Bridal hair care: an 8-week routine before the wedding
A week-by-week herbal hair care plan for brides in Pakistan: oiling, washing, trims, what to stop doing, and what to pack for the mehndi and baraat.
By the Saba Naturals team. Updated . 6 min read.
Wedding season in Pakistan means weeks of functions: dholki, mayun, mehndi, baraat, valima. Your hair will be styled, sprayed, pinned and heated more in a fortnight than in the rest of the year. The time to prepare it is now, two months out, not the week before.
The plan at a glance
- Weeks 8–6: repair and build a routine
- Weeks 5–3: strengthen and shine
- Weeks 2–1: protect and keep it simple
- Wedding week: don't try anything new
Weeks 8 to 6: repair
- Start oiling twice a week. Warm PureRoots Coconut Herbal Oil, massage into the scalp for ten minutes, leave on for two hours or overnight, wash out. This is the single most useful thing a bride can do for her hair.
- Switch to a gentle shampoo like PureRoots Herbal Shampoo so the oiling isn't undone by stripping washes.
- Get a trim. A centimetre off the ends now removes splits before they travel up the hair.
- Stop the heat. No straightening or curling at home from here on. Save the heat for the functions.
Weeks 5 to 3: strengthen and shine
- Keep oiling twice a week.
- Add a weekly hibiscus or yoghurt hair mask if you enjoy it (optional; the oil is doing the real work).
- Eat for your hair: protein at every meal, daal, eggs, nuts, and plenty of water. Avoid crash dieting; it shows in hair within weeks.
- Sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase to reduce friction and frizz.
Weeks 2 to 1: protect
- Oil once more, well before any trial styling.
- Do your hair and makeup trial now, not in the final week, so you know how your hair takes to the style.
- If you are getting mehndi on your hair or a colour, do it this week at the latest, and oil the day after to restore softness.
- Finalise your plan with your stylist: which functions are heat-styled, which are updos, and ask them to use heat protection.
Wedding week: keep it simple
- Oil once, three days before the first function, and wash it out fully. Do not oil the day before a function; styles don't hold on freshly oiled hair.
- Wash the morning of each function or the night before, depending on your stylist's advice.
- No new products, no experiments.
After the wedding
Two weeks of heavy styling leaves hair dry. Go back to the twice-weekly oiling for a month, then settle into once a week. A PureRoots Complete Hair Care Gift Set also makes a thoughtful gift for the bride's dholki basket or from the groom's side.
Read next: henna, mehndi and hair oil, can you combine them?
Common questions
How early should a bride start hair care?
Eight weeks before the first function is ideal. That is enough time for a twice-weekly oiling routine to make hair noticeably softer and stronger.
Should I oil my hair the night before my wedding?
No. Oil three days before the first function and wash it out fully. Hairstyles do not hold on freshly oiled hair.
This guide is general information about hair care, not medical advice. For sudden, heavy or patchy hair loss, or a scalp that is red, sore or not improving, please see a dermatologist.