Whether you’re several years into your journey toward self-love and are fully obsessed with your curly hair, or you’re just starting your journey (welcome!), it can be easy to get sucked back into a mindset we all know too well—thinking you need to change (or “tame” as we were taught for so long) your curly hair for special occasions like date nights, job interviews, birthday parties, and perhaps more than any other occasion, weddings. Especially if you’re the bride, but even if you’re a bridesmaid or you’re attending your first of many events of the summer wedding season, you’ll probably spend a lot of time asking yourself: 'What am I going to do with my hair?' We’re so accustomed to busting out the flat iron and curling wand when it comes time to prep for a big day, as if there are no other options. Well, not anymore! Special occasions do not require straight hair or curling wand ringlets.🙅♀️
When we say we want you to embrace your curls, we mean fully embrace them. Not just on your days off when you’re hanging around the house, and not just when you’re running errands. Curly hair is beautiful and elegant, and below, we've shared some of our favorite natural hair wedding hairstyles as well as tips to help you style your gorgeous natural hair for a wedding. The most important thing during any special occasion, but especially your wedding day, is that you look and feel like the best version of yourself. Trust us: you’ll thank us when you get your wedding photos back. 😉 Below, we’ve outlined the 5 steps to take if you want to rock your natural curls at a wedding.
1. Make a Plan
First things first: to get your curls ready for a major event like a wedding, you'll want to make sure they’re healthy and hydrated leading up to the big day. Wearing your healthy, natural curls on your wedding day? Love! Wearing your natural but damaged curls on your wedding day? A good way to guarantee your ‘something blue’ is the look on your face when you see your split ends. If your hair is damaged, or you're unfamiliar with your curl type and texture, it’s time to start addressing these issues.
2. Simplify Your Routine
So often people will complain about the state of their curls and yet continue to do the very things that cause damage, frizz, split ends and more. The unfortunate truth about curly hair is that when it’s damaged, it really shows. So if you’re looking to repair your hair, you have to cut off the source of that damage and let your curls breathe. That means no more chemical treatments, excessive heat styling and harsh dye jobs. We’re serious! If your goal is natural wedding hair, you need to embrace natural pre-wedding hair, too. And if your wash day routine includes a cabinet full of products, we bet you might be dealing with some scalp buildup as well, which directly impacts the health of your curls. We recommend keeping things simple with curl-friendly products like our 3-Step System to ensure your hair is clean and moisturized with good-for-you ingredients like shea butter and moringa oil. Need a bit more of a deep clean? The LUS (Love Ur Self) Scalp Massager is a great in-shower tool for getting rid of excess oil and buildup.
3. Add Some Extra Nourishment
Once you’ve tackled what’s damaging your hair, the next step is to make amends. Show your curls some extra love by setting aside some time for weekly or bi-weekly deep conditioning treatments to help restore, repair, and rehydrate your hair. The LUS (Love Ur Self) Deep Condition & Repair formula is easy to incorporate into your routine since it works in just 5 to 15 minutes and doesn't require heat to be effective. We know the weeks leading up to a wedding are busy and hectic, but letting your Deep Condition & Repair formula work its magic on your curls in just 5 to 15 minutes in the shower while you loofah, shave or just relax in a bath, will help bring those curls back to life in no time! Then, for extra hold and definition after using our All-In-One, you can use our Irish Sea Moss Gel, the ‘anti-gel’ gel that’s actually good for your hair, drenching your curls in moisture and hydration, and leaving hair soft and touchable.
4. Get Snipping
You knew it was coming. If healthy, hydrated, defined curls are what you’re after, you need to trim off your damaged or split ends. Now, we’re the first to admit that finding a curly hair stylist is no easy feat, and finding a stylist that specifically understands your curls, can be even harder. Luckily, we have the internet—the very same one you can thank for this article you’re reading right now. Start by Googling the name of your city and 'curly hair salon'. See what pops up and then get to doing your homework. Check the salon’s reviews and social platforms (their own feed and images they’ve been tagged in) to gauge other people’s results and experiences, and perhaps most importantly, see how familiar they are with working with your curl type. Once you’ve found a stylist that you're happy with, stick with them and commit to seeing them regularly (pre- and post-wedding!) for trims and dustings to maintain the overall health of your hair.
5. Experiment With Different Looks
Now that we’ve covered hair health, it’s time to get into styling. There are plenty of wedding hairstyles for natural, curly hair that can make your everyday curls look and feel special, without having to pick up a heat tool of any kind. Some of our faves are braids and twists (a great way to add texture to any style, and there are so many different kinds so you can find something that suits your personal style and wedding day aesthetic) and accessories (one of the easiest ways to glam up any look while highlighting your unique style; think bejeweled pins, headbands, combs and clips).
Want more inspo on how to wear your natural curls for a wedding? Click here to watch as we team up with The Curl Ambassadors (the curly hair salon in the city of Toronto and one of the first to carry our product line!) to create three different looks on three different types of curly hair—plus pick up some awesome tips from their curl specialists! And make sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok for lots of curly hair inspo, during wedding season and beyond.
