UpDos and Don'ts
I wish I had the time and energy at this point in my life -- hello third trimester! -- to write creative and witty blog posts, something to catch your attention and hook you in until the end, but that's not how life works. The posts I do manage to write are very much hair and makeup centered, so it's not like there's some revolutionary entry waiting to be read that's going to change your life. Just saying.
BUT. I did get an email from a very well known hair stylists, Heather Chapman, today and I can't help but share it with you guys. Future clients of mine ask all the time whether they should wash their hair before the wedding day, the morning of, and I always tell them it depends on their hair texture.
But here's the real skinny from the maven herself.
" DO arrive with clean, dry hair. I've said this before and I'll say it again. You can easily make the hair "dirty" with products. The last thing you need is someone taking the "day old hair" a day or twelve too far!! A very oily head of hair is almost impossible to work with. It weighs the hair down tremendously, it has a hard time holding any curl or height -- forget about any airy vibes -- and needless to say, it's kind of gross. Some oil is to be expected with some clients and can be handled quickly with a spritz of dry shampoo, but when people take it to the next level?? Ew.... It's best to avoid any issues by instructing them to have clean, dry hair.
DO have your client blow her hair out smooth if she is a tight, natural curl. She can blow it out or have it done professionally the day before (curly girls get a pass on the day old hair. Their hair type is much more dry and the oil absorbs well into the hair rather than sitting on the hair creating weight.) All that matters is that you're working with a smooth canvas of hair unless she wants a style with her own natural texture. Having to blow out a thick, long, heavy, tight curl can easily take an hour or more that you don't have when working with time constraints.
Now let's talk about the "Up-Don'ts"...
DON'T flat iron the hair whatsoever. This goes for our above curly girl as well. Once the hair is flat ironed, it will NOT hold a curl or the curl will be very uneven and odd. If they have flat ironed their hair, they can either wash and blow dry it themselves while you're working on another style or they can have their hair styled without any curl pattern movement in it. I personally like how hair looks being styled without any curl movement. But just to be on the safe side, no flat ironed hair.
DON'T apply any coconut oil, leave in conditioners, etc. Let's just put it like this... I had our long, tight curly girl and a solid head of coconut oil that I had to blow out smooth BEFORE I began my prep work and I was exhausted. I hadn't planned for the additional time, my arms were shot, and my tools were going crazy with how much coconut oil she had in her hair. I swear I was about to catch the bridal suite on fire!! But OMG I loved her and she looked gorge. But seriously, let's just say it was #memorable.
And last but not least and I almost put this in my contracts...
DON'T wear terry cloth robes or any robe or collar that is going to continuously rub up against the underneath of the updo causing it to get flyaways and even start pulling little pieces out. Every bridal party wants the robe situation but it's our responsibility to explain way ahead of time that once their hair is done that they need to wear the robes off of the shoulders as to not disturb the updo. I can't be all rushing around, following them out the door with bobby pins to fix the back of every hairstyle that I had perfect but now it's all messed up from a collar or even worse, a terry cloth robe!!! *shudders* Fortunately, a lot of the robe designers are aware and make the neckline a bit low on the robes. This is a major discussion you should have with your client basically the minute you know you're available on her date. But seriously.... You don't need the ENTIRE wedding, audience and all, thinking you are a bad hairstylist because of a robe! You want perfection and so does your client.
Having these conversations with your clients will ensure them that you are a seasoned professional and that you know what is in their best interest.
Until next time & happy wedding season!!!"
See what I mean?! Heather is a hair genius and I'll listen to anything she says especially with how long she's been in the wedding industry. I wanted to leave this here because 1) it was WAY too long to put in my FAQ section, but also 2) the things she mentions doesn't even cross your brain when planning the getting ready portion of your wedding day.
So now that you've read this through -- maybe even a couple of times -- are you thinking about things differently that will ensure the most perfect wedding hairstyle for you and your gals? I know I would!