2.1 Introduction
Once you know how to properly prepare a bride's hair, the next step is to learn a few beautiful up-dos to have in your repertoire.
While some brides may come to you knowing what they want to do with their hair, many more are looking for some guidance and direction. It is important to avoid cookie-cutter styles, as no bride wants to look the same as every other. Ideally, you want to come up with a few options for hair that are modern yet elegant, and that incorporate romance with practical style.
Make sure you spend time staying on top of the latest styles and trends by reviewing bridal magazines and attending bridal shows in your area. This guarantees that the hair styles you recommend to inquisitive brides are stunning without looking dated. You should also take the time to practise each style numerous times before suggesting it to a bride.
One of the most sought after looks is a modern romance up-do with an aspect of Hollywood glam to give it a bit of
a unique appeal.
This look is achieved in two basic steps. The first is to style the hair into glam-inspired waves, and the second is to complete the up-do. This module walks you through the first half of this style, discussing each smaller step in great detail, giving you all the information you need to start practicing.
Activity #1: Start a Hair Styling Journal
Estimated time: 10 to 15 minutes
It is a good idea to start a hair styling journal, to keep track of the important topics and tips covered in this course. You should divide your journal into two sections:
*The first should cover tools and prep work, similar to the discussions in the first module.
* The second section should simply list the steps associated with each hairstyle.
This gives you something to quickly refer to when practising new looks. As you go through this module, write down, in point form, the important steps you need to take to achieve this look.
2.2 Prepare the Hair
Take the time to review the steps discussed in the first module about how to prepare hair before you can complete a bridal up-do.
Those steps should be taken as a general guide, as some hair styles have certain unique aspects and may require extra or special steps. For this particular hair style, it is especially important that you ensure the hair is freshly washed, dried, brushed, and heat protected before you begin.
Washed, Dried, and Smoothed
In some cases, it is perfectly acceptable for the bride to wash their hair the night before the styling, as a small amount of oil build-up is not harmful. However, in others, it can create an overall flat or dirty look to the resulting style. When you are styling hair in this modern romance look, you want to be sure it is freshly washed, dried, and smoothed before you begin.
If the bride is coming to your salon or home, you can wash their hair upon arrival. This is a great way to ensure that it is completely clean, without any shampoo or conditioner residue. It is also a nice treat for an otherwise stressed out bride.
Depending on your business set-up, you may be travelling to the bride's house. This can make washing their hair a bit trickier.
You have a few options available to you if this is the case:
Bride Washes Their Own Hair: The most obvious solution is to ask the bride to wash their own hair shortly before you are scheduled to arrive. Some freelance stylists offer brides sample size bottles of salon quality shampoo and conditioner, as a way to offer them part of the salon experience.
Use a Sink or the Tub: Another option is to use the kitchen sink or the tub. It is a lot harder to wash hair this way, given the small space available and awkward positioning. Additionally, you may feel pressured to rush through the process, lest the bride become uncomfortable. Consider investing in a folding barstool to give the bride something to sit on if you do opt to use the kitchen sink.
Purchase a Portable Sink: Finally, you could purchase a portable sink. Depending on the model you choose, these can be expensive, but are worth it to give the bride a calm and relaxing wash. There are a few different types available. Some stand upright and connect to a sink or tub. Others rest inside a sink, giving a bit of a lip to rest the neck on while you are washing. You may not be able to increase your fees to
compensate for the expense, but word of mouth may more than make up for it.
Once the hair is washed, you need to run a heat protectant through it, dry it, and smooth it down. Follow thesame process discussed in the last module to ensure the hair is adequately prepared.
Brushing the Hair
For this hairstyle, you should use a tangle teaser brush wherever you are directed to brush the hair. These brushes give a bit of extra texture and volume without compromising the integrity of the style or the eventual curl. In particular, people with thin hair benefit from this type of brush, as it thickens the hair up a bit, helping it hold a curl better.
Brides with curly hair need to have it straightened before you can begin this look. They may ask you to do so, they may prefer to do so themselves, or they may have another stylist they use for straightening. If they ask you, make sure you bring a lot of heat protectant.
It is also important for you to know exactly how long it takes to get their hair as straight as it needs to be for this style to work.
Whenever you brush out hair that has been straightened, you may not want to use the tangle teaser. This can give a bit too much volume in these cases. Instead, consider using a paddle brush. This helps keep hair straight, separating the strands without encouraging them to regain their prior curl.
If your bride does have naturally curly hair, you may want to discourage her from this look. Depending on the texture of her locks, they may not hold the type of curl required to achieve this style. Always insist on a test run, so that you know if the style works, and if so, how long it takes to achieve.
Heat Protectant
Heat protectant is every stylist's best friend.
It serves several incredibly useful purposes, so make sure you carry an adequate amount with you in your kit at all times. It smooths the hair down, protects it from heating products, and gives it a bit of extra shine. When shopping for heat protectant, avoid focusing too much on prices and instead look for one that promises to serve those multiple purposes. If cost is an issue, try to buy in bulk wherever possible. This ensures you have enough in stock at all times, while also giving you products you can suggest to your clients.
When you use heat protectant for this particular style, make sure you avoid oversaturation. The curling wand used does not really touch the roots, so you can avoid this area. Using a heat protectant on part of the hair that is not subsequently heated can leave it looking oily and greasy. When you do this to the roots, it further emphasizes any existing oil, making the overall style look a bit flat and dull. Instead, stick with the ends and use your fingers to ensure it is evenly distributed.
Activity #2: Shop for Heat Protectant
Estimated time: 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat protectant is one of the most important tools in any stylist's kit. You need to ensure you have enough on you at any given time to complete a hairstyle.
Take some time now and shop around for the best heat protectant available at the best price. While you may already have some in your kit, you should know how to buy in bulk, which has the best prices, and how to find sales and deals. This information can help lower your purchasing budget, thus increasing your profits. Consider looking at Amazon, local supply stores, and bulk stores in your area.
2.3 Set the Part
Once the hair is completely prepared, you need to set the part.
This is a bit trickier than it seems, especially with this hair style. You need to be sure the part is set and remains set as you style the rest of the hair. The final look depends on the part being perfect.
The Hollywood glam look relies on a deep side part, at least in line with the corner of the bride's eye. This gives you a wide section to tease, giving the look its classic shape, and a smaller section to smooth back, so as to not detract from the final look. Practise a few different side parts on the bride in question before settling on one. Depending on the bride's facial shape, you may need to slightly adjust the location of the part. You want to be sure that the hair style you give them emphasises their beautiful facial features rather than hide them or makes
them appear smaller.
It does not really matter which side the part is on, so long as it is far enough to retain a bit of drama. Some brides have a strong preference, while others have hair that naturally falls one way or the other. Again, make sure you practise this look on each bride a few times to be sure you get it right.
Tools to Use
Setting a side part involves the use of a few different tools. Make sure you have each one within arm's reach, so you can get this part of the style done quickly. It is important that the part be precise and straight, without any slight zigzag.
To achieve this, use the following:
Tangle Teaser Brush: This is how you set the part to begin with. Use the brush to smooth back the smaller section of the part while bringing the hair forward on the other side.
Tail Comb: Use the pointed end of the tail comb to be sure that the part is completely straight, and that there are no stray hairs stretching from one side to the other. Some stylists begin with the tail comb, outlining the part and then using the tangle teaser brush to brush the hair in place. Others use the brush to set the general part, relying on the tail comb to take care of the minor details.
Fingers: Finally, use your fingers to be sure that the part is at the volume you want and that the hair naturally falls away from the part. Make sure there are no strays, cowlicks, or any other imperfections in the hair before you begin by gently brushing over the top of the head with your hands, smoothing individual hairs down and examining for bumps.
Section off the Hair
Before you start sectioning off the bride's hair, make sure you have an assortment of straight pins and claw clips handy. Once you have the tools you need, start by lifting the top half of the hair, and pinning it in place with a claw clip. Take the sections at the front and pin them in place using the straight pins.
Take another look at the bride's hair at this stage, before you start spraying and heating. Again, make sure that there are no emerging cowlicks or other imperfections that could make styling the hair harder. If you do notice any at this stage, use heating products to smooth them down before you begin curling.
Spray Hair Before you start heating, use your light hair spray to prepare the hair for curling. It is important to avoid getting the hair wet at this point. Wet hair can singe, ruining the style and damaging the hair.
Instead, make sure you use a light aerosol spray, and hold it a few inches back from the hair. Your aim is to get a light coating of spray on the hair without oversaturation. Once you have finished spraying, run your fingers through the hair a few times to be sure it is evenly distributed.
Fact
Aerosol cans have a reputation as being bad for the environment. In fact, most of them no longer have the ozone-depleting chemical they used to, making modern- day aerosol hairsprays harmless to the ozone layer.
2.4 Heat Products
Now that the bride's hair is washed, prepared, and the part is set, you can start applying heating products.
This is arguably the best part of completing this hair style, as it goes by quite quickly with noticeable improvement. Since you are no longer using products that emit a lot of noise, it also gives you a chance to chat with the bride, helping to set their nerves at ease or learning more about their upcoming big day.
Use a Wand
Begin by using a heating wand. You can use a curling iron if you are in a pinch, but wands are the tool of choice for this look as well as many others. They are easier to use, the curls tend to fall right off of them, and they take significantly less time to curl than irons or rollers.
Size: The size of wand you use depends on the size of curl desired. Most of the time, a 1.5 inch/3.81 centimetre wand is perfect for the job. It creates larger, bouncer ringlets that can be brushed out to create the perfect beachy wave. However, the common 1.25 inch/3.18 centimetre wand is also suitable for the job. If your bride is shorter or has a smaller face, you may want to give them smaller curls so as to not overwhelm their features.
Technique: Using a wand is relatively simple. Simply wrap the hair around it, pointing the wand downwards as to ensure the curls fall in the right direction. Hold the hair there for a few seconds, and release. You can then move on to the next section of uncurled hair. Make sure you use the same technique with each and every curl so the final look is uniform.
Re-Section Hair
Once you have curled the entire bottom layer of hair, you need to resection it and start curling the next layer. Take about half of the hair remaining in the claw out, pinning the rest back up. Spray this section of hair as you did before, ensuring you work it in with your fingers for adequate coverage. Then use the wand to form the curls. It is very important that you hold the wand in the same direction and use the same technique to create these curls. The final style depends on uniformity among layers, so that the hair looks naturally wavy instead of manufactured. Repeat the sectioning and re-sectioning process until you are finished with the back of the hair.
Curl the Front Sections
To keep the curls uniform, you need to repeat the same process with the hair at the front. Make sure you curl in keeping with the part you have set, using the same technique as before. Gently brush the resulting curls down in the direction of the part with your fingers when you have finished. While it is important to complete this process on the larger side of the part, don't neglect the smaller section.
Fact
Not all hair claws work for all hair types. Hair stylists should have ones for fine and thick hair to ensure maximum hold while styling.
2.5 Smooth
Once the whole head is curled, your next step is to smooth it all out. This might feel like you are undoing your hard work, but it is a crucial step to achieve the modern romance up-do your bride wants. Make sure you have the right tools and equipment at hand when you are performing this task, to ensure it looks uniform and natural upon completion.
Tools to Use
There are a few tools you need to use to smooth the hair out after completely curling it. When purchasing this equipment, make sure you invest in high quality brands. Cheaper brands available at discount stores do not tend to hold up to repeated use. Nothing is worse than breaking a vital piece of equipment before you are finished with a particular hair style. As a result, do your research and make sure you only purchase the best brushes, pins, and combs.
Wide-Toothed Comb:
First, you need to brush out the curls with a wide-toothed comb. This helps to separate the strands without ruining the integrity of the curl. It turns tight, ringlet style curls into something a bit loser and more bouncy. This is an essential step to take if you want to give your bride the Hollywood glam look that is the foundation of this up-do.
Tail Comb: Do not use the comb part of your tail comb. Instead, use the pointed end to ensure the part remains straight and clear-cut. If there are small flyaway hairs, spray a bit of hairspray on the smooth side of the comb, and run that along the hair. This smooths down any stray hairs while maintaining the curls and the shape of the style.
Brush. Use your tangle teaser to brush the hair once more. This helps to give the curls a bit of bounce and volume without causing them to fall flat. The goal is to make each curl look natural, as though the bride's hair does this all the time. You want to be sure that even though you curled in sections, it does not appear this way when you are done.
Spray
Once the hair is combed, smoothed, and brushed, you should spray it once more with your lighter hair spray. Again, take care to avoid getting it wet, but make sure that it is fully covered in spray. Take your fingers and run them through to cover as many strands as possible with the hair spray. You want to be sure that the work you have done thus far holds, as well as preparing the hair for the next step.
Activity #3: Research Combs, Brushes, and Sprays
Estimated time: 10 to 15 minutes
Your combs, brushes and sprays are the backbone of your styling kit. Make sure that you have invested in high quality products before you start working as a stylist.
Take out your hair styling book and spend a few minutes looking up stylist recommended combs, brushes and hairsprays. Compare materials used, such as plastic versus metal and determine which is best for you and your practice.
2.6 Making it Glam
Before you can put the curled and smoothed hair into an up-do, youneed to complete the Hollywood glam effect.
Do not rush through this step, as it does affect the rest of the style. If your bride does not want an up-do, this is an ideal place to stop your style. It gives off an old fashioned, elegant look while still retaining some modern charm. You may want to include some pins with a bit of sparkle, glitter hair spray, or find a way to naturally incorporate the veil should the bride want you to stop after this step.
Tools Used
As always, make sure you have each and every tool you need within arm's reach before you begin each step.
To give your bride's hair a Hollywood glam look, you need to use the following:
Tail Comb: Use the tail comb to tease up the wider part. You want to give it a lot of volume without making it look unnatural. To do this, gently tease the roots, adding volume while also working the part into place.
Brush: Use your tangle teaser and go over the hair lightly once more after the part has been teased into place. Brush the teased section from the front of the hair, to give it a bit more volume.
Fingers: Use your hands to reinforce any loose curls and to really work the teased part into place. Think about the glam shots of 1940's actresses, with their side parts teased and the rest of the hair curled around it. Some stylists spray their hands lightly with hairspray before running them through the hair to ensure that any adjustments stick and to avoid flyaway hairs. This is a great practice, as long as it does not irritate your hands.
Set the Part
Finally, you need to set the part. Depending on the type of hair the bride has, you may need to set the part for quite some time. This ensures that it stays in place throughout the ceremony and into the night while still looking natural. Setting the part is relatively easy, as long as you have the right tools and the time to do so.
You can continue to spray and blast with cool air as needed as well. In cases where your bride only wants the glam waves, consider leaving the pins in place as she has her make-up done and gets dressed, removing them at the last possible minute.
Module Summary
Learning how to do a modern romance up-do inspired by vintage Hollywood glam is the perfect way to start your styling career. The tricks, tips, and techniques used to create this beautiful look can easily be applied to almost any other beautiful bridal style. Old-fashioned Hollywood waves are incredibly trendy, yet very versatile. Mastering the first part of this up-do can give you the basis for so many other beautiful styles. We began by talking about how to prepare the hair for this specific style, taking time to discuss the importance of
heat protection and the best way to set the part. Next we talked about which heat products to use and how to achieve the perfect curl for this style. We also talked about the best tools to use when you need to smooth and separate hair. Finally, we talked about how to perfect this style, preparing the bride for part two of this modern romance up-do or ending the style there if they prefer to keep their hair down.
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