be static. Using an oil can calm this down.
If your hair doesn’t particularly like to hold curls your stylist might ask you to blow dry mousse into it too. This will add body and texture to the hair.
A Simple Change that will benefit both your hair and skin...
Using a silk or satin pillowcase!
The smooth surface of both silk and satin minimalises friction against the skin and hair. This will prevent hair from tangling, breaking and becoming frizzy. For the skin it’ll prevent creases, wrinkles and even breakouts.
Silk is less absorbent than cotton allowing the hair and skin to retain more moisture which can help prevent dryness in both the hair and skin and prevent hair breakage.
The smooth surface of silk and satin allows hair to slide more easily, reducing the likelihood of bedhead and making hair easier to manage in the morning.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the products that I’ve mentioned, always check online at LOOK FANTASTIC first because it may be available there and with my discount code you could save yourself some money. At the check out don’t forget to add the code: LFTFCOLETTESUDLOW
Thank you all for joining us for another amazing episode on The Bridal Hour Podcast. If you liked this episode and think it can help someone, please share it with a friend or family member.
……and just remember it’s YOUR wedding, they are your memories to make.