CHENNAI: With more and more Chennai brides not only opting for international looks, but also not unwilling to spend a little extra time and money on their hairdos for their big day, a look and learn session for the city’s salon owners and stylists by L’Oreal Professional India came at the right time on Tuesday.

Four expert hair stylists who have the credit of working with creative expert Laurent Decreton showcased hairstyles from The Royal Wedding Collection 2012.

Dhruv Abhichandani from Drama Salons took a bold route and took inspiration from the traditional mohawk. Though a mohawk is definitely not the first thing that would come to one’s mind when thinking of bridal hairdos, Dhruv, by the end of his presentation, clearly made it an option to consider.

As he expertly combed the model’s cascading hair on to one side, piling it up high, he explained that unlike in the traditional mohawk, he was building the structure up on one side instead of the centre so as to not make it “very strong for a bridal look”. He said, “I’m adding a very ethnic touch to the structure and this kind of style will suit a very outgoing bride.”

The style, which came with a French roll on the back bottom, is the perfect choice for a laid back pre-wedding cocktail party, Dhruv suggested, as he pulled and tugged to fit in bobby pins (that he and his fellow stylists all had conveniently lined up on their wrists).

“Never use excessive hairspray while still building the structure because then the hair will get stuck. Always finish the style and use spray in the end to put everything in place,” he explained while magically putting all flyaway hair that was awkwardly hanging about in place, giving the model a refined look.  

Raman Bhardwaj (A N John Salons) and Sachin Dakoji (Manea Salons) took the stage after Dhruv, both of whom had distinctly different inspirations. While Sachin tried to recreate the hairstyles from Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings with a modern touch, Raman’s style was a spin off of the traditional bun that is synonymous with Indian weddings.  As both the men used stuffing (artificial buns) to form the basis of their styles, Chennai’s hair experts, who were fervently taking notes the whole time, got many of their queries about not only products, but also using hair products on clients.

If city hair experts took back one piece of valuable information, it was that accessorising hairstyles was vital but less was more.