Weddingbee Blog

With the wedding day fast approaching, I thought I’d share some of my tips to getting hair in top shape for the big day. So here it goes…

1. Use professional shampoo and conditioner.

This is my number one rule of thumb and here’s why… some cheap shampoos and conditioners coat your hair with wax, so while they may initially leave your hair feeling silky and smooth, that wax will build up after a few weeks and make your hair dull, heavy, and greasy. Don’t fall for the Pantene commercials! Those women do not use Pantene, they are hair models getting paid to wave their healthy hair in front of a camera. Other cheap shampoos will dry out your hair. Scary Miss Nachos fact #2937: Prell shampoo has the same pH as Drano. Not kidding.

Professional shampoo is everywhere these days, so you have no excuse! Yes, it’s definitely more pricey than your $1 bottle of Suave, but it. is. worth. every. penny. Although if you see pro products at your local drugstore or chain store, I’d be wary. Scary Miss Nachos fact #48: those stores do not have a license to sell those products so what the bottle says may not actually be what the bottle contains. Plus, they jack up their prices higher than the salons do. Fun Miss Nachos fact #8487: cosmetologist friends can get products for you for HALF the price of what you’d pay in a salon. If you personally know a hair stylist (I’m not talking about your own stylist, do not bother them, I’m talking more like a friend with a cosmetology license), ask him/her to get your products for you the next time they hit the professional beauty supply stores for stylists (like Beauty Alliance, Victory/Cosmo Prof, and Marshall Salon Services, not Sally’s). My favorite brand of all time is Redken and I get it for my friends and family regularly.

(Logo source)

2. Change your shampoo and conditioner every once in a while.

Although your pro shampoo isn’t leaving a residue behind, your hair gets used to it and you need to switch it up once in a while. Picture someone giving you a lollipop every day for a year. You’re happy you’re getting a gift, but you get bored with the lollipop. Then that person gives you a purple monkey balloon animal one day, and the excitement is back! Hair boredom can cause your shampoo and conditioner to underperform, and you have to give it that purple monkey balloon animal once in a while. I like to switch between Redken Body Full, Redken All Soft, and Redken Extreme every couple of months.

(Source 1, 2, 3)

3. Don’t feel like you have to get a shampoo and conditioner that match.

Although most formulas are made to work together, you may need one thing from a shampoo and something different from a conditioner. For example, I’ll use Body Full shampoo for the fullness, and Extreme conditioner for strengthening if I’ve been mean to my hair.

4. Do not sleep in rubber bands, barrettes, etc.

As you roll around on your pillow through the night, your hair will pull and break at the rubber band. If you prefer to sleep with your hair pulled back, break out your scrunchies! Although you may not be caught dead wearing a scrunchie in the light of day, those little fabric covered uglies will help save your hair from bedtime breakage.

(source - apparently Sarah Jessica Parker found another way to wear the scrunchie)

5. Before you blow dry, use product.

Any product is better than no product. Mousse, gel, leave-in conditioner, anything to protect your hair from the elements (sun, wind, extreme cold) and the heat of the dryer. Fun Miss Nachos fact #5468: you can make your own leave-in conditioner by mixing a few drops of your regular conditioner with water in a squirt bottle. I don’t like the feel of product in my hair so I use Redken Clear Moisture Instant Polishing Prep Leave-In Spray – just squirt a little on your hair when it’s damp before you blow dry and comb through. A little goes a long way and it leaves my hair feeling super silky.

(source)

6. Before you get out of the shower, run your hair under the coldest water you can stand.

Your hair’s top layer, the cuticle, gets roughed up when you wash it, and the cold water closes the cuticle, making your hair super shiny once it’s dry. True story: about 10 years ago at the salon I was working for, the water heater broke. Those few brave clients that still wanted their hair done let us use the freezing cold water on their hair and they all left with the shiniest hair I’ve ever seen.

Raised cuticle vs. flattened cuticle

7. Please please please leave your color in the hands of your stylist.

He/she knows what they are doing and use professional color which is COMPLETELY different from color you buy at the drugstore. Scary Miss Nachos fact #482: Most at-home colors from a box are metallic dyes. They contain little bits of metal that get sealed in your hair. And what happens to metal after it’s been wet? It starts to rust. And the rust turns your hair a very unflattering shade of brass/copper. Have you ever seen someone with a brassy glow to their hair? 9 times out of 10, they dyed their hair themselves with a box.

(although this brassiness is more likely caused by trying to go from dark to light too quickly, but you get the idea)

8. Deep condition at least once a month.

Wash your hair when you’re in the shower, condition as usual if you’d like, then when you are out of the shower, apply a generous coating of conditioner, and wrap it up. You can use a towel, but I prefer a plastic grocery bag secured with a clip because it seals in the heat from your head which helps the conditioner penetrate. After a minimum of 30 minutes, rinse it out. This is best saved for the days when you have an hour or so to lounge around in your PJs with a good book in hand. One that I like for this is Redken All Soft Heavy Cream. But you can use your regular conditioner, too.

(source)

9. Get your hair trimmed every 6 weeks.

When you have split ends, those ends literally split up the piece of hair making it thin and scraggly looking. The ends also tend to get caught around each other causing knots which then cause you to pull out hairs as you brush.

(source - magnified split end)

10. Use only a comb on wet hair.

Brushes will break your hair when wet, leaving little fly-aways. When you are first out of the shower, comb it, then when you start to blow dry, use just your fingers and dry the roots all around your head first. Your hair will dry so much faster and you’ll have the heat on your hair for less time. Only use a brush during the last few minutes to smooth it out.

(source - So much breakage on top! She hasn’t been using my 10 step plan. Get that girl some hairspray, stat!)

So there you have it, my 10 steps to pretty wedding day hair.

Are you doing anything different with your hair to get it in tip-top shape for the big day?