Hair Care Tips for a bride-to-be

By Betty Among
When you see a bride with lustrous hair, do not think it has just happened miraculously. It takes a lot of effort to achieve that look.

According to Mugisha and Benja Waiswa of O’leaf Salon, opposite Pioneer Mall, there are a lot of things a bride-to-be needs to do to have beautiful hair on her day. The stylists share their tips:

Find out your hair type. Is it oily, dry or in between? Knowing your hair type will help you use the products that are appropriate for your hair.

Wash your hair regularly with Shampoo- at least once a week. This makes the scales of the hair open up and helps remove the excess dirt. It is always good to use shampoo that is made of a mild cleansing base and gentle in action. Apply regularly, use anti-dandruff and lice treatments.

Give proper conditioning to the hair. Use a good hair conditioner which helps smoothen the hair and leaves it shiny, smooth to comb and clean.

Days before the wedding, avoid using blow dryers, brushes or straightening irons on your hair as these may weaken and break it. Use wide-toothed combs regularly to remove tangles from the hair.

Avoid combing hair when it is dripping wet. This may lead excessive breakage as wet hair is quite fragile.

If you can, go for some special treatment like oil massage, overnight oil application and hot oil treatments. These help maintain a healthy scalp.

Use aromatic head massages to release stress and sleep at least seven hours daily.

It is important to have a balanced diet, drink 8-10 glasses of water daily and have lots of calcium in your daily food as to avoid high blood pressure and tensed up muscles owing to the stress of the wedding. Food rich in Calcium are yoghurt, soybeans, milk, cheese, spinach, cereals, soymilk and grains.

If you can, drink coconut water at least twice a week. It gives a magical effect to your hair, hydrates the body and removes toxins from your systems.

Avoid going for a drastic hair change a few days before the wedding.

Do not comb your hair roughly because it will break. Cyrus Gachoki, the executive director of ImagineWise consultancy and a hair specialist advises ladies to first comb their hair at the tips then move on to the middle hair and then comb hair at the root last.

Finally, the final hair-dressing product too is important. Use a good hair gel that will give a mild hold for your hair so it does not look unkempt on the wedding day.