If you were sitting in my chair, this is the advice I’d give you before your wedding, birthday or another special occasion.

Introduction

For over 16 years I worked as a hairstylist, spending much of my career styling hair for weddings, editorial shoots and some of life’s biggest moments.

One thing I learnt very quickly was that beautiful event hair isn’t created on the morning of the event.

It’s created quietly, over the weeks and months beforehand.

Whenever someone sat in my chair and told me they had a wedding, birthday, photoshoot or special occasion coming up, the conversation almost always started the same way.

“What should I be doing now?”

This article is the answer I wish I could give every single person.

Not just so your hair looks beautiful on the day…

…but so you genuinely enjoy the journey of getting there.

Because while your event might only last one day, the rituals you build beforehand can become habits that benefit your hair long after the celebration is over.

 

Before we talk about products…

The most important thing I’d tell you is this:

Find a hairdresser you trust.

Stay with them.

Create a plan together.

When your stylist understands your hair history, your colour, your goals and your vision, they’re able to guide you gradually instead of trying to achieve everything in one appointment.

Healthy hair almost always comes from consistency, not urgency.

 

Build the healthiest foundation first

If I could recommend just one thing to begin several months before your event, it would be building the health of your scalp.

Why?

Because your scalp is where every hair begins.

Planning a wedding—or any major event—is exciting, but it can also bring disrupted sleep, decision fatigue, travel and stress. Those things don’t just affect how we feel—they can also influence our hair.

That’s exactly why The Tonic, would be the first product I’d introduce.

 

Not because it promises overnight miracles.

But because it helps build resilience before stress has a chance to show up in your hair.

Most people begin noticing less shedding after around four weeks of consistent use.

Around six to eight weeks, tiny new hairs often begin appearing.

By three to four months, many people also begin noticing improvements in the richness and radiance of their natural hair colour.

One of my favourite things about The Tonic is that it doesn’t try to change who you are.

It simply helps your own hair become the healthiest version of itself.

And in my experience, that’s what most people actually want before a big event.

They want to feel like themselves…

…at their very best.

 

Plan your colour, don’t rush it

One of the biggest mistakes I see is leaving major colour changes until the last minute.

If possible, spread your appointments out.

Allow your hair time to recover between services.

 

Ideally, your final appointment before your event should feel more like a refresh than a complete transformation.

Your hair will usually thank you for it.

Protect your length

Long hair isn’t always the goal.

Healthy hair is.

That said, having a little extra length gives you options.

It means your stylist can remove tired ends without sacrificing styling possibilities.

It also gives you the freedom to change your mind if you decide on a different hairstyle later.

For this reason, I’d generally recommend supporting healthy growth and minimising breakage throughout the months leading up to your event.

The Lengthening Shampoo and Conditioner are my personal choice here because they support both scalp health and the condition of your mid-lengths and ends.

 

The goal isn’t simply to grow longer hair.

It’s to preserve healthy length so you have more flexibility when styling day arrives.

The small rituals that make the biggest difference

The habits that seem insignificant often become the ones that make the biggest difference over time.

Some of my favourites are:

Nightly scalp massage

Just a few minutes of scalp massage before bed helps encourage circulation to the scalp while creating a lovely opportunity to slow down at the end of the day.

As a bonus, many people find it helps them sleep more deeply too.

Pre-wash treatments

One of my favourite habits (especially through winter) is applying The Leave-In Treatment or Elixir to my mid-lengths and ends before washing.

Even five minutes before you shower makes a difference.

If you have time, leave it overnight in a loose twist and wash the next morning.

It helps keep the hair supple, hydrated and resilient.

Winter Wash Guide: Why pre-wash treatments are changing the way we care for dry hair

Gentle styling

Avoid tight hairstyles that repeatedly pull on the same section of hair.

Over time, constant tension can contribute to traction alopecia, which is why I always recommend rotating hairstyles and keeping them comfortably loose whenever possible.

When I do want to keep little flyaways in place, I reach for Sleek + Treat.

It’s one of those products that works while you wear it—helping smooth, strengthen and nourish the hair without becoming stiff or flaky.

I also love using it as an overnight eyebrow treatment.

Small habit.

Big payoff.

 

Don’t forget the things that happen beyond the bathroom

Some of the biggest influences on our hair don’t come from our products at all.

Nutrition.

Sleep.

Stress.

Movement.

Hydration.

These foundations support every stage of healthy hair growth, which is why I recently wrote an entire article exploring them in more detail.

If you haven’t read it yet, I’d highly recommend pairing it with this one.

Hair health beyond products: nutrition, stress, sleep and the foundations of healthy hair

 

My biggest piece of advice

When I was working as a wedding hairstylist, people often thought my job began on the wedding morning.

The truth is, the hairstyle itself was only ever the final chapter.

The real work happened in the months beforehand.

Not through perfection.

But through lots of small, consistent choices.

So if your event is booked…

Start now.

Not because you need to become someone different.

But because your future self will thank you for every small ritual you begin today.

And when the flowers have faded, the photos have been framed and the celebration has passed, I hope those rituals remain.

Because the goal was never just one beautiful hair day.

It was helping you build healthier hair you’ll continue to enjoy every day afterwards.

If you were my client, this is what I’d send you home with

To build the healthiest foundation

• The Tonic

To support healthy growth while preserving length

• Lengthening Shampoo + Conditioner

To protect and nourish your mid-lengths and ends

• The Leave-In Treatment and/or Elixir (depending on your hair’s needs)

For everyday styling without compromising hair health

 • Sleek + Treat

 

In closing:

If there’s one thing I’d love you to take away from this article, it’s this:

Don’t wait for a special occasion to start taking care of your hair.

Let the occasion be the reason you begin—but not the reason you stop.

Because beautiful hair is rarely the result of one perfect day.

It’s the result of choosing, again and again, to care for yourself in small, consistent rituals.

 

Your event is the milestone. Your hair journey is the keepsake.

 

Lauren x