Wedding Hair Prep with Bridal Hair Expert Emi Styles

There’s some truth to the saying that the happiest people are the prettiest people. By that same token, you can have the world’s best stylist doing your wedding hair, but happy hair is always going to come up trumps over frizzy, dull hair with the ends snapping off. No matter what your style, here are some tips to get your locks looking runway-ready. Or more accurately, aisle-ready.

It’s always a good idea to book someone that specialises in bridal hair for your big day. Along with expertise in giving you your dream style, they’ll also have a wealth of experience in helping the day to flow smoothly. Do dresses need steaming? Do flower stems need drying? A good bridal hair stylist will add a lot more than just beautiful hair to the wedding morning.

When choosing your bridal hair stylist, look for photos of their work that look similar to the style you’re after. It can also be helpful to try and pick someone that you’ll get along with – the day will be all the more special if your stylist feels like a friend.

Pinterest and Instagram are great resources when looking for wedding hair inspiration. It’s ok to pick more than one hairstyle as a good bridal hairstylist will be able to pick up on elements from each photo that you like or don’t like, and create a style that is uniquely yours. Always look for inspiration photos that are a similar colour to your own hair as detail shows up very differently on different hair colours. Most importantly though, pick a style that makes you feel like you.

If you’re someone that colours their hair regularly or you use a lot of styling products, there’s a good chance you have colour or product build-up. Some clues to look for are static, stubborn part lines that won’t move, dull blondes that go limp immediately, and dark hair colours that won’t behave when you heat style it.

Fashion models have long known the power of a good clarify or detox shampoo. Not only do they remove build-up that won’t come out with regular shampooing, but they also make your hair beautifully soft, help your treatment products absorb better, and help your hair to hold style a lot better. The best part is they’re super easy to incorporate into your routine – simply do a first wash with your detox shampoo, followed by your regular shampoo and conditioner about once a fortnight.

It’s helpful to think of your haircare a bit like your skincare. We know that applying one masque or doing a single face scrub isn’t going to make a huge difference to the condition of our skin, and our hair is exactly the same. It takes time for products to noticeably improve the quality of our hair and scalp, especially if you’re dealing with damage, so it’s a great idea to start your hair prep as early as possible. 6-12 months out from your big day is ideal, especially when it comes to your inner hair care regimen. Apotecari’s Concierge service offers a convenient, set-and-forget monthly delivery of your chosen hair nutrition, to aid convenience.

Aim to book your bridal hair trial a month or two before your wedding. That way your hair will be a similar length and colour to that on the day, but there’s still enough time to make final tweaks if it turns out you need a toner or some hair trimmed around your face. If colouring your hair, give yourself enough time to wash your hair two or three times before the wedding day to remove any colour residue. Avoid making any radical changes at this stage.

No matter what your hair or scalp concern, there’s almost certainly a product out there for you. If you’re dealing with excessive oiliness, a balancing shampoo and enzymatic scalp exfoliant might be what you need. If your hair is super damaged and dehydrated, a regular bond treatment combined with a protein-rich shampoo, conditioner and leave-in product could do wonders.

Most hair stylists will be more than happy to do a 15 minute consultation with you complimentary. There they can assess your hair and custom make a home-care routine to compliment your salon treatments so your hair is in the best condition possible. After all, the majority of your haircare happens outside the salon doors.

Tackling our hair concerns with treatments, products and tools can have a huge impact on improving its condition and manageability, but the reality is sometimes concerns such as dehydration, stress-related hair loss and scalp imbalances happen before we even see them. Making sure your hair and scalp get the nutrition they need is essential for healthy hair. Think of your bridal hair journey like a bootcamp – we need a balanced diet to support our workouts, but a nutritional supplement like Apotecari’s Mane Event^® for growth, Crowning Glory^® for scalp care or Hair Food^® for condition, can be just what the doctor (or stylist) ordered in reaching your hair goals.