From bridal hairstyles to hair growth tips, say ‘I do’ to our wedding hair advice…
From the venue and flowers to the all-important dress, there are so many things to prep before the big day. One key part of your wedding plans? Deciding your bridal hair, of course!
Whether you’re after boho waves or a chic updo, we’ve got the tips, tricks and products to help you achieve the wedding hair of your dreams. Scroll on (or should we say, step down the aisle?) to find out more…
Step 1: Understand your hair goals
First thing’s first for your bridal hair prep: what is your inspo?
There are so many options for you to choose from. You could make a Pinterest board and save your favourite hairstyles, or even go old-school and cut out magazine pictures to make a moodboard!
When trying on wedding dresses, keep in mind your hair, too. Dresses with detailed back designs pair gorgeously with updos, while more simplistic styles work great with waves or curls. Think about if you’re going to wear a veil too, as this will also change what hairstyle will look best.
From there, you can start to create your very own wedding hair prep regime!
Step 2: Will you have a hairstylist?
While some brides choose to style their own hair on the big day, others may want to have a hairstylist – it’s totally up to you!
Booking a hair trial with your desired hairstylist first is a great way to decide on the best hairstyle for you. Try to keep an open mind – your hairstylist might be able to suggest a hairstyle that will suit you and your look more. They will also be able to tell you if you’ll need extensions, including the best ones for your desired look.
Looking to switch up your hair colour before the big day? Your hairstylist can let you know how far in advance you need to make a trip to the Boots hair dye aisle or the salon – they might even offer the service themselves.
Thinking of doing your hair yourself? By booking a hair trial, you can learn all about the best techniques, plus any accessories, products or hair tools you’ll need to purchase beforehand.
Step 3: Prepping before the big day
Wedding hair prep doesn’t start with the hair wash the night before! While we can’t avoid hair damage altogether, you can incorporate healthy hair hacks during the run-up to your nuptials to help make it as healthy as possible, creating the perfect starting point for your bridal hair.
Some of our top tips?
- Limit heat styling – we all know this by now, but using heat on your hair can damage it over time. Give the heat a break and use heatless curling ribbons overnight and make sure to use a heat protectant every time you apply heat to your locks
- Work hair treatments, masks or oils into your regular hair routine. Try to find a mask designed for your hair type – for example, an intensive moisture treatment for natural curls or a mask to help protect and enhance coloured hair. Hair masks can be too heavy if used every single hair wash, so limit your treatments to once a week
- Help reduce hair breakage by being extra-careful while combing wet hair, and try to keep hair moisturised, as dry hair is more likely to break. Make sure to be particularly careful if your hair’s been bleached or heat-damaged, as it’ll be more prone to breakage
Just like we mentioned earlier, adapting your haircare routine to suit your hair type is the best way to help maintain hair health. Choose the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type – and, if you have natural waves, curls or coils, explore our top picks for textured hair.
How to get longer hair
While you could always use hair extensions for a longer wedding hairstyle, you might want to include some hair growth products to help add some extra length to your natural locks.
Everyone’s hair grows at a different pace, but there are some ways you can help boost your hair health to help encourage it to grow. Some hair growth tips include:
- Get regular trims – as counterintuitive as it seems, getting regular trims helps get rid of dead ends, helping your hair stay healthy. Aim for trims every six to twelve weeks, but ask your hairdresser for more advice if you’re unsure
- Look after your scalp – a healthy scalp is key for hair growth! Try to use a shampoo that cleanses your scalp, or exfoliate once a week to gently lift any dead skin cells. You could also work a scalp massage into your hair wash routine. After applying shampoo, use a scalp massager to gently work the product into your hair before rinsing
- You can also consider hair growth vitamins. These can help with your hair goals, including a range of ingredients like biotin which helps with the maintenance of normal hair
Looking for even more advice on hair growth? Discover our article dedicated to growing your locks.
Step 4: And of course, the big day!
Can you hear the wedding bells ring? Whether you’ve opted for a hairstylist or you’re doing it yourself, make sure you’ve got everything you need – including some spares, like extra hair ties and grips!
Want to add a final flourish to your look? Take your wedding scent to the next level with a hair perfume.
While usual fragrances include ingredients that can leave hair dry, hair perfumes are gentler on your tresses. You could use a hair perfume in the same scent as your fragrance of choice – or, use a hair perfume with fragrance notes that’ll compliment your perfume. May we suggest Sol de Janeiro’s Cheirosa 71 hair mist as a delicious enhancement for Kayali’s Vanilla 28?
Now that you’ve RSVP-ed to your hair routine, get the rest of your wedding beauty prep sorted with wedding make-up tips from a bridal MUA, or get some beauty inspo with 2024’s wedding beauty trends. No matter what look you go for on the big day, we’ve got the top tricks and picks for you.
