I read a quote in a magazine from actress Michelle Williams, that said "Is there a word for someone who can't stop cutting their hair? It's a disease and I have it." My thoughts exactly! If you know me, then you know I can't keep my hair the same for longer than four weeks!
Working in a salon with talented coworkers at my fingertips, I often reap the benefits of getting the latest cut and color, leaving me with a shorter, textured, Meg Ryan-esque style. However, it is a common desire of brides to have long hair on their big day, simply because of the options it opens her up to for potential styles.
With most weddings being planned within a one-two year time frame, here is a timetable guide of how to get your hair in tip-top shape for when you tie the knot:
12 months before the wedding- Time to stop experimenting. As tempting as it is when you see celebs with the latest cute crops, remind yourself that you are on a mission to care for your hair. If you color your hair, talk to your colorist about keeping a low-maintenance look until your wedding. If you have highlights, ask him or her to tone them to a more natural looking shade that's closer to your base color, so you don't see the dreaded root come in as quickly. A toner is a semi-permanent glaze, sometimes pigmented, sometimes not. What it does, in addition to either adding richness or deepening the color, is coat the cuticle of the hair, giving the follicle a more smooth, shiny, healthier appearance. Toners generally begin to fade after 4 weeks, but is okay to continue to get them, as they are the least damaging color service you can get.
10 months before the wedding- Snip off those dead ends, or as much as you're willing to part with. This will be the time where you cut off the most hair before your wedding. After this, since you will be seriously caring for your hair, you will not need to cut much during future trims. Start looking through bridal magazines to get a feel for what style you might be interested in. During this appointment, make sure they give you a deep conditioning treatment, and be sure to take home a deep conditioning hair mask that you can do on your own about once a week.
6 months before the wedding- Go "Au Natural," and lay off the heating tools. Lock away your flat iron, and use your blow dryer as little as possible. Few people are lucky enough to have their hair air dry and look oh-so-fabulous, so experiment with different styling products to give you a hand. Sea Salt sprays help create that natural beachy wave, however they can be drying so be sure to alternate with other products. Utilize pinning your hair up in a messy twist with bobby pins, or wear your hair in a braid after a shower until it dries, and then take it out for soft, flowing waves. If it it is winter and you absolutely cannot go outside with a wet head, flip your hair upside down while blow drying until your hair is 90% dry. After it is almost all dry, flip it back upright and smooth the ends with either a paddle brush or round ceramic brush. By drying most of the hair upside down and loosely, it helps to not damage the hair as much, and will be great for helping you achieve volume!
3 months before the wedding- make an appointment for a consultation with the stylist who will be doing your hair on your wedding day. If you are having a destination wedding and this is not possible, explain to him or her that you would still like to make an appointment for a trial style, this way you can take pictures to show whomever is doing your hair for the real thing. Bring in a few pictures of styles you might like, and ask your stylist what they recommend based your faceshape, dress style, and type of wedding. Also, get a small trim. This will help your ends look healthy but there is still enough time to let your hair grow back for the wedding.
2 months before the wedding- If you feel your hair has not reached the length you wanted or lacks volume, pick up some clip-in extensions from your local beauty supply store that match the color your hair will be on your wedding day. If you cannot find an exact match, do the best you can, and bring them into your salon so they can color them to match.
1 month before the wedding- relax! Treat yourself to a deep conditioning treatment at the salon. By now you have done everything you can do to prepare your hair to look its best for your wedding. Make an appointment to color it about one week before the wedding. That way you will have time if there's something you want to change, but it's close enough to the wedding day that you won't have roots. Whether you decide to where it up and elegant, or down and flowing, just know that to the person you are meeting at the end of the aisle, you will be the most beautiful vision they have ever seen. My advice is to not sweat the small stuff- if a hair is out of place or if a curl comes undone, just smile and no one will notice:-)
Now that I'm almost a year into marital bliss, I am back to my old ways of being a hair chameleon. Old habits die hard!
1 month before the wedding- relax! Treat yourself to a deep conditioning treatment at the salon. By now you have done everything you can do to prepare your hair to look its best for your wedding. Make an appointment to color it about one week before the wedding. That way you will have time if there's something you want to change, but it's close enough to the wedding day that you won't have roots. Whether you decide to where it up and elegant, or down and flowing, just know that to the person you are meeting at the end of the aisle, you will be the most beautiful vision they have ever seen. My advice is to not sweat the small stuff- if a hair is out of place or if a curl comes undone, just smile and no one will notice:-)
Now that I'm almost a year into marital bliss, I am back to my old ways of being a hair chameleon. Old habits die hard!
Here's a peak of me on my wedding day- my hair was healthy and happy!
