I send all of my #AbbyHudsonSeniors a style guide upon booking that helps them to choose their outfits for their session, but there is still one more decision that needs to be made when it comes to your session and its one that I know so many will encounter when preparing for their session- How To Wear Your Hair!!!  However, as I began writing this blog, I then realized that this post actually applies to all of my clients and not just seniors!!  

That is one of the top questions that I have been asked lately for sessions- Should I wear my hair curly or straight??  Well, the answer to that questions isn’t quite that simple but I have three great recommendations and tips to help you decide!!

1. Wear It Natural

We all know that if most girls with curly hair want straight hair and girls with straight hair wants curls.  I even curl mine just about every day!  While it may feel natural to go all out and change your hair style for your pictures, I actually highly recommend that you avoid doing that!!  Your session will be ninety minutes long.  Your first few shots may look great with your new hair style, but by the middle of your session (and definitely towards the end) your natural hair style will start to fight its way through.  By this point, there is a good chance that your hair wont be straight, but it wont be curly either, it will instead be in an in between stage of both curly and straight!  Between the humidity of summer and the cold winds of winter, and all the seasonal elements in between- its a struggle for your hair to maintain a style that is not natural!  So, you can avoid that all by keeping your hair style true to the way it naturally looks!!

2.  Don’t Expect The Unexpected

This sort of bounces off of the first point- but don’t expect something that typically would not happen.  If your hair typically does not hold curl, don’t expect it to miraculously hold curl for your session.  Same with straightening your hair- if it doesn’t normally stay straight when you’re outside and moving around a lot, then don’t expect that it will stay straight for your session.  I promise you that by keeping true to the way your hair naturally reacts, you’ll feel so much less stressed because you wont have to worry about if your curls are falling out or your curls are starting to show!  On the other hand, if your hair does in fact hold curl well, then by all means go ahead and curl it!! That leads me to point number three…

3.  Don’t Over Use Hairspray

Sometimes we seem to think that if we put enough hairspray on something, it will stay just the way we want it…Well ladies that is so far from the truth!!  The more hairspray that you use, the more weighed down your hair will look and feel.  Another disadvantage to wearing too much hairspray is that you wont have any images with a slightly windblown look!!  We all love those images where the wind catches your hair at just the right time and blows it just enough to make you look like a million dollars!!  Well, with too much hairspray, those images dont happen.  The opposite happens actually and the wind will blow large chunks of your hair stiffly away from your face.  So instead, try spraying your hairspray on in a light mist over your head and letting it fall onto your hair gently and avoid spraying directly onto your hair, making sure not to overuse it at any point!  The key to good hairspray is not having to reapply it a hundred times throughout your session.

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Now, I always recommend choosing a professional hair and make up artist for your session.  I have worked with some of the best in the state and would love to send you their information because I know they would take such great care of you!  Its their job, and most likely their passion to know how to best fix your hair and apply your make up in a way that will accentuate your natural beauty and allow it to shine in front of the camera.  However, I know that is not always in the budget so by following these three tips, I think that you’ll still be very happy with the way you look and feel in your images!!  Below I am including a few of the products that I regularly use on my own hair and highly recommend!!!

Redken Control Addict 28 Hairspray

This hairspray has been a favorite ever since the first time that I used it and I will never use another!  It has all day hold but never leaves my hair feeling sticky or weighed down!   I only use hairspray once a day and that is in the morning when I first finish styling my hair, but with a great product thats all you need!! 

Catwalk Root Booster

I use this when I need just a little extra volume up top!

Redken Pillow Proof Two Day Extender

Dry shampoo- need I say more?!  This stuff has been an all time favorite for me!  I absolutely love it!  I have found that my hair actually even looks better when I use this and curl it the day after washing it!!

Redken Satinwear 02

I don’t use this much during the summer, but I do wear it a lot in the winter when static becomes a problem in my hair!!  I typically apply it before blow drying my hair, but I also canopy it when my hair is already dry if needed.  It adds just enough weight to my hair that it doesn’t look heavy, but it keeps the static at bay!

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As you can see, I love Redken products!  They are more expensive than what you’ll find at the drug store, but they last so much longer for me than any of those other products ever did so I think that its worth the investment for something that I will use every day and be able to use for months without running out!  My final tip is that if you are purchasing a Redken product, make sure to purchase it from a salon with multiple stylist chairs!!  Redone only sells their products to salons, so If you purchase it anywhere else the product you are purchasing is not a guaranteed Redken formula!!

I hope that this helps when it comes time to prep for your session.  Whether it is a senior session, your engagement session, or a family session- trust me and give these tips a try!  I promise you’ll be so much happier with your hair than if you spent the session fighting with it!!