Your wedding day is the perfect opportunity to look and feel your best. And for some, it’s the perfect time to really wow guests with a glamorous new look. If you are thinking of changing your hair dramatically for your big day, you need to plan ahead and decide how much of a change you will feel comfortable with. Rethinking hair colour will create impact, but it is worth taking small steps towards a final big reveal. Here are my tips on how to change things up.
Highs and lows
Highlights and lowlights are the perfect way to ease yourself into a more-dramatic colour change or simply breathe new life into your natural colour. Highlights will lighten and brighten, while lowlights will add extra depth. Both will break up blocks of colour, adding warmth and texture to hair. Speak to your stylist about what shades will work best in your natural hair colour – with everything from honey, caramel, golden, tawny, auburn, reds and blondes to choose from, it can be a little confusing, so get an expert opinion on what works best with your skin tone. Fine hair can really benefit from highlights – using two or three colours will make hair look more textured and therefore thicker – while adding lighter colours just around the face is a quick and easy transformation.
Balayage beauty
Hitting the hair headlines last year, Balayage is a technique for highlighting hair in which the colour is applied – almost ‘painted’ on – to create a graduated, natural-looking effect. It’s a trend that shows no sign of slowing down and, as the colour is applied to the ends of hair only, you don’t get the same root regrowth that occurs with other colouring procedures. Styling your hair in loose waves is a lovely way to show Balayage off to its best.
Going for blonde
If you really want to lighten your life, you may be hankering after a completely blonde look. Ideally, take it in stages if you are going from brunette to blonde, which will help you keep your hair healthy and let you find a shade that you love. You might find that simply going one or two shades lighter than your natural colour will be enough of a change. It’s also worth remembering that drastically changing your hair colour requires a degree of maintenance to keep hair in top condition. Have realistic expectations of how much time you have to invest in the upkeep of blonde hair – particularly if you fancy a platinum makeover. It’s easier to maintain highlighted blonde locks rather than a block colour, which will need a root refresh every few weeks; highlights generally need a touch-up after 6-8 weeks, while Balayage can last 8-10 weeks.
Colour confidence
Wash your hair less frequently once it has been coloured and steer clear of clarifying shampoos, which will be too harsh on the colour. Make sure you condition coloured hair regularly – use a shampoo and conditioner designed to protect colour-treated hair, and make time for a deep-conditioning mask once a week to keep hair shiny and healthy looking.
Make sure you speak to your stylist well in advance of your big day, if you are planning on a hair colour change. They will be able to advise on everything from the right colour to styling, upkeep and root touch-up timing. Thinking about your hair well in advance of your wedding will help avoid any last-minute panic!