“Wedding hair” can be as naff as the label suggests. Women tend to be blinded by insanity (or wedding shoots) and opt for hairstyles they would never normally choose. Whether you are the bride, bridesmaid or simply a guest you don’t need to lose sight of your personal style just because it’s a big day.

I went to a friend’s wedding last weekend (yes, she and the bridesmaids had lovely hair) and I felt pressure. This wasn’t just a Saturday night out it was a ‘special occasion’. Suddenly I was dreaming-up curly and fussy updos. I knew I needed help.

Thankfully, I was heading to L’Oreal’s Autumn/Winter Trends Presentation with backstage stylist Malcolm Edwards. He has a very cool approach to hair, happily using necklaces and bondage tape to decorate hairstyles. He advised I shouldn’t wash my hair until the wedding day and just rinse it with water and a little conditioner to keep it smelling fresh, this would give my hair guts (I had two days until the wedding, I wouldn’t advise using this technique for longer than that!). He then suggested I play with my hair, layering in products each day and seeing what I come up with, a bit like baking a cake (apparently).

On the day I still didn’t know what look I was going for. Instead I just amused myself trying out different twists and effects until I ended up with a style.

I rinsed my hair with a Kerastase conditioner then left it to dry naturally. I added in my usual Kerastase and BB products (click here to find out more), then layered in a spritz of L’Oreal Professional Liss Control and Pli, noth £11.60. Pli is Malcolm’s favourite product as it adds volume and helps set the final style in place. I then decided on a half-up style with plaits scattered through the hair. This didn’t look all that cool once I had finished so I picked up the ends and twisted them, pinning them at the back and adding in a couple more plaits for interest.

Malcolm taught me that you don’t need to be too fixed in your ideas, just go with the flow and you’ll end up with a look that works on the day whether you're the guest, bride or bridesmaid.

Much more creative, much more cool.