Now that you’ve decided to go natural on your wedding day, you’re probably wondering where to start in actually making this vision a reality. Luckily, Sess Cannon of Flourish Salon in Arlington, Texas, a stylist that empowers and educates her clients about healthy hair practices, has provided her top five tips for preparing your natural hair for your wedding day:

1. Create an Inspiration Board

Sess Cannon advises all of her clients to research and find at least four different hairstyles they like- Instagram and Pinterest are her go-to’s for inspiration. Next, create an inspiration or mood board using those hairstyles. On your inspiration board, be sure to also include a photo of your dress, your jewelry, and your wedding colors on it. Having a visual of what everything looks like together will make it easier to narrow down your choices and choose the right style for you.

2. Look Up Natural Stylists in Your Area

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of ideal hairstyles, it’s time to try and find someone that can turn your vision into a reality. Sess Cannon recommends first doing some research and making a list of natural stylists in your area. From there, look them up on social media to see if you like their past work and that their style aligns with your vision. Next, reach out to the salons or stylists you’ve shortlisted and see if they have availability on your wedding day. The final step? Set up a consultation and run-through to make sure that they can confidently execute the look you want on your wedding day. 

3. Avoid Making Any Major Changes to Your Hair 

To ensure your wedding day hairstyle looks nothing short of gorgeous, Sess Cannon does not recommend you make any drastic changes to your hair within six months of your wedding day. This means no colorings and no major haircuts. You can run the risk of experiencing unhealthy tresses and not being able to obtain your dream hairstyle and/or hair cut on your wedding day. 

4. Confirm the Logistics with Your Stylist

Given there is so much happening on your wedding day, it’s normal to forget about a few minor details. However, when it comes to your hairstylist, there are some details that you shouldn’t forget. First, be sure to confirm the full price of the stylist’s hair services, as well as the cost of the deposit. You’ll also want to clarify whether the stylist will be coming to your ‘getting ready’ location on the big day, or whether you’ll be visiting the salon. Finally, make sure you check whether any treatments or appointments are required in the lead up to the wedding. If so, book these well in advance. 

5. Make Sure Your Hair is Ready to Go

For your hair styling to go as smoothly as possible on the big day, it’s important to make sure your hair is ready for styling. This means showing up with clean, detangled hair. Ultimately, hairstylists, like Sess Cannon, will be able to execute your wedding day hair style in a timely fashion if your hair is prepped in advance. 

There’s no need to waste unnecessary time in the salon chair on your big day. Make sure you have a solid vision, you’ve done the correct preparation steps and you find your perfect hairstyle for your perfect day- the rest will fall into place!