2 Bridal How-Tos with an Edge by Stephanie Brinkerhoff

BTC Bridal Expert Stephanie Brinkerhoff is well-known for the undone, romantic looks that her legions of Pinterest followers pin, re-pin and share constantly. But when she stepped onto the 2016 BTC COLOR, Cut and Style stage in partnership with ghd Hair and Kenra Professional, Steph brought a bit of a new attitude!

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She opened with three styles—a “wild French twist,” an intricately and tightly braided upstyle and a deeply waved “Hollywood Siren”—that would be just as at home on a photo set or at a gala as in a bridal party. Then she demo’d a vintage wave, plus a rick-rack technique that served as the foundation for her “born to be wild” bride.

Vampy Vintage Wave

1. In the first horizontal section, curl the hair in one direction all around the head.

2. In the next horizontal section, curl all the hair in the opposite direction. As you wrap the hair around the iron, alternate between a flat wrap and a twist wrap all along the section. 

3. Once the hair is curled, pin sharp-edged business cards or playing cards into the waves to set the deep finger waves.

4. Remove the cards and brush through to blend the waves. “You have to brush thoroughly and detail the hair at this point,” Steph said. “Don’t worry about the curl falling out.”

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5. If necessary, hit the roots with Kenra Dry Shampoo or Kenra Dry Texture Spray, and backcomb for body. “It’s really hard to work with silky roots,” Steph explained, “so use the dry shampoo to get them as gritty as you can.”

6. Finish with a sparkly hair accessory. “Clients go crazy for bling,” said Steph. “Decide where you want to place the piece and insert a few bobby pins there to anchor the pin.  You can also create a mini cornrow braid to serve as the anchor. Create it so it looks like the bling is actually holding the hair back. A good hair accessory bends—stiff ones look cheap.”

Rick-Rack Waves

1. After creating the cornrow braids, spray a small section with Kenra Working Spray.

2. Place a long, U-shaped hairpin in the center of the section.

3. Weave the section in and out of the hairpin, omitting the ends.

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4. Secure the section with a small, silver clip.

5. Clamp the clipped hair between the plates of a ghd Platinum Styler flat iron and press to heat up the section. “Unlike using a hair crimper,” said Steph, “this technique produces a variety of sizes and shapes within the curl.”

6. Once all the hair has cooled, remove the clips and pins and rake through the hair with a wide tooth comb to blend the waves.

Check out all the photos from Stephanie’s presentation!