How to Prep Your Hair for Your Wedding Day
Whether your bridal hairstyle lasts late into the night isn't decided on your wedding morning. With the right prep in the weeks before, you can do a lot yourself. Here are my tips from more than 25 years of experience in the beauty industry – for your trial and your wedding day.
Color: 7 to 10 days before your wedding
Schedule any color changes or other color services 7 to 10 days before your wedding. There are three good reasons:
Your hairstyle needs grip. Almost all modern hair colors use bond-building technology. It protects your hair from breakage during coloring, but it also makes it especially soft. On top of that, there's the color care used in the salon after coloring. Both are good for your hair, but not ideal for a long-lasting hairstyle. For that, we need hold and grip – the exact opposite.
No color stains. By your wedding day, any traces of color on your hairline and skin will be gone.
Time for corrections. If something isn't quite right, there's enough time to fix it calmly.
Haircut: just the last few millimeters
How much your haircut matters depends on your hairstyle. With hair down or half-up styles, your ends are clearly visible and need to look beautiful. With updos, they're barely visible. Still, a well-kept cut never hurts.
Many brides lovingly grow out their hair for the wedding. Shortly before the big day, I recommend trimming just the last few millimeters for a strong finish and compact, full ends. You can even do this the day before your wedding – but without any hair care products, so your hair keeps its grip.
My most important tip: Don't have anything done that you haven't discussed with your stylist. If face-framing pieces are planned – fine strands that frame your face – leave the front sections alone. I prefer to cut them on the wedding day itself so they sit perfectly.
Hair care and head spa: timing is everything
Treatments and masks are good for your hair, but they also make it soft. If possible, stop using them 7 to 10 days before your wedding.
A head spa is a highlight for many brides in the week before the wedding. Most take time off anyway for final preparations and to unwind. Just don't schedule it too close: no later than 6 days before your wedding, so your hair has enough grip again by your day.
How to come to your trial and your wedding day
I always tell my brides: you can actively help make your result beautiful. For both appointments:
Freshly washed, ideally the same morning. That way, there are no kinks from sleeping, and I can work with all the products I need. If your hair has already gotten oily, wax sprays work against us and your hair quickly looks greasy. If the timing doesn't allow it, wash it the evening before. We'll plan this together.
No hair care products. If possible, no conditioner and no leave-in products. I'll take care of everything else.
Two exceptions: Naturally wavy or curly hair can have plenty of moisture. If your hair is hard to comb or very damaged, use a light, moisturizing conditioner.
No hairspray, no dry shampoo.
100% dry. Simply blow-dried – no styling and no flat iron. If you have curly hair and want a sleek look, it's best to blow it out straight.
To learn how your trial works and what else to bring, read my article on your bridal hair and makeup trial.
The most common mistakes – and how to avoid them
The wrong shampoo. I recommend a clarifying shampoo: it removes all residue and doesn't make your hair any softer.
Forgetting the back of your head. I see this again and again – and that's often exactly where the focus is in many hairstyles. Wash your hair thoroughly everywhere, not just at the front.
Hair that hasn't been washed for a while. Especially for the trial, many brides come in when their last wash was a few days ago. Then your look will never be as beautiful as it could be. And it isn't good for your hair if I use heat on oily hair.
Hair that's still damp. On your wedding morning, we deliberately keep the schedule tight so you don't have to get up unnecessarily early. There's no time for extra blow-drying, and damp hair affects how long your style lasts.
