Elena Lavagni explores a refreshing departure from rigid, overly intricate hairstyles, as wavy hair emerges as a go-to choice for brides. This trend embodies a sense of fluidity and ease, mirroring the coveted Neville blowdry. Recent observations reveal a notable increase in requests for relaxed, wavy hairstyles among modern brides. Breaking away from traditional stiff chignons, these brides prioritize authenticity, particularly if they typically wear their hair down. Contrary to common assumptions, long loose locks pair seamlessly with veils, offering brides a contemporary and youthful aesthetic. Far from mundane, loose hairstyles offer endless opportunities for customization, including playful partings, ensuring each bride exudes individuality on her special day.
Determining your actual hair type
Just like understanding your skin is crucial for an effective skincare routine, determining your hair type is vital to ensure a healthy head of hair that can then enable you to achieve your desired hairstyle.
Whilst there are obvious categories like straight, wavy, curly, and oily, determining your hair type can be slightly more complex. The four aforementioned categories actually refer to hair texture and are the perfect starting point. The category your hair sits in will be obvious to most, however if you are unsure, at Neville Hair and Beauty we always recommend you letting your hair air dry free of products. If your hair dries straight without any bend, then you are considered type 1, i.e.: straight. If your hair dries in a slight S shape you are considered type 2 and wave wavy hair. Instead if you notice a curl or loop pattern, you either have a type 3 or type 4 texture. Type 3 hair refers to ringlets or corkscrew patterns, that aren’t as dense as type 4. Type 4 on the other hand characterized by dense spirals which have a tendency to shrink when hair dries. This hair type often called natural hair type, is more prone to breakage and requires a more specialised haircare routine.
Within each of the four categories there are subcategories which are determined with letters. You may have heard your stylist in the past refer to your hair type being 3a or 2b. These letters determine your hair structure. Hair structure refers to the thickness of the individual hair strands and will determine how your hair reacts to certain products and how your hair will hold the various hairstyles, or in this case your dream wavy blowdry at your wedding. Structure is categorised in 3 categories: fine, medium and coarse. To establish your hair structure, you can take a single hair and compare it next to a piece of sewing thread.
If you hair appears thinner, you are likely to have thin hair. If it is thicker then you probably have coarse hair. By natural deduction, anything in between would be considered medium. If you have thin hair and are looking to wear your hair down with waves on your wedding day, you may struggle with hold. Rest assured our team of experts have a multitude of tips up there sleeve. Medium hair holds the waves for longer, making it the more adapted to wavy hairstyles. Coarse hair on the other hand, holds very well but is more challenging to style as it has a tendency to frizz.
Last but not least, it’s important to consider porosity, which refers to your hair’s moisture absorption ability. Understanding your hair porosity will help you determine which styling products should be used on your hair to achieve best results.
Tricks of the trade
Once you’ve determined your hair structure, pattern and porosity you may need to consider some aids to help you achieve the perfect bridal waves.
The haircut
The haircut being a fundamental aspect to consider. In order to create a homogenous look that boasts health and shine, you may need to switch up your hair style. Consider adding layers. The Neville Chelsea haircut for example, which lasts much longer than the span of a butterfly, offers more than just a re-style. It’s a health cut for your hair and refreshes lifeless hair without taking away the length.
The Chelsea haircut is a versatile layered hairstyle that suits all hair textures and structures, where the layers are placed to flatter the shape of your face. It is designed to add youth and volume. Achieve using the state-of-the-art thermal scissor system, the natural qualities of the hair is preserved by sealing the ends. The beauty of this cut is that it can be adapted to both long and short hair, without compromising the length. It’s a cut that isn’t drastic but dashing for brides to be. Jack Merrick-Thirlway, Creative Director at Neville Hair and Beauty explains:
The Chelsea Cut is a great way to give your hair shape, movement and versatility without losing length. The most important factor of any haircut is the shape that cuts around the face as this determines whether the look suits. The Chelsea cut really is about the face framing layers that we then use to choose layer length and base length to create balance for the overall look.
Hair extensions
For those who have fine or short hair, it may be worth considering hair extensions for
added volume and length. Hair extension specialist Domenico Casella recommends semi-permanent and non- comital options such as tapes or clip-on’s. At Neville Hair and Beauty we tend to use Balmain Hair Couture extensions which hold two ranges, one designed to add length and another for volume.
Hair extensions are suitable for most hair types, specifies Domenico. It’s down to a question of personal taste, he adds. Your stylist will be able to determine the quantity of extensions that are required depending on your hair structure. Clip ins can come in sets and can be applied laterally or at the back of the head. People with fine hair may also wish to invest in a bespoke clip in piece, which is attached from ear to ear and is made to fit your head’s circumference. The additional volume from the extensions will provide grip and hold to your dream bridal waves.
Colour
When it comes to creating the perfect waves for your bridal look, you may want to consider colour. It goes without saying that you should not attempt colouring your hair at home, but instead seek a trained expert who has spent years learning every aspect of the craft. Changing the colour of your hair permanently isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly, because it changes the physical structure of your hair. Not only are these experts thoroughly trained in handling the strong chemicals involved in the process, and not only do they have a vast array of colours and equipment at their fingertips, they have also learned how skin tone and hair colour interact as well. Using their trained eye and artistry skills, they can tailor your colour to complement your complexion, face, hair type and lifestyle for a truly bespoke finish.
Depending on your hair type, our team of experts can recommend different colouring options. People with fine hair may wish to choose a dark base to create the illusion of a fuller scalp. Alternatively, to increase shine and vibrancy to fine hair you could opt for a vegetable root colour. This generally lasts up to 8 washes. Some colours like Redken’s Shades EQ can be used on virgin hair , which doesn’t lift the base colour but that can help take away excess natural oils and provide additional grip and hold to the hair. If you instead have fuller hair, you may want to consider strategically placed high or low lights to add dimension to an otherwise block colour. Seniz Alkan, colour director at Neville Hair and Beauty says “ It’s important that whatever colour you choose, it doesn’t outweigh the styling.”
Style
At Neville Hair and Beauty, we are bringing back the art of hairdressing. We are taking blow-dries back to basics. Knowing too well that there is not an easy way to become a hairdresser you need passion, dedication and skills. The Neville team know they are turning the bog standard blow dry on its it head by taking away the heated tool appliances to provide clients with healthier blow dries.
We are taking the bold step to shake up the now formulaic blow dry bars around the globe! We know far too well by removing the much relied on heated tools we are almost laying the stylist bear and open to show their skills.
Our aim is to celebrate the original craftmanship of blowdrying. Our stylists have great aesthetic discernment. They are practicing their craft conscientiously, so that they can make their aesthetic vision come into reality. Looking back to the original skillset of hairdressers to give immortality to an industry that’s slowly being taken over by heat appliances. We believe that to achieve luscious healthy hair, your toolkit should consist of only your hands, a hairdryer and some good quality hair brushes. Our wavy blowdry is carried out by using round brushes with natural bristles that are good for your hair and produce a sensational shine just by using the hairdryer in the correct way. By adopting this method, we can guarantee our brides stronger hold for the day, more lasting volume and shine without the use of excessive product.
Trends from Paris Houte Couture to The Big Day
This season at Paris Haute Couture, we noticed a shift in bridal hair with much more dressed and elegant looks coming through. For the looks created at Celia Kritharioti and Julien Fournié the Neville session team opted for a polished and high shine finish, paying particular attention to shape. Like with any bridal look, we ensured the hairstyles aligned with the bride’s face shape putting emphasis on volume and lines whilst considering every section of hair. Larger, bolder shapes at the back of the head balanced out the strong defined lines that framed the face. Whilst Kritharioti opted for the traditional veil, the attachment to the bun updated the look. At Fournié on the other hand, the typical long veil was replaced with an embellished peekaboo headpiece that sat snug around the bride’s bun, revealing a frosted finger wave around the hairline.
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