About a month ago, I noticed one of my friends had a bit of sparkle coming from their hair, but I had no idea what it was. Was it just some leftover glitter from a costume? Actually, it was hair tinsel. Even after she told me what it was, I had no clue how it was in her hair or that it even existed.
Hair tinsel is a trend that has been circulating for a few months now. Sometimes you don’t even notice it in someone’s hair, but other times, it can be really noticeable. It’s a really fun, simple thing to add to your look, even though it seems like it could be complicated. When I first saw it, the first thing I thought of were feathers, that trend from 7th grade I kind of wished had never happened. Yes — my seventh-grade self paid $40 to go to a hair salon and get a purple feather attached to my hair. Hair tinsel, though, is really simple and doesn’t require even half of the money that feathers did back in the day.
How is hair tinsel put into your hair?
Just about anyone can figure out how to put hair tinsel into someone’s hair with a YouTube video or a quick Google search. It doesn’t require going to a salon, but you can go to one if you’d like. Most of my friends have just gotten it done by other people — their friends, roommates or sorority sisters. One girl I know bought tinsel online and was applying 10 strands for only $5, so that’s how I tried it.
It seems harder than it is to put it in your hair. In order to apply it, you just tie a series of knots on a piece of hair with the tinsel.
The most important part is placement. You want to make sure each strand of tinsel is separated evenly. If you put too many strands in one area, there will be too much in one spot and not enough in another. It’s a really easy process, which makes it much more desirable.
How does tinsel actually look?
Tinsel looks different on everyone. It depends on many different things. It’s based on your hair color, texture, the color of tinsel and how much tinsel you choose to put in your hair. For me, my hair is a really dark brown so I knew that any light colors would be really prominent. If I got something darker though, it probably wouldn’t show up at all. I ended up getting gold, which was really noticeable in my hair. If I were to have blonde hair though, the gold wouldn’t have showed up as much. I also got 10 strands, which is a pretty big amount. Some people prefer to only have five. I also have really straight hair, so the tinsel lays nicely, even if I don’t style my hair. I can get pretty lazy about actually putting in effort to style my hair, so I’m glad the tinsel still looks great.
So… do I need to take care of this stuff?
One of the great things about tinsel is that it requires little to no care. At first, I was worried about washing my hair and being able to use heat on it. The only thing I was actually mindful about was how hot I let my hair tools get. If you tend to use your straightener or curler on the highest heat, just put it down a bit just in case. As for washing your hair, just stick with your normal routine. Even with brushing your hair, you don’t need to worry. The tinsel will probably stay for about two weeks when you follow your regular hair routine. Cheers to a cute, hassle-free look!
The verdict
I think hair tinsel is a really fun idea if you’re looking to add to your style. Even when you’re not dressed up, it’s a cute touch. It really depends on how much you want it to show up, though. Some people just like having a simple style. For me, since my hair is so dark, I’m not sure if I would choose to put gold in again. It’s very noticeable, but I still really liked it. After a week or so though, I didn’t love it as much as I did in the beginning. When it started to fall out, I wasn’t disappointed, but this isn’t the same case for everyone. Like I said, it shows up differently in every hair color, so it’s really easy to avoid this issue. I was surprised to see that my friend’s blonde hair wasn’t shining in the sun like my brown hair was. If you’re into that though, it’s really easy to make that happen.
As someone who hasn’t dyed their hair before, I was excited to have something different done to my hair. It was a change that I didn’t know I needed. Since it is so unique, I got a lot of compliments. Many people asked me what was in my hair, and they would respond saying that they would love to have it, too. If you’re looking to add some sparkle to your life (or your hair, rather), tinsel is a great style to consider.