Q&A Fashion & beauty Look the best version of you with our expert advice LOVE IS IN THE HAIR I’ve seen some gorgeous pictures of messy buns and textured-up dos, but my hair is thin and straight. Can I still get this look? I’m sure this question has crossed every bride’s mind when looking at inspirational Pinterest photos. It can be very overwhelming, especially if your hair is straight and on the fine side. But don’t worry; our bridal stylists are here to help and have all the tricks, tips and tools to give you that dream textured updo. Hair prep is very important, and this starts with you! Washing your hair with a volume shampoo and applying a small amount of volume mouse before drying hair upside down the night before the wedding will definitely give us a good starting point. I recommend getting clip-in extensions before the trial to help bulk out the textured bun, which means we can use more of your natural hair to give volume through the top section. I also often work with hair padding, which is amazing at helping to work as a base to add textured hair over the top. The best thing about extensions and hair padding is that if it’s styled well, no one else will know They are also very comfortable, a bonus when wearing your hair up all day. Plaits and twists are a nice added extra to help with that boho-textured messy bun. No matter what style you love and want to go for, there’s always a way to make it work with your hair type. Aimee Osborne Aimee Lauren Hairdressing www.amieelaurenhairdressing.co.uk LIFT OFF My long hair is generally quite flat and lifeless, but I love the idea of wearing my hair down on my wedding day. What can I do to give it more volume? Celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas says: One of the easiest ways is to get some layers put in it. If you’ve got collarbone-length locks or longer, then longish layers are best with the shortest being chin or jaw length. This way, you take weight out of the hair but keep the length while creating body. Having a fringe put in is also a great way of achieving more volume. Because a fringe is made up of hair taken from the top of the head, you’re removing weight there and pushing it to the front. Blow-drying your hair properly is a good idea too. So, dry using a small, round brush dry from roots upwards. People think a big brush is the best way to create body, but actually a smaller size is better as you can get right in at the root lifting from the scalp. Blow-drying hair with your head upside down is also a good trick. Remember, you’re trying to defy gravity, getting the hair away from the head. The MDLondon Blow with a large nozzle and a really good bristle brush will give you a fantastic blow-dry with flyaway- and frizz-free shine and lots of volume! You’ll want to look for resin-based blow-dry products containing PDP VA core polymers such as mousse, blow-dry sprays, and hair protection sprays. These can go hard or a bit crispy but as long as you’re constantly moving the brush while you’re drying you’ll avoid the worst of this. But bear in mind that you do need some of that crunchiness as it’s this texture that supports the volume. I love a product called Sugarlift by Wella EIMI. Dry shampoos and dry texturising sprays are good at supporting volume too. I use Umberto Giannini Texture Boost on myself and on my clients. You can use it throughout the day, so if you feel your hair getting a bit flat, just flip your head forward and spray it in at the roots whenever you need to. Above all, you don’t want anything oily on the hair – no oils, no serums, nothing greasy as they’re heavy. Another good method for creating body is adding waves. If you put a curling tong through sections of your hair it creates push against other sections and that in turn creates volume. But if you don’t put enough wave in at the roots the hair sits a bit flat, so make sure you concentrate the tongs at the root, which is where you want the lift. On the big day, put medium velcro rollers in your hair and leave them while you have your make-up done. Try a bit of backcombing at the roots too, teasing the hair with a wide-toothed comb. You could do one of these things or all of them and it will help you. I guess what you don’t want is unrealistic volume so that it looks like a parody. You want to find a happy medium where the hair is healthy looking, so I’d recommend experimenting before the wedding until you find that sweet spot. Follow Michael on Instagram at @mdlondon and check out https://mdlondon.co.uk www.gettyimages.co.uk 64
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