People spend a fortune and a whole lot of time in preparing for weddings. As soon as the date is set, the plan starts moving! A wedding planner is booked, the timeline is being set, the wedding makeup is booked and you start thinking about the look you’ll wear on the day. As countless tasks line up, stress builds up and this could affect your crowning glory.
Ideally, walking down the aisle happens once in a lifetime. But what doesn’t happen once during a wedding celebration, is the clicking of cameras. A bride cannot afford to have a bad hair day. Following a timeline from the planning phase up to the day, here’s how to prepare your hair for your wedding:
From engagement until the big day:
Great hair is the key to having a perfect ‘do. You can achieve this by eating healthy, staying fit and resting aptly. Though hair is made of mostly keratin (which is dead cells), blood vessels feed the hair follicles connected through the scalp. That’s why your hair keeps growing but it doesn’t hurt at all when it gets cut.
Wash your hair regularly to ensure you can achieve those blow wave curls on the big day. And avoid hair products as much as you can. Brushing can also aid circulation to the scalp but if done too much, it can break the hair in the middle leaving it frizzy by the time you need them tame. Also, air-dry your hair whenever you can. Blow-drying it almost every day may damage it and result to split ends.
Around this time, you should be deciding what hairstyle are you pulling off with your dress. But don’t forget the events before the wedding day like bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and photoshoots that would need your hair presentable. So, it’s advisable to take some vitamin supplements. Have sufficient Biotin in your body to help your hair grow thick and healthy.
In the months leading up to the wedding:
By conditioning your hair you are preparing it to stay vibrant for your wedding day. Follow this timeline and you’d be giving your stylist a fresh canvas to work on. There are two ways to achieve this.
The most practical way involves your conditioner. While washing your hair, let the conditioner sit on your scalp for a good 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off. The conditioner moisturizes it as it seeps into the cuticle. This increases your hair’s strength and flexibility preventing it from dry spells and breakage.
Deep conditioning may also be achieved by going to the salon, but it could be a little pricey. You can invest in a good product for a feel of the treatment though. Either or, deep conditioning helps dodge oily scalp, brittle strands, and dull hair.
You may want to opt for the on-the-go conditioner. Andrea Pomerantz Lustig, the author of How To Look Expensive, mentioned that conditioning oil helps in keeping your hair shiny, frizz-free and moisturized without the greasy feel. They are derived from natural ingredients and are helpful to people who have coarse and curly hair. Spritz it on your scalp anytime from leaving for work to maintaining it tamely at the office.
Monthly until the Despedida de Soltera:
Just like you need to book a celebrant, there are other things you have to do before the wedding day. Oftentimes, the wedding day is preceded by scheduled events like the despedida de soltera or a wedding banquet. Whichever comes first, this is the start of flaunting your mane.
The best time to trim your hair depends on what hairdo you find most suitable on the day and how do you want to work it out with the dress changes.
Taking care of your hair involves trimming it as you grow it. This unleashes the healthy part of the hair freeing it from split ends and hair damage. In this case, you should trim your hair up to the desired length at least two months prior, to allow your hair to fall naturally as you approach the day.
A month before the wedding day
If you plan to colour your hair, it’s important to keep it within your normal hue unless you plan to look back 10 years later and think you looked like a unicorn. Let your stylist use the least damaging chemical or brand in colouring your hair, then follow what he would recommend to keep it hydrated, moisturized and glowing. You need ample time to let it sit too. Include a colouring touch up at least 7-10 days before the wedding.
A week before the wedding day:
Having a trial for hair and makeup is a must. If needed, it should include how to transform the hairstyle from an updo into a lengthy one after removing only, at least three bobby pins. This assures you of a smooth transition time or whether you still wanted to pull it through or not.
24 hours before the wedding
Better not to use any conditioning product the day before the day for it flattens the hair. You need to hold onto as much body to keep it light and vibrant. Flat and oily hair tends to make your cheeks chubby and easy to hold.
If by this time, you are still convincing yourself of that colour or trim you’ve been itching to go for, hold that thought. Any plans of doing drastic hair changes from here will more likely end as a disaster.
An hour before the wedding date:
“You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” The Maid of Honor has done her job telling you the right words, but honestly, the only one that can make you feel as such is yourself.
So, own your mane. Rock it, flaunt it and make it work.
