Ever since I was a little girl, I can remember wanting glitter hair. I also wanted my skin to be pink… I can remember sometime last year, I came across glitter tinsel hair extensions on Amazon and purchased them out of boredom. And if you’re wondering how to get glitter tinsel hair extensions at home, you’ve come to the right place.
I found these glittery tinsel hair extensions lying around my apartment last week. I had completely forgotten about them. It was almost too perfect, since we’re all sitting around in quarantine and we all naturally want to change up our hair to take selfies – or a combination of the two.
I’ve definitely seen people wear hair tinsel before, and I know it’s not a new thing. But I wanted to do it in a different way. Most of the people who I’ve seen with glitter tinsel in their hair have in installed in extremely thin strips so that it’s barely noticeable and shines only in the light. I wanted to do a more extreme take on the look. (I’ve never been one to shy away from extreme beauty – I’ve tried literally every hair color under the sun).
So, I applied some of the boldest and brightest colors in chunky strips to frame my face and act as layers on the sides of my hair. You could also do the same thing in the back of your hair but I opted not to, because I thought this was enough. The great thing about these glittery tinsel extensions is that you can apply them as a pretty pop of color and excitement during a time when, we really all need something to make us smile. Also, if you use a good hair tape, it lasts 4-6 weeks (or even longer).
I’ve already washed my hair and blow dried it with the strongest-ever Dyson dryer and the tinsel glitter extensions still look great. Be forewarned that a few strands do fall out when you sleep or if you’re vigorously working out, but it’s nothing noticeable.
Ok, so now for how to actually get this look at home! It’s super easy and it cost about $25 all in.
I bought the Hair Tinsel Strand Kit on Amazon because I thought it had some of the best colors. And it also comes with a tool that you can use to thread the pieces onto your hair in case you want a more subtle look (thinner strands). If you have the patience to finely thread the strands onto small chunks of your hair, this is literally all you need, and it comes with instructions on how to do it.
Since I wanted a bolder look, however, and because I have little patience, I decided to use hair/wig extensions tape instead. I spent a lot of time trying to find the best one (that lasts through washes, doesn’t fall out, and isn’t too sticky) and came across TecUnite 180 Pieces Hair Extension Tape Tabs Double Sided Extension Tape which I ultimately purchased and used.
It’s really quite simple once you have the tape. Here’s a video I made on the process of applying one, and I’ve also broken it down below.
- Identify which colors you want in your hair and where in your hair you want them
- Lift up a small chunk of hair wherever you want the glitter tinsel extension and pin it back – it should be close to the root
- Pick up a piece of the double sided tape. It should come off with one side still covered. Get as close to the root as possible and press the sticky side down hard. Make sure these’s enough hair pinned back to cover this.
- If your glitter tinsel strand is too long (it will be unless you’re Rapunzel), cut it in half, keeping the base of the strands all together so it’s one length.
- Take the “root” of the glitter tinsel extension and stick it onto the tape. Spread it out a bit so that you can make sure most of the tape is covered. You may need to add the second half of the strand to get full coverage, or add a different color in. Some strands will not stick to the tape, and just fall on the floor. That’s fine. If you want to use every last strand it will take much, much longer.
- Take down your hair that you’ve pinned up and cover the extension tape. It should blend naturally and show through your hair.
A few tips: if you want the glitter tinsel hair extension to show more, use less hair pinned back – (but make sure its enough to cover the base of the extension tape!).
Also, if you want to try this method but don’t want the glitter tinsel extensions to be quite as chunky, you can cut the size of the double-sided extension tape to be smaller. I used the entire piece each time, which is more than an inch long. That’s why mine is so bold.
If you want the look but don’t want to commit, I’ve also seen a couple of really cute clip-in ponytails with tinsel.
When you’re done with your glitter tinsel hair extensions, you can remove them with a hair tape removal product.
What do you think? Would you try it?
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