The Know-How

Hair Raising Styles

Should you go for the traditional up-do? Roll it? Curl it? Or just leave it down? Bridal hair comes with a lot of decisions. We got Angelina Stengler, from Pastels Salon to help with some tips and suggestions to take your bridal hair to the next level

Words: Cecilia D’souza

What tips do you have for women wanting to have perfectly shiny hair on their wedding day? For the hair to look healthy and shiny on the day, it is important for the bride to start having regular moisturising treatments a couple of months before the wedding. She should also speak to her hair dresser who will prescribe an at-home haircare routine that will be tailor-made to suit her hair type. How long before your big day should you have your hair coloured and cut? The bride should colour her hair a week before the wedding. This will ensure the colour is fresh and she won’t have any regrowth. It is not usual for brides to have haircuts as usually they keep their hair long for the upstyle. If she wants to have a little trim, however, she can do it at the same time as the colouring treatment. How many hair trials would you recommend before your wedding? I usually have one trial that lasts about two and a half hours. During the trial, I will try a few dif ferent hairstyles so the bride can firmly and confidently decide what exact style she wants. Many brides come with an image of a style that they want recreated and when I do it, they will decide. If this is the first style I have tried, however, I will still tweak or change it to give them some options. This will ensure they get a style they love, one that suits them and their hair type and will ensure they look as beautiful as possible on their big day. The most important thing for me is that all my brides leave happy and feeling confident with the choice of hairstyle they have made for the wedding. Would you recommend women go for something that’s completely out of their comfort zone or stick to what they know when it comes to bridal hair? I don’t recommend a bride to debut a completely new look for the wedding. This is because brides feel most comfortable having a hairstyle that channels their usual style. What would you recommend for women with short hair? If a bride has short hair, we can still do several things. This includes waving the hair or having some hair tied at the back, or using accessories in the hair to give a special accent to a blowdry. How about those who want hair extensions – how soon before the wedding should this be done and are there any types you recommend? If the bride has never had extensions done, I wouldn’t recommend she invests in some before the wedding. Instead I would use clip-ins at the time of the hair appoint ment (both trial and on the day of the wedding) to get any length and volume needed to create the style she wants. By using clip-ins, I can place the hair exactly where I need it and also cover them completely in the style I create so they won’t be visible in the upstyle. If the bride has certain types of extensions or if they have been fitted a certain way, it can be difficult to do a complete upstyle and so a half-up/half-down hairstyle might be the best option. My advice when it comes to ex tensions is that rather than one long piece, it is better for a bride to have individual exten sions as this gives more choice when it comes to possible styles. I would also recommend not having them fitted less than two weeks before the wedding so they have loosened a little, allowing the hair to be more flexible. Are there any particular trends or styles you’re loving right now? The great thing about bridal hair is there are no rules or trends that you have to follow. Instead the bride can choose any look she wants. Re cently though, there has been a move towards natural, looser styles. I have many

brides who are choosing either half down styles with romantic curls like Mediterra nean-esque waves and styles that feature loose braids. What about those getting married in Dubai – how do we deal with the humidity? Humidity is a big problem in Dubai, especially when brides choose to have loose waves or styles that are half-up/half-down. Even with lots of hairspray, it is common that the hair will fall with these types of styles

and not last an entire day. For this reason, I usually suggest to have a complete hair up style. I can then place the hair once I have styled it in a net that matches the hair’s co lour and this means the hair will not lose its shape and will keep the style it has been given for much longer. Are there any treatments you would recommend having before the wedding and how long before the wedding day should we have them? It is vital to invest in moisturising treatments to minimise frizz. Have an in-salon treatment at least one month before the wedding and then give the hair some TLC at home by treating it to a condi tioning treatment once a week. If the hair is super curly and frizzy then a good treatment option is the in-salon treatment from Ker aStraight. This will smoothen the hair and ensure it has a silky shine. What products should a woman invest in before her wedding day? Have a consultation with your hair stylist and ask him/her to prescribe a mask, shampoo and condi tioner to suit your hair type. Invest in heat protection to prevent damage to the hair and a good serum for moisture. It’s always a good idea to have a can of hair spray on hand to touch up the hair throughout the day, if necessary. Do you have a favourite wedding up-do? My favourite look is a romantic hair up using loosely-placed curls just above the nape of the neck. I also like to have hair soft around the face, so I leave some hair down so the style seems more natural and doesn’t look too rigid. On the day of the wedding how much time should be scheduled in for our hair? Around two and a half hours. Are there any other tips or tricks you can share? Always have the make-up done first. If it is done after (which is common prac tice!) then the make-up artist might touch your hair, move it out of your face, and even accidently pull it out of place! Most veils have big plastic combs. The comb is diffi cult to put in and can mess the hairstyle. For this reason I usually remove the plastic comb and replace with bobby pins so I can place it in the hair securely without affecting the style and the bride can easily remove it, if she wants to during the day.