Pre-Wedding Hair Transformation: Timing Is Everything

Many brides-to-be add hair coloring to their wedding to-do list. Experts recommend starting at least six months prior to your wedding date to consult with a colorist who can help you achieve your ideal hue and avoid hair color mistakes. If you're going for an all-over color that's on the darker side, or adding lowlights, you can get your color done one to two weeks before the big day, as opposed to two to three weeks out.

Darker colors fade faster than lighter hues

If you're planning on colouring your hair pre-wedding, experts recommend starting at least six months prior to your wedding date to consult with a colourist who can help you achieve your ideal hue and avoid hair colour mistakes that are all-too-common.

Darker colours tend to fade faster than lighter hues. Therefore, when you're darkening your hair, you'll want to have fewer shampoos between the salon visit and your wedding day.

If you're going for an all-over colour that's on the darker side, or adding lowlights, you can get your colour done one to two weeks before from the big day, as opposed to two to three weeks out.

Don't try a deep conditioning treatment that you’re unfamiliar with a week before the wedding, says New York hairstylist Tiffany Fodor, "I once had a client try this on her own before her wedding day and her hair was beyond oily because the product wouldn’t come out after shampooing multiple times."

Don't try a new person or new look weeks before your wedding day, says Fodor.

Two weeks before the wedding is recommended

Don't try a deep conditioning treatment that you’re unfamiliar with a week before the wedding, as New York hairstylist Tiffany Fodor says, "I once had a client try this on her own before her wedding day and her hair was beyond oily because the product wouldn’t come out after shampooing multiple times."

Don't try a new person or new look weeks before your wedding day, as Fodor says, "Come in two weeks before your wedding for a routine color to give it time to settle, look more natural, and to make any adjustments if necessary, says Kusero. If you're trying something new—like going from brunette to blonde—Wallace recommends making the change about six months before the wedding. “Start a few months out to give time for adjustments,” says Kusero. Stay close to your natural color and make small adjustments until you’re comfortable with more change."

If you've coloured your hair in the past, you’ll most likely want to keep it up so that you look as much like yourself as possible on this all-important day. Experts recommend starting at least six months prior to your wedding date to consult with a colourist who can help you achieve your ideal hue and avoid hair colour mistakes that are all-too-common.

If you get highlights and a cut, you can get your hair dyed 1.5 weeks out because you don't want your roots to show, and your hair grows fast. However, since it was a new colour, you keep your expectations low. As long as it was a solid brown colour, you would be happy. The colour turned out exactly what you wanted.

Six months before the wedding is ideal for consultation

If you're planning on coloring your locks pre-wedding, you should start a few months out to give time for adjustments. Chase Kusero, co-founder of IGK Hair Care, has been a practicing hairdresser since the age of 15 and now has numerous celebrity clients. He says, "Come in two weeks before your wedding for a routine color to give it time to settle, look more natural, and to make any adjustments if necessary."

If you're going for an all-over color that's on the darker side, or adding lowlights, you can get your color done one to two weeks before from the big day, as opposed to two to three weeks out. The reason? Darker colors tend to fade faster than lighter hues. Therefore, when you're darkening your hair, you'll want to have fewer shampoos between the salon visit and your wedding day.

New York hairstylist Tiffany Fodor says, "Don't try a deep conditioning treatment that you’re unfamiliar with a week before the wedding. I once had a client try this on her own before her wedding day and her hair was beyond oily because the product wouldn’t come out after shampooing multiple times."

Don't try a new person or new look weeks before your wedding day, says Fodor. If you're trying something new—like going from brunette to blonde—Wallace recommends making the change about six months before the wedding. Start a few months out to give time for adjustments.

New colors should be done 1.5 weeks before

If you're planning on coloring your locks pre-wedding, definitely be sure to avoid these hair color mistakes. Especially if you’ve colored your hair in the past, you’ll most likely want to keep it up so that you look as much like yourself as possible on this all-important day. Experts recommend starting at least six months prior to your wedding date to consult with a colorist who can help you achieve your ideal hue and avoid hair color mistakes that are all-too-common.

If you're trying something new—like going from brunette to blonde—Wallace recommends making the change about six months before the wedding. “Start a few months out to give time for adjustments,” says Kusero. Stay close to your natural color and make small adjustments until you’re comfortable with more change.

The caveat is if you're going for an all-over color that's on the darker side, or adding lowlights. In that case, you can get your color done one to two weeks before from the big day, as opposed to two to three weeks out. The reason? Darker colors tend to fade faster than lighter hues. Therefore, when you're darkening your hair, you'll want to have fewer shampoos between the salon visit and your wedding day.

Brides ask me all the time when they should have their hair cut and colored before their wedding, and usually recommend about 2 weeks before your wedding. This ensures enough to time to fix any color if it's not exactly what you wanted, and it's not too long so there won't be any grow out at your roots.

I also recommend doing your wedding hair trial first-this way if there are specific things your stylist needs your hair to do, she can make recommendations to your regular hairstylists for your cut. For example, if you want to have some pieces out on the sides, you and your wedding day stylist can figure out exactly what you need cut to achieve that look and then bring that to your hairstylist to cut it just right.

This is something I asked my hair stylist and she recommended a month out from the wedding. I get highlights and a cut if that helps! ... I got my hair dyed 1.5 weeks out because I didn't want my roots to show, and my hair grows fast. However, since it was a new color, I kept my expectations low. I told myself that I would be fine if the color was not as light as I wanted. As long as it was a solid brown color, I would be happy. The color turned our exactly what I wanted. Yay!

Don't try deep conditioning a week before

New York hairstylist Tiffany Fodor says, "Don't try a deep conditioning treatment that you’re unfamiliar with a week before the wedding". Fodor says that she once had a client try this on her own before her wedding day and her hair was beyond oily because the product wouldn’t come out after shampooing multiple times.

Chase Kusero, co-founder of IGK Hair Care, says, "Come in two weeks before your wedding for a routine color to give it time to settle, look more natural, and to make any adjustments if necessary". Kusero also says, "Start a few months out to give time for adjustments".

If you're going for an all-over color that's on the darker side, or adding lowlights, you can get your color done one to two weeks before from the big day, as opposed to two to three weeks out. The reason? Darker colors tend to fade faster than lighter hues. Therefore, when you're darkening your hair, you'll want to have fewer shampoos between the salon visit and your wedding day.

If you're planning on coloring your locks pre-wedding, definitely be sure to avoid these hair color mistakes. Experts recommend starting at least six months prior to your wedding date to consult with a colorist who can help you achieve your ideal hue and avoid hair color mistakes that are all-too-common.

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