Brides who marry in summer often ask me how long their hair will last. On the Costa del Sol it is a fair question: a wedding can begin at midday in strong heat and end in the early hours, with damp air coming in off the sea. Not every hairstyle copes with that in the same way, and knowing the difference helps you choose one you can forget about for the whole day.
What heat and humidity do to your hair over a wedding day
Hair absorbs moisture from the air, and as it does, it slowly lets go of the shape it was given. A wave set in the morning has dropped by the afternoon, and loose strands start to frizz. Add sweat at the nape and along the hairline, and hours of hugging and dancing, and your hair takes more in a single day than on any other.
Why a structured updo outlasts a half-up style or hair worn down
In heat and humidity, an updo always holds longer than a half-up style or hair worn down. And the more structured and firm the updo, the better it holds. In an updo the hair is secured and rests on itself, so humidity has little room to work it loose. Worn down, every strand is left at the mercy of the air.
What wedding hairstyle is best for humidity?
An updo, and the more structured it is, the better. It holds longer than a half-up style or hair worn down, because the hair is secured and humidity can barely work it loose.
Which hair suffers most in humidity
No type of hair always suffers more than the others: it depends on the style you ask of it. Fine hair worn half-up or down tends to collapse. Curly or wavy hair that is straightened for the wedding tends to frizz, because it always wants to go back to its own shape. That is why it is better not to change the natural shape of the hair too much, and to adapt the style to it instead. Oily hair has a hard time too, because humid weather sets off the oil at the scalp.
With fine or oily hair, the best choice in these conditions is an updo that keeps everything in place without too much movement.
How wedding hair is prepared for hot, humid weather
For humidity I work with products that are as dry and as flexible as possible. Nothing that wets the hair again, because that brings the frizz back, and nothing that weighs it down. What I look for is a balance: a style that stays secured without turning stiff.
How your skin is prepared for the same heat and humidity is in whether makeup and hair hold throughout a hot Andalusian wedding day.
What happens to loose waves and boho styles in humidity
Many brides want a very romantic finish: loose waves, a very boho half-up style, or an updo with little structure and very free lines. They are beautiful styles, but they are likely to suffer far more than a more static one. What makes them lovely, hair that looks loose and in movement, is exactly what humidity uses to undo them.
Will loose waves hold up in humidity?
Not as well as an updo. In heat and humidity, waves drop and the hair frizzes as the day goes on. If you want to wear them, it helps to know from the trial that they will change over the hours.
Romantic summer wedding hair that lasts until the end of the night
A summer bride does not have to give up romantic wedding hair. What changes is the way it is built. At the trial, the day itself is talked through: what time the ceremony is, whether it is outdoors and whether the sea is close by. From there, the aim is a hairstyle that keeps that loose feel, with a structure underneath to hold it. That way it can come a little undone on the dance floor without falling.
That was the aim at the Fort Inglés wedding, in Mijas, on a very hot August day: a romantic updo, with strands that looked loose, which lasted intact into the night.
If your wedding is in summer and you are torn between an updo and wearing your hair down, tell me at the trial. That is where it becomes clear what shape your hair will take and how well it will hold through the day ahead of you.
