How Not to Be a Wedding-Hair Don't, From Famed Hollywood Hairstylist Mark Townsend

1. What are some of the biggest mistakes you think brides make when it comes to their hair?

Your wedding day is not the day to try a new hair trend. Make sure to have a consultation or run through styles with your hairstylist, or try some hairdos on yourself and take photos. I've heard so many women say "what was I thinking?" when they look at their wedding photos, mostly because their hair was too big or too stiff. You still want to look like yourself, just a little extra polished.

2. Can you share some of the tricks and products you use to make celebrities' updos look so intricate yet not stiff or stuffy?

I love that we're seeing updos that are very polished yet soft and not overdone. The key is that the bun might be a little messy, but the texture is not. I've been either blowing out the hair very smooth or using a curling iron or wand to keep curls more refined before pinning the hair up. This gives the style a softer look. My biggest trick is to spray hairpins with Dove Refresh+Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo before using them in updos; the starch in the dry shampoo sticks to the hairpins and creates a good kind of friction with the hair so they will not slip out or loosen. This also keeps you from having to use too much hairspray to keep everything in place, which could lead to stiffness. A quick way to make a bun look more interesting is to braid the hair before twisting into a bun or chignon or even a topknot; when you twist the braid, it has so much texture (it looks like many small loops).

3. We'd love to know what your favorite trends are right now when it comes to formal hairstyles. What are the biggest wedding hair Dos right now?

I'm thrilled that soft, romantic hair is such a trend right now. For down hair, I love to see slight bends in the hair instead of waves, like how I did Elizabeth Olsen's hair for the CFDA Awards. I wrapped large sections of hair around a 2-inch curling iron (that's a very large barrel) to create those bends. R Session Tools makes a double-barrel iron that makes it so easy to create uneven waves too. The topknot trend is definitely sticking around for a while, but now we are seeing the knot placed a little farther back, right at the crown of the head, which is perfect for a bride. The topknot is a hairstyle that works really well with accessories; for Rachel McAdams’ premiere, I blow-dried her hair then pulled it into a ponytail at the crown, braided the ponytail and then sprayed it with Dove Style+Care Strength & Shine Flexible Hold Hairspray before twisting it into the knot, and then used a piece of black ribbon as a headband. You could use white satin or a crystal headband for a more romantic look, or use jeweled hairpins around the knot for a modern bride.

What do you think of these wedding hair tips? What do YOU think is the key to not having wedding hair go awry?

To see the full article -  http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2013/06/how-not-to-be-a-wedding-hair-d.html