There’s a lot riding on your wedding hair. You want it to look beautifully undone, glossy or perfectly polished (whatever your version of bridal happens to be) but you also need it to stay that way through the ceremony, photographs, enthusiastic hugs, unpredictable weather and several hours on the dance floor.
And while the right hairstyle certainly helps, making your wedding hair last all day often comes down to what happens before the first pin even goes in. From creating the right foundation to choosing products that hold without leaving hair stiff, sticky or decidedly un-touchable, a few clever tricks can make all the difference.
So, how do you stop curls from dropping, keep an updo in place and make your bridal hair last from the aisle to the afterparty? We asked Sydney hairstylist Amanda Tua for the techniques they swear by, plus the best wedding hair products for keeping everything exactly where you want it — without looking like you’ve used half a can of hairspray to get there.
Is It Better To Wash Your Hair The Night Before Your Wedding?
You’ve probably heard that slightly dirty hair is better for styling, and there is some truth to it. Second-day hair naturally has a little more texture and grip, which can help when creating curls, volume and updos.
That doesn’t mean you need to arrive at your wedding hairstylist with seriously dirty hair, however. If your hair has been freshly washed, the right texturising products can recreate some of that all-important grip.
For fine hair, Amanda recommends applying a root-lifting product such as Kevin Murphy Body Mass or Oribe Maximista at the base before blow-drying. This helps create body and gives your stylist more to work with later.
If your hair is coarse or prone to frizz, the approach is different. A smoothing cream or leave-in product applied through damp mid-lengths and ends can help tame the cuticle without making the hair heavy. Kevin Murphy Smooth.Again and Oribe Run-Through are among our hairstylist’s picks.
The important thing? Speak to your wedding hairstylist before deciding when to wash your hair. They’ll be able to recommend the best preparation for your hair type and the style you’ve chosen.
Why Does Hair Prep Matter For Making Wedding Hair Last All Day?
If there’s one thing Amanda wants brides to know, it’s that wedding hair longevity starts well before the hairspray comes out.
In fact, she describes preparation as “genuinely one of the most important factors” in making a bridal hairstyle last.
Freshly washed hair with no product can be incredibly soft and slippery. Lovely when you’re running your fingers through it; less lovely when you’re expecting it to hold a curl or keep 25 bobby pins exactly where they belong for the next 12 hours.
Adding texturising, volumising or styling products during the preparation stage creates friction and grip within the hair. That gives pins something to hold onto and can help prevent volume and curls from collapsing as the day progresses.
It’s also why simply applying an enormous amount of strong hairspray to a finished hairstyle isn’t necessarily the answer. Great wedding hair is built in layers, with the longevity created throughout the styling process rather than added at the very end.
How Do You Stop Wedding Hair From Frizzing In Humidity?
Australian weather can introduce an interesting wildcard to even the most carefully planned bridal beauty look.
If you’re getting married somewhere humid, outdoors or during the warmer months, frizz control should begin during hair prep, rather than waiting until flyaways appear halfway through cocktail hour.
Smoothing products can help control the cuticle before styling, while the finishing products provide another layer of protection.
Amanda recommends asking your stylist to finish with a flexible hairspray with anti-humidity protection, describing it as a final protective layer against frizz.
The word flexible is important here. Unless a very structured style calls for it, you don’t necessarily want hair that has been sprayed into submission. The goal is hold that still allows the hairstyle to retain softness and movement.
If you know your hair reacts dramatically to humidity, tell your stylist at your trial. They can take it into account when choosing both your hairstyle and the products used to create it.
How Do You Make Wedding Curls And Volume Last All Day?
Few things are more frustrating than leaving your bridal suite with beautifully bouncy curls only to discover they’ve relaxed considerably by the time you’ve reached the ceremony.
Once again, preparation is the secret to making wedding curls last longer.
Amanda recommends starting with a mousse or volumising spray to give dry hair some hold before styling. For volume at the crown, hair can also be gently backcombed before the finished style is created rather than trying to add height afterwards.
But one of the best tricks happens immediately after curling.
Instead of allowing freshly curled sections to drop straight away, pin each curl up while it’s still warm and allow it to cool completely before brushing it out. Our expert recommends leaving the curls set for at least 30 minutes.
Why? You’re essentially allowing the hair to cool into its new shape rather than stretching the curl while it’s still warm and malleable.
Fine or particularly slippery hair can also benefit from adding extra grip at the roots. Depending on the hair and finished look, your stylist might use volume powder, dry shampoo, flexible hairspray or texture spray.
And if keeping curls is one of your biggest concerns, bring it up at your trial. Sometimes adjusting the curl size or finished style can make a considerable difference to how it looks several hours later.
What Hair Products Should You Keep In Your Wedding Day Touch-Up Kit?
Ideally, your hairstylist will create a look that requires very little maintenance. But weddings are long, weather happens and dance floors tend not to be particularly kind to carefully arranged hair.
A tiny bridal hair touch-up kit is therefore worth handing to your maid of honour, bridesmaid or another trusted person before the ceremony.
Amanda recommends keeping a few essentials close by:
- Travel-size flexible hairspray or shine spray
- A few bobby pins
- Small clear hair elastics
- Mini dry shampoo
- A small comb or wide-tooth comb
- A small amount of hair oil or anti-frizz balm
The trick with oil and smoothing products is restraint. You can always add another tiny amount, but trying to undo an overly enthusiastic application of hair oil in the venue bathroom is significantly harder.
For slicked-back hairstyles, add one more brilliantly simple tool: a clean toothbrush and mini hairspray. A light spritz onto the brush can help smooth flyaways around the hairline without coating the entire hairstyle in another layer of product.
How Do You Make A Slicked-Back Wedding Hairstyle Last Without Looking Crunchy?
The slicked-back bridal bun has become a modern wedding classic for good reason. It’s chic, photographs beautifully and lets a great neckline, pair of earrings or veil do the talking.
The challenge is achieving that immaculate finish without hair looking hard.
Amanda recommends beginning with damp hair when creating a sleek look. This helps achieve that polished finish without relying on huge amounts of gel later.
A boar-bristle brush is another useful tool, helping keep the hair stretched, controlled and smooth as the style is created.
Then comes the clever bit: don’t necessarily apply strong-hold gel over the entire head.
Instead, use stronger products strategically around the hairline and parting, where control is needed most. Depending on your hair, that could mean strong-hold mousse, gel or pomade.
Through the lengths, a setting spray can provide control while retaining a more natural finish. A light shine spray or serum can then add that beautifully polished quality without sacrificing all movement and softness.
It’s essentially a case of different products doing different jobs rather than asking one pot of gel to do everything.
The Secret To Wedding Hair That Actually Lasts
The biggest lesson from all of this? Don’t save all the heavy lifting for the hairspray.
If you want to make your wedding hair last all day, think about longevity from the very beginning: how you wash it, how it’s prepped, how curls are set and cooled, where texture is added and which finishing products are chosen for your particular hair type and wedding conditions.
Your hair trial is also the perfect time to test all of this. Pay attention not only to how your hair looks when you leave the salon, but how it looks six, eight or even ten hours later. Did the curls hold? Did your crown lose volume? Did humidity create frizz? Did anything start to feel uncomfortable?
Tell your hairstylist. Those details can help them tweak the preparation, products or technique before the wedding itself.
Because the true test of great bridal hair isn’t how perfect it looks at 2pm. It’s whether you still love it when you’re halfway through your favourite song on the dance floor at midnight!
The Wedding Hair Products That Actually Go The Distance
Not just for touching up your roots between hair colour sessions, this genius hair mist can disguise sparse patches in a slick bun or around your hairline.
Humidity is no match for Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray, a cult anti-frizz treatment that helps create sleek, glossy hair while protecting against moisture-induced frizz. A particularly clever addition for outdoor or summer weddings!
For hold without the dreaded helmet hair, Oribe Superfine Hair Spray is a beautifully light finishing spray that helps keep your wedding hair in place while maintaining natural movement and softness. It’s especially good for touch-ups throughout the day, thanks to its fine mist and brushable finish.
Tiny flyaways have a habit of making themselves known at exactly the wrong moment, which is where the Slick Stick Hair Wand earns its place in your bridal beauty kit. The mascara-style wand makes it easy to smooth baby hairs and tame frizz with precision, without disturbing the rest of your wedding hairstyle.
Think of this claw clip as your backup for wedding day hair disasters. Wind picked up and ruined that blowout? This clip is expensive looking and will work with a variety of dress styles to look totally intentional as an updo.