hair inspo photos: What you need to know

Pov: You are a bride looking through THOUSANDS of hair inspo photos on Pintrest, Instagram, Facebook, and just about every other social media platform that's out there! You might even have an album of different hair styles saved in a Pintrest folder or in your photos app on your phone (save any inspo pictures you like!). This is wonderful! Gathering inspo pictures is the first step to deciding on your dream wedding hair style!

Once you have your favorite inspo photos collected, the next step is to choose your wedding day hair. Sounds easy, right? NOT! As a bridal hair stylist I have gathered some tips to help you choose the perfect hair style for you! Over the years I have seen SO many beautiful styles and photos! I have also helped hundreds of brides decide on the perfect hair style for their special day! Some important points to consider when looking through inspo photos are the color of the hair, the texture of the hair, the length and the thickness of the hair!

Some photos of hair styles are often more eye-catching than others because of the way the hair is colored. Often times we are drawn to photos based on the color of the hair especially when there is a lot of dimension, like highlights and lowlights. This can really make a style stand out to us. Another tip is to search for your desired hair style that has your color hair, for example: "low, clean bun on blonde hair". This type of search will narrow down your inspo pictures and make it easier for you to image how the style will look on your hair. Here is an example of the same style I did on three different colors of hair so you can see how much the color affects how the style can look:

Now let's talk about hair texture. There are so many beautiful textures of hair and this is such an important characteristics of hair to consider when you are choosing your style. If you plan to use your natural curls search "up styles (or half up styles) with natural curls" in order to find a style that will fit your texture of hair! It is also important to keep in mind whether or not your hair holds a curl. Yes, there are products that can help hair hold curl, but some hair can not hold curl for long periods of time even with all the hairspray in the world.

Length is another important factor to consider when looking through different hair styles. This would also be a great time to mention extensions. The length and density of the hair both play huge roles in the style you want and the style that you can get. This is when extensions can help out too! I have about 40 percent of my brides use hair extensions to help them achieve their dream hairstyle! The majority of the styles you see online have hair extensions! Extensions add volume, thickness and ensure longevity of every style. Brides can find affordable, great quality extensions on Amazon- just be sure the extensions can be styled with heat tools! The two photos below are a similar type of style (boho braids) but done on two different lengths, densities, (and colors!) of hair.

Lastly, be sure to pay close attention to whether or not a photo could be edited to look a certain way. Typically it is obvious if a photo is really edited but other times it is not obvious at all. Not only can this be deceiving, but it can also result in unrealistic expectations. This brings up another good point- if you are considering hiring any one in any industry and you have the opportunity to see their work, look for a few things: consistency and cleanliness/neatness of work.

Searching for your dream wedding hairstyle is so exciting and here are so many beautiful inspo pictures to look through! These are just a few helpful tips that I hope will help guide you through your search! I hope this helps any bride who is feeling overwhelmed as they are making this decision and any hairstylist who needs tips on how to guide their clients in the right direction! Happy searching!