Styling natural hair for wedding

A couple of weeks ago, reports flooded the social media of a bride who had her hair cut off as she proceeded into the church for her wedding. Her offence was that she had added artificial volume to her natural hair, a style which was against the rules of the church.

It is not unusual for many brides to find themselves at a loss over what to do with their hair for church wedding celebrations, especially if the church has strict rules for using artificial hair of any sort. Makeover spoke with two expert hair stylists, Damilola Ogunleye of Shindara Make-over and Oyetola Itunu on treatment, styles and accessories for natural hair for brides.

Their tips on these issues are provided below:

Treatment

The hair should be washed twice before the wedding day. This will help the hair absorb enough treatment that will help to soften it and ease the stress of styling on the D-Day. When washing, use softening shampoo and conditioner. Apply moisturiser or shea butter and blow-dry immediately.

Endeavour to use as many natural products as possible to prevent damage to the hair. Remember you’re working with your natural hair, so avoid experimenting with unproven artificial products. You can also use coconut oil to eliminate dandruff.

On the wedding day, after washing the hair with softening shampoo and conditioner, it should be stretched with hot comb or straightener.  Then, apply shea butter to the roots as well as the ends, before styling.

Since the natural hair has the tendency to stray out of place after styling, apply edge control products before styling. This is to keep stray strands in place. After styling, use oil sheen spray for the best results.

Styles

Twist: Mini-twists are the great option for brides because they can be done in advance and will help to reduce the fuss over the hair for the wedding proper. If your natural hair is long, twists can be pinned up as an upward bun.

Low cut: More women are embracing the natural option by going for the big chop. So, if this falls towards your wedding period, simply class up the look by going for a very beautiful veil or use a wreath.

Free locks: Natural hair for many Nigerian women comes in the afro style, and with the right treatment, if left in full bloom, can be a head-turner at your wedding. Simply let the curls free and if they are proving too difficult to manage, pin on one side.

Accessories

There are a variety of accessories to choose from for weddings. Some of them include hair pins, headbands, hair clips, hair flowers, bridal combs, tiaras, veils, hair chains, head wraps, hair jewellery, hair vines, wedding halos, among others.