Many brides with curly hair come to the trial with photographs of brides whose hair is straight. Their first instinct is to straighten it, or to have it set in soft waves. I always try to bring them round, because their curls are beautiful too, and there is a great deal that can be done with them.
Why straightening curly hair for the wedding rarely works
Curly hair has rules of its own. It does not move like straight hair, nor like wavy hair, even though the two are often confused. Wavy hair straightens easily and stays that way. Curly hair always tends to go back to its own shape.
In humid air, straightening curly hair works against you: it frizzes far more easily than straight or wavy hair. By the sea on the Costa del Sol the air is often humid, so it is not worth changing the shape of curly hair so drastically for a day as long as a wedding day.
How to keep curly wedding hair from frizzing in humidity?
Almost always, by styling it with its natural curl. Straightened curly hair tends to go back to its shape, and in humid weather it frizzes much more easily. I only suggest straightening it if you genuinely do not feel comfortable with your curls.
Why natural curls give an updo more hold
Curls bring their own structure and their own volume, and when I style curly wedding hair, I use that structure to build the updo.
That is why, to my taste, an updo is what works best with curly hair: it holds better and keeps a stronger shape. A half-up style can be adapted to curls just as well. Choosing between them is a personal decision, and both are good options.
Is an updo or half up half down better for curly hair?
Either one, built on your own curls. Both adapt well. An updo holds better and keeps a stronger shape, so it is the one I usually recommend, but the choice is yours.
How naturally curly hair is defined before it is styled
Every curl asks for something different. Sometimes I define it curl by curl, section by section, with small curling tongs. Other times I define it with rollers or with curl-defining products, which set the shape of each section.
On those defined curls I build the hairstyle. For everything to come together, I need to control the process from the very start, with my own definition and my own setting products.
How to arrive with curly hair for the trial and the wedding
Ideally, come with your hair washed and with no product in it. If you have your own curl routine, you can come with your hair dried that way, as long as it uses no setting product. The reason is simple: if the hair is already set, I cannot do my own definition on top of it.
What to do with your hair in the weeks before is in how to care for your hair before the wedding.
When straightening curly hair makes sense
For years I worked in a salon and did weddings at weekends. In the salon I looked after many clients with curly hair, and much of that work was helping them fall in love with the shape of their own hair again. Today I work only on weddings, and it is the same with brides: it has always been part of the way I work.
I only recommend straightening curly hair when a bride really does not feel comfortable with her curls. It is her decision, and it is something to talk about at the trial, once I know her hair and what she wants for the day.
If you have curly hair and are torn between straightening it and wearing your curls, bring it to the trial just as it is. That is where it becomes clear what structure your curls have, and which updo makes the most of them.
