What to do When Your Hair Doesn't Hold a Curl

When people ask me what my favorite hairstyle to do is, I usually say something along the lines of "I like to do whatever the hair wants." I find that listening to the hair, not overthinking, and helping the hair to do what it wants is how we can achieve the most effortless look.

-Hi there! I'm Olivia and I help brides feel like their best self in the most comfortable way. My hair and makeup style is natural, authentic, and inspired by soft glam. I'm located in Baltimore and Connecticut, and serve the East Coast from Virginia to Massachusetts.

Some brides have hair that is meant to be worn down. They love wearing it in waves for special events. Their hair is thick, holds a curl well, and they're probably getting married in a cooler month like October - April. If you have hair like this, consider yourself lucky!

However, if your hair doesn't hold a curl well, there are extra considerations to think about. Maybe a different hairstyle is best-- like an updo or ponytail. If you're really wanting your hair down in waves for your wedding day, keep reading to learn about some of the things you can do if you're a bride-to-be!

What You Can Do

Getting your hair colored and glossed is an easy way to have curls that last longer. Hair coloring can increase porosity and surface roughness on each strand making it easier to style. For example, if you've never colored your hair before, you might find that it tends to be silkier and smoother. Whereas bleaching and coloring opens up the strands, making it rougher, and eventually better able to handle curls. A hair gloss is a great way to get into hair coloring if you want to go that route but don't want to start bleaching your hair yet. Another plus, is that a gloss can help with frizz if you're getting married in warmer weather!

Magi Fisher Photography

Cutting layers into the hair can create lightweight texture so curls hold longer. Have you ever felt like your hair was just too long and limp? If that's the case, there's no amount of styling that will help hold curl all day and a strategic hair cut with layers is best.

Clip-in hair extensions are another great way to increase your hairstyle's integrity so it is more long lasting. This option is particularly helpful if you have thinning hair. Most hair extensions come pre-colored already so they've been through the bleaching and dying process; that way, you don't have to!

Purchasing high quality clip-in extensions are a must if you're going this route. Extensions typically run $250 - $500 depending on the quality. Anything less than that dollar amount will either be synthetic (which will melt with our hot tools), or the hair will not be thick/long enough leading you to purchase more hair (which will be eventually equivalent to the extensions pricing you would've spent anyway initially). What is great about hair extensions is that you can use it again for future events (so with girl math, it adds up)!

Clip-in extensions are the best type of hair extensions because we can be strategic with placement and put it in places that we will actually need. For example, if you'r hair is already dense in the back but needs more volume on the sides, we'd place hair extensions on the sides. This makes the style more comfortable! I don't recommend k-tips because we're limited with how we can style it. For example, I always blow out the roots before styling to add grit and a bit of volume. However, with k-tips installed, this makes it very hard to style. Additionally, if you're wanting a sleek style, you might have some k-tip bonds sticking out making the style look not so smooth after all. These are just a few of the many reasons why I prefer not to style with k-tip extensions. So- clip-in extensions are the best for bridal hairstyling!!

What Your Bridal Hairstylist Can Do

Hannah Bjorndal Photography

While hair prep starts with you, your bridal hairstylist has tips and tricks up their sleeves to help your hair hold curl too. Despite the myth, hair lasting all day does not come from a bunch of hairspray at the end to "lock" in the style.

Hair holding comes with hair prep before we even touch our hot tools. Sometimes, that means blowing out your roots and ends with a mousse or using creams so that your hair isn't a staticky mess. Understanding products and how different ingredients complement different hair types is a key foundation to hairstyling. Once the hair is properly prepped, we can start curling and styling. However, even with the proper prep, your hair still may not hold a curl well due to the weather or just your type of hair.

That's when on-site touch ups come into play. If you're getting married in the summer and depending on your genes, frizz is inevitable or maybe your hair will go back to being straight. Having your stylist stay for touch ups means that your hair can be re-curled and styled again before the ceremony so it stays exactly as you want it during photos. Or, if you're looking for a second hairstyle because you know your hair won't hold curl all day, we can easily put it up into a classic style so it's out of your face and you can dance the night away; the best of both worlds!

If All Else Fails

If this is all too much for you and you're wanting a l0w-maintenance style, then considering a different hairstyle may be a better idea. Remember how I said at the beginning that I like to listen to the hair? If you're hair doesn't hold curl well, then maybe putting it in an updo is best! Instead of going against the grain, listen to yourself and what your hair is telling you.

Are you ready to start properly hair prepping and want to learn more about my booking process? Inquire here to learn more :)