You Can DIY Hair Tinsel At Home - Here's How To Add Some Sparkle To Your Strands

Hair tinsel or glitter hair, which is also known as "fairy hair," has made a huge comeback, and it's easy to accomplish the look at home. The hair tinsel 'do is an easy and affordable way to add some sparkle and color to your hair. The style is accomplished by adding strands of the tinsel wherever you'd like. It's extremely customizable because you can add in as much or as little color as you prefer, and you can change it up as often as you want. 

At the time of writing, hair tinsel videos have garnered 173.5 million views on TikTok alone. Hair tinsel is made up of individual strands of glittery material that you secure to your hair to give yourself a shimmery makeover that doesn't damage your hair and requires little upkeep, though there are certain tips to keep hair tinsel looking fresh. For starters, hair stylist Brittany Rodriguez told Hair.com that you should brush your hair two times per day and keep your hair and scalp hydrated. Not bad at all.

There are two ways to install hair tinsel at home. For a more temporary look, L'Oreal Paris recommends using the slipknot method. For this technique, first, brush your hair and section out the top part before clipping it up. Then, take one piece of hair tinsel and fold it in half before creating a slipknot, as YouTuber Mirella Menelli demonstrates in her video. Then, grab a small section of your hair and secure the tinsel to it using a double knot. Trim the ends of the hair tinsel to the same length as the rest of your hair.

For a longer-lasting option, L'Oreal Paris recommends using microbeads, which most packs of hair tinsel come with alongside a hook and pliers. Start by brushing and parting your hair. Then, use the hook to pull the tinsel and the section of hair you want it attached to through the microbead. Lastly, clamp your microbead shut with the pliers. If you want a visual reference, check out Lauren Loveless's step-by-step TikTok video tutorial or watch BuzzFeed's YouTube video on the process.

The great thing about hair tinsel is that it comes in a variety of colors and you can change it up as often as you'd like, much like you can with clip-in hair extensions. According to Hair.com, fairy hair usually lasts one to two weeks, but if you take good care of it, it can last longer. Packs of hair tinsel sold on Amazon vary in price but start around $10. 

Of course, if you're not comfortable completing the task at home, you can have the fairy hair installed by a professional. Hair stylist Ashley Armour tells Allure that hair tinsel is a good choice for people who want something fun that won't damage their hair. She told the outlet, "I usually warn people, especially with the single strand, that it's going to fall out with your natural hair strand — so some of them will fall out the first week and some will last up to six months or more."