Should You Do Your Hair or Makeup First

The hair/makeup argument has been around for decades regarding which is the correct order for putting together your beauty look. You’ve come to the right place to discover which has priority and why.

Should you do hair or makeup first? The basic rule is to do your makeup before styling your hair. While this holds true more than 90% of the time, there are a couple of notable exceptions. Those being your wedding day, using hot styling tools in summer, or if you have very oily skin.

Let’s take a closer look at all of these exceptions as well as why you will generally want to do your makeup first.

Four Times To Do Your Hair First

There are certain times when it is more practical to style your hair before you do your makeup. It is worth remembering the exceptions to the general rule, those times when you should opt to style your hair before applying makeup.

If you have oily skin you should do your hair first. If you are prone to having a bit of shine sneak up and ruin your makeup look, you should opt to style your hair first.

With your hair done, you can cleanse your face and apply your makeup right before the start of whatever is on your agenda. This is especially true for YouTubers and if you are doing Zoom calls under bright lights. The camera can see the slightest bit of shine.

On your wedding day do your hair first. The chances are that you will be a ball of wedding day nerves. When you add to that all of the hot tools that your stylist will be using, you can be certain that you will be perspiring in the stylist’s chair. Instead of risking your big-day makeup getting ruined at the last minute, book your hairstylist early and have one less thing to worry about.

If you use hot tools in high summer do your hair first. During the hot summer season, rather style your hair before doing your makeup. Hot tools combined with hot weather lead to perspiration.

If you need to wait for your style to set do your hair first. Certain hairstyles, like curling your hair with hot rollers, need time to set. If you plan on setting your hairdo, then it makes sense to partially style your hair prior to doing your makeup. That way you can save time by doing your makeup while waiting for your style to set.

Four Times To Always Do Your Makeup First

As we now know, most of the time you do your makeup first. Here are some specific examples of when it is essential to do your makeup before your hair.

Do your makeup first if you don’t use heat styling tools hairstyle. If you don’t plan to use hot tools for styling your hair, then consider applying your makeup first.

Hot tools damage your hair over time so not using them should be your default. Therefore doing makeup first should be your default too.

Do your makeup first if you have second-day hair. If you have already styled your hair the night before, you’ll only need minimal styling to touch up your locks. Make using your dry shampoo the very last step in your beauty routine.

Do your makeup first if you’re worried about leaving hairpin marks. Some girls get creases in their hair from hair clips. My makeup hairband tends to give me a bit of hat-hair. The easiest solution is to apply makeup before styling your strands, so you don’t have to worry about ending up with a bad hair day.

Do your makeup first if you are running out of time. If you are like me and almost always on a tight schedule, then spend more time on your makeup.

Once your makeup is done, look at the clock and see how much time you have left before deciding how to style your hair. If you only have a few minutes left, you can opt for a quick yet polished hairstyle like a sleek, low bun that can be achieved in under five minutes or put your hair up in a ponytail that takes even less time.