Hi Melanie! I’ve been following you on Instagram via @melaniesorrowhair and love your work. How long have you been in the hair care business and what inspired you to join this industry?

I got my Masters of Cosmetology license in 1997. I’ve had my own business since 2007. I used to have a salon, but now I’m focused on doing bridal hair on location. I was inspired to do hair because I realized I thought about hair all the time and in my mind I was creating hairstyles. Once I actually started doing hair, I realized that hair is very emotional.

My inspiration became helping people feel better about themselves. I realized when someone is happy with their hair, they feel wonderful! So now my inspiration is to help brides feel like the most beautiful version of themselves for their wedding day!

That’s really inspiring! And you’re right. People do feel better about themselves after a great haircut and style. In your line of work, what are some of the hair trends you’re asked to do the most and what is your signature hairstyle?

I consistently get asked to do soft, romantic styles, whether it’s a loose updo or boho braided half-up style. I would say my signature style is a multi-braided soft updo that’s messy in all the right places.

Ha-ha, I like that. Would you say you specialize in color, cut or style and do you style all hair types, hair textures and hair lengths?

I specialize in bridal styling & haircuts. I style all types of hair textures & lengths.

I love your bridal and braid hairstyles featured on Instagram. They’re really feminine and delicate. For your brides, what type of hair extensions do you typically use and do you have a favorite brand?

I use clip-in extensions for my brides on a regular basis. They are wonderful for adding extra oomph to their bridal style. I like Barefoot Blonde Hair for clip-in hair extensions because brides can order samples in different colors if they’re not sure of their exact match. Their customer service is wonderful too!

That’s great to know. Frankly, I try to align myself with brands that are helpful and responsive to their clients. So kudos to Barefoot Blonde and their wonderful customer service department! I was wondering, what styling tools are your go-to?

I love my Hot Tools 1-inch barrel and 1 ¼ inch barrel curling irons. I also can’t do a wedding without my GHD Platinum Styler in my tool case! Plus, I always have my magnetic bracelet & Never Let Go comb both from Pink Pewter.

I absolutely love Pink Pewter! Their accessory line is out of this world! What products do you like to use on your clients?

I’ve come to love Sexy Hair products. I like their line because they offer so many products that provide texture and that’s what I need when I’m creating dimensional bridal styles.

I consistently use their Hot Sexy Hair Control Me heat protection spray before I curl, Healthy Sexy Hair Styling Paste to help smooth fly away hairs, Spray Clay and Play Dirty are fabulous to create enough texture and tackiness so that I can mold hair, their new Crème 2 Powder Play is my new fav for texture, and I ALWAYS end my styles with Spray & Stay hairspray because it does what it says. 

Another favorite product for texture is Biolage Live R.A.W. Texturizing Styling Spray.

Sexy Hair is incredible! I’ll have to try out their styling paste because I have several pesky fly away hairs. I’m curious, what beauty tip are you asked about the most?

Lots of my clients want to know how to create more volume in hairstyles. I like to use teasing to create volume, plus I try to teach my clients how to tease their hair and the best tools to use for their hair. Sometimes I like to use a styling brush and sometimes I use a comb.

Honestly speaking, I’m terrible at teasing my hair. That’s why I rely on dry shampoo sometimes to give my hair extra volume since I’ve noticed a bit of thinning. Speaking of which, what vitamin or supplement do you recommend for thinning hair? 

I always recommend taking biotin & I also recommend Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides.

I swear by biotin for hair growth but I’ve not heard of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides — thank you for the recommendation, I’ll try that out! Which hair-dye brand is your favorite and is there a common drugstore hair-dye brand you’d recommend for touch-ups at home?

I’ve used Joico color for years because I like the way their ash colors combat brassiness. I don’t have a favorite drugstore color touch-up brand. My clients have used all different brands when they need to do touch-ups at home.

What is your number one hair care tip or warning? 

Always use a product that moisturizes and conditions your ends! I always recommend not completely rinsing out your conditioner. I also like using Argan Oil on my clients’ ends, especially if they consistently use heated tools to style their hair.

Your work is incredible! I have to know, what awards have you won or been nominated for?

The only thing I have that’s like an award is that I was in the Top 10 for Modern Salon’s 2019 Brides & Braids Contest. I am also in The Knot’s Best of Weddings Hall of Fame because I have been a ‘Best Of’ Wedding Vendor for the last four years (2016-2019).

That’s awesome! Those are great achievements, congrats! So you mentioned earlier that you no longer have a salon and are on location—what type of events do you typically cover?

I go on location for weddings, styled shoots, and engagement sessions. I work all over the state of Georgia and I work out of state a lot as well.

That’s the coolest! Plus, Georgia is such a beautiful state; I can only imagine all the spectacular weddings you’ve seen. Okay, last question I promise, what can we expect to see in the future from you? 

I am always growing and challenging myself as a stylist and artist. One thing I want to master this year is the gorgeous retro waves and I’d also like to get back to cleaner styles. I feel like the trend in bridal is swinging back to precision styles. I want to get back to my beauty school roots and create some beautiful finger waves!

Oh that sounds absolutely lovely! I’m really looking forward to seeing more of your precision styles. Melanie, I want to thank you for your time and sharing all of the wonderful tips and product recommendations. Wishing you continued success!

LuvlyLongLocks would like to thank Melanie Sorrow for sharing her insights and tips. For more information about Melanie Sorrow, visit her website http://melaniesorrow.com/.

This interview was conducted by Avni Parekh, LuvlyLongLocks chief creative officer. LuvlyLongLocks has affiliate partnerships and may earn a commission if you make a purchase through the link at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, only products that are known to yield high results are recommended.