20 Tools Every Bridal Hair Stylist Needs In Their Kit Bag

Is there anything worse than turning up to a hair job without the right tools or accessories? Even on an ordinary day this can be one of the most stressful experiences for a hair stylist but when its your clients wedding day it’s just terrifying! Being prepared ahead of time definitely helps to prevent disasters like this from happening but using a check list is by far the best way to avoid forgetting any vital equipment. We’ve listed the 20 most essential items every wedding hairdresser should carry in their kit alongside some organisation tips that will help you keep the stress to a minimum. 

Multi Barrell Curling Wand

A curling wand is an essential styling tool in any hair stylist’s kitbag. Not only do they help to quickly produce curls and waves they make hair ups much easier thanks to the added movement and texture, especially when working with naturally straight hair. To save space in your bag a ‘Multi-Barrell Curling Tong’ is a great option, this will come with the curling wand electrical base and 4-5 different sized barrels to suit all hair lengths. A great budget friendly option is the 5 in 1 curling wand set from ICICosmetics.

Hair Straighteners

Hair Straighteners are perfect for quickly smoothing out frizzy areas or straightening kinky roots. They also add fast flicks and curls around the face, working as both a smoother and curling tool they do much more than just straighten the hair. Our favourite is the GHD original, not only are they amazing but they last a lifetime too so it’s worth the extra money on the initial purchase if you use them on a regular basis.

Hair Dryer

A good hair dryer can produce multiple styles and create that extra volume that other styling tools may not be able to achieve. Even if its not used on each client its still good to have one in your bag for emergencies such as unexpected wet hair or if your other heated tools were to break. For wedding hair, I would advise using Velcro rollers alongside a blow-dry to ensure the style lasts the day! A budget friendly, stylist favourite hair dryer is the Parlux Advance Light which is not only powerful but lightweight.

Heated Rollers

Heated rollers create the bouncy blow-dry look in half the time of a blow dry! Used on smooth, dry hair they inject volume into the roots for multiple styling purposes. When you’re styling more than one client on a wedding day, heated rollers are a fantastic time saving gadget that you can leave in whilst you work on other styles. Our favourite are the Remington Proluxe heated rollers that come with the clips and heat base.

Hair Pins

Kirby grips and loose pins will be used on almost every hair up style for wedding hair so pins in all shapes and sizes are an absolute must for any bridal hair stylist. You should have a variety of colours including blonde, brown and black to ensure they stay discreet in all hair types. Most hair shops will sell variety packs with all the above included, its worth stocking up on a few boxes as its rare to get the clips back from your clients after you’ve used them. Salons Direct have a handy variety box that includes both tight grips and looser pins in all hair colours for a very reasonable £11.90!

Pintail Comb

Nothing quite compares to a Pintail Comb when it comes to creating sharp partings and neat sections. The pointed end precisely separates hair whilst the fine toothed comb works to remove any tiny knots. The comb can also be used to backcomb and tease the hair, an essential for hairdressers and bridal stylists alike.

Backcombing Brush

Backcombing is vital for most hair up styles to add stability, volume and texture especially when working with soft, straight hair. Clip-In hair extensions are commonly used for bridal styling which require the natural hair to be teased before attaching, this creates a strong structure for the clips to grip too. A soft backcombing brush can also be used to smooth flyaway hairs and frizz.

Sectioning Clips – Standard And Creaseless Clips

Sectioning clips act as a third and fourth hand when we need to keep parts of the hair out of the way, the only downfall is that they can sometimes leave a kink or mark in styled hair. A great alternative are creaseless clips which are made with a protective layer to avoid unwanted lines and creases. Creaseless clips are also a god send for hair extensionists as they prevent flyaway hairs getting trapped in neighbouring Nano Ring extensions. For just £3.32 you can get 24 creaseless beauty clips from Amazon, what a steal!

Wide Toothed Comb

Glam waves are still one of the most requested hairstyles in 2023, to achieve them a wide toothed comb or ‘Wave Comb’ is crucial. After the hair has been expertly curled and left to cool the wide toothed comb is softly pulled through the hair to loosen the movement and produce soft and glamourous waves.

Hairbands

For Ponytails, Buns and other hair up styles you may wish to use hairbands to hold the hair up. Its important to have a variety of colours and thickness.

Transparent Mini Elastic Bands

Mini elastics are perfect for tying off braids or tiny ponytail styles as they are super small and transparent, so they match with any hair colour. It’s always handy to have a pack of these in your kitbag as they have so many uses for a variety of styles.

Round Brushes

Round brushes are perfect for creating volumous blow dry looks. Its important to have a small, medium and large size to suit all hair lengths. Small round brushes are particularly important for super short hairstyles like pixie cuts that are too short to be tonged or fit into rollers. Moroccan Oil round brushes last a long time and hold heat extremely well, they have a variety of size shapes to choose from.

Velcro Rollers With Clips

Velcro rollers are used alongside hair dryers to enhance and prolong the volume in the hair after a blow-dry. After each or some sections whilst the hair is still warm a roller is put in to set the hair, kept in place by a small metal slide clip. The slide clips can also be used by themselves to create pin curls, a great alternative if you haven’t got rollers to hand.

Handheld Mirror

In some locations mirrors arnt always in convenient places or moveable which can be an issue. Whilst working on someone’s hair you may want to ask them certain questions before you move on to the next part of the style e.g., are you happy with the front? Is the bun high enough? Without a mirror you will need to wait until the looks finished for feedback. A medium sized handheld mirror is a life saver in these scenarios.

Hairdressing Scissors And Cutting Comb

A lot of brides will require the use of hair extensions on their big day to add volume, length or both but sometimes they are slightly longer than they actually need. Always bring your scissors along for last minute trims on the day.

Soft Bristle Brush

Soft bristle brushes are perfect for brushing out tight curls to create Hollywood waves and for use on hair extensions. Its also common to use them for smoothing and removing frizz on more slicked back ponytail or bun looks.

Detangling Brush

A standard detangling brush is an essential in most people bags but for a hairdresser even more so! To avoid any mishaps, make sure yours is suitable for hair extensions as well as natural hair. Our Cliphair detangling brush works on all hair types and all types of hair extensions.

Extension Lead

Quirky or alternative locations arnt always built for the getting ready process so the power outlets may not be in convenient places. Pack a extension lead ensure you can set up in the most comfortable position for you and your clients.  

Hair Padding Or Hair Donut

For bun hairstyles hair padding or a hair donut is often used to give the illusion of more hair. They are also the perfect base for extensions to clip too and wrap around. Remember to have a variety of colours to ensure they are well hidden in all hair types.

Business Cards

Promote yourself while you are working! Its likely you’ll meet family and friends of the bride when you are working on the hair, many will ask for your information or want to book you for their own events or even weddings. Printed business cards are an easy and quick way to give people your contact details without needing to stop what you are working on for too long. Some venues may even allow you to leave them with the weddings team to recommend you to future brides.

Conclusion: What Do You Need For Bridal Hair?

If you include all the tools and accessories in your kitbag above, you should have everything you need to achieve any bridal style request. We haven’t included decorative accessories as this is down to the bride/bridal parties’ personal choice but we would advise ordering these well in advance, so you have time to change them if needed. Stay tuned to the next part in the series “15 Products Every Bridal Hair Stylist Needs In Their Kit Bag”