The Two Tools That Will Make Your DIY Wedding Hair Easy

If you’re getting married and thinking about DIYing your own hair for the wedding (and by DIYing, I mean probably having a friend help you with your hair), you already know the absurd pressure that your friends and family—and the Internet—will put on you to OMG JUST GET A PROFESSIONAL TO DO IT GOD YOU COULD MESS THE WHOLE THING UP. I know this pressure all too well, because when I got married, I told everyone to go to hell and had my friend Rachel help me with my hair and makeup. This is particularly amazing, given just how unruly my hair really is.

But! Spoiler: It turned out so well that during the wedding, about ten people told me they wished their hair and makeup had looked that good, and damn it, why had they caved to the pressure of having a stylist do it? None of that means hiring a stylist will end with what happened to Marnie from Girls on her wedding day. In fact, if you want to hire a stylist, I’ve done a ton of research on how to hire the right one, both in detail in the APW Planner, and summed up right here. But. But. If you want to (or have to) do your own hair for your wedding, or any pre-wedding events, I will always be the number one girl in your corner.

But here is the funny thing. For all that I DIYed my wedding hair, I cannot for the life of me do my own hair on the day to day. It’s so bad that every single time we do any kind of photo shoot for work, I have to hire someone to blow out my hair to make it even remotely presentable. And pretty much every day of my life, I wear my hair up in a sloppy bun. Not because it’s stylish, but because on its own, my hair is a frizzy, frizzy mess. My stylist says I have Natasha Lyonne hair, and she’s one hundred percent correct. (I love Natasha Lyonne, but lemme tell you, hair like ours looks amazing styled, and kind of enormous in anything approaching a natural state—aka, I sure as shit did not wake up like this.)

So when NuMe reached out to us to try their five-in-one curling wand and flat iron, I figured I’d give it a test run—both to see if it would help those of you planning on doing your own wedding or pre-wedding event hair… and also just to straight-up see if it would help me learn how to style my hair every day. Given that I’m thirty-six and haven’t yet figured out day-to-day techniques for my hair—and not for lack of trying—my hopes were low. But… never, never, never give up. Or something, right?

And then… the impossible happened. The products were really, really good. In fact, their argan oil was so game-changing for my hair that I feel awkward writing about it, because I’m afraid my endorsement feels… too enthusiastic to be true? I’m like a junior high school girl trying to play it cool, y’all. But the actual true story is that I threw out the original post we wrote, because the product was so damn good I had to blow a little trumpet for it.

Why Nume Products are Way Better Than What I Used For My Own Wedding Hair

First up, let’s talk curling irons and flat irons, and why you’ve probably never been totally happy with those stupid things.

After using NuMe’s Lustrum Curling Set and Silhouette Straightening Wand, here is what I figured out. The curling irons and flat irons that I’ve had my whole life (and that I did my wedding hair with), had one simple problem: They didn’t get hot enough. Like, flat out, full stop, that’s it. They took forever to work, they didn’t create the kinds of curls I get at the salon, and the curls didn’t hold properly. All because they weren’t hot enough, and were metal, not ceramic.

NuMe’s hair tools get professional-level hot in about two minutes. By which I mean, “see the steam come up off your hair, make sure you’ve added something for heat protection” kind of hot. Tools that are this hot also are good news for lazy girls, because using them is fast. You want to take a small section of hair and curl it (something I never have patience for, because I have enough hair for four people), but now you’re only holding each curl for four to five seconds—meaning even I can get your whole head of hair done in ten minutes flat.

All this means that even those of you with thick, difficult hair (and definitely those of you without) can one hundred percent consider styling your own hair for your wedding. And, if like me, you need to get your wedding hair done at 6 a.m., or in a remote location… that might just be a game-changer for you. I was happy with my wedding hair. I would have been a hell of a lot happier with it had I been able to do it fast and professionally with one of NuMe’s curling wands.

The Magic Formula To Tame Frizzy Hair

But it’s more than just that. NuMe also sent along their really well-reviewed argan oil. There is a photo of me before I put the product in my hair, comparing the ingredient list to a hair oil I used every day. It looked like about the same product, so I didn’t expect much difference. YOU GUYS. It is not the same product. I mean, I think it’s more or less the same ingredients as other hair oils. But it is much more viscous, and that makes all the difference. I literally dabbed it on the ends of my hair and it went from fly-away frizz to… smooth. Here are the real pictures:

After I’d rubbed the argan oil through my hair and let it sit, I ended up wearing my hair down for an entire weekend. Literally, factually, for the first time in my life, when I didn’t have a professional blowout. No. Joke.

Here is the combo of products I’ve waited my whole life for: I’ve combined argan oil with two other products for literally magical results. First, my hairdresser has introduced me to a brand-new product: R+Co Analog foaming conditioner. She swore it would be a game-changer, and I didn’t really buy it, but HOLY HELL, it is. It’s a shampoo and conditioner in one, and it works as a crazy foam that you rub into your scalp and then down your hair. I still use a conditioner every other time I wash my hair (and I wash my hair about once a week), but suddenly my hair feels like… normal hair? Not fly-away frizz? Then, I use crazy thick Japanese conditioner, SilkyLuxe Hair Treatment. Every two weeks or so I coat the ends of my dry hair with the conditioner and let it soak in for twelve to twenty-four hours. Then I wash and condition it. It sounds absurd, but it has totally changed my hair-feeling-like-straw problem. Aka, by the time the NuMe tools arrived, my one-two punch of shampoo and conditioner was making me feel closer than I’ve ever been to happy with my hair. I was still wearing it up most of the time, but I felt happy running my hands through it. But, argan oil = magic. Adding that third product made the holy trinity, and I think I can finally do my own hair on the day to day.

You know, even when I don’t curl it.

Plus, the best part? NuMe is offering APW readers $100 (or more) off all NuMe curling wands and silhouette straighteners (which means you get them for $39 instead of $139-$149, plus a free bottle of argan oil and free shipping). Or, if you’re looking for a multi-use tool, you can get any one of NuMe’s sets for $80 (scroll down for details on all three deals). That means for (way) less than you’d pay someone to style your hair, you can get tools and products that you can keep and use daily. And even if you’re not planning on doing your hair for a special occasion, argan oil is legit a game-changer.

I’m seriously considering curling my hair with the 32-mm wand once a week, just to feel good.

Are you thinking of DIYing your wedding hair? What are your concerns?

Use the code APWCURLS to get any NuMe curling wand for $39 (plus a free bottle of argan oil and free shipping). Or use the code APWIRONS to get the silhouette straightener for $39 (plus a free bottle of argan oil and free shipping). Looking for more options? NuMe is offering any set of tools for just $80 (normally priced up to $300). Click here and use the code APWSETS at checkout. All offers expire on 9/11/16.

This post was sponsored by NuMe Products. NuMe is not the curling iron of your childhood. Their straightening irons and curling wands are made of tourmaline-infused ceramic and pure titanium, which means they heat up fast, and work even faster. If you’re looking to get a leg up on your DIY wedding hair (or just your regular routine), NuMe is offering three deals for APW readers today. Click here to get any NuMe curling wand for $39 when you use the code APWCURLS at checkout. Or click here to use the code APWIRONS to get a NuMe silhouette straightener for $39. Or click here and use the code APWSETS to get any NuMe set for just $80. All offers expire on 9/11/16.