Tinsel is like a dog: not just for Christmas. It turns out that the sparkly hair tinsel trend is going viral for summer, whether it’s adding glitz to festival season or gleaming in the golden-hour sunshine on holiday. And so, as GH’s resident beauty magpie, I was enlisted to swoop down and give it a try myself.
But first, I had questions. Would hair tinsel – also known as ‘fairy hair’ – damage my hair? Was it going to take hours in the salon? And, more importantly, was it going to make me look like a midlife mum who’d gatecrashed her teenage daughter’s hair party?
‘Nooo, you should definitely get it done,’ urged GH editor-in-chief Jane. ‘A friend of mine had it and it looked amazing.’ And so off I went to get tinselled, in the twinkle of an eye.
There are numerous hair tinsel kits you can buy to get the look DIY, but since I can’t even master a French braid, I took myself to the award-winning Samantha Cusick salon in London to get the idiot-proof version.
‘It’s been one of our most popular looks all summer, and honestly, it works so well on all ages because it can be as bold or as subtle as you like,’ explains top colourist Lillie Hayford, who’s been charged with my twinkly hair tweak. ‘You’re going to love it.’
What is hair tinsel, exactly?
On the face of it, ‘hair tinsel’ is pretty much what it sounds like: strands of shimmer attached to your hair. However, this isn’t the scrapings you’ll find when you shake out your Christmas decorations box. ‘We're using specialist hair tinsel, which can stay in your hair for up to eight weeks, and you can even heat style it.’ So it won’t melt on my favourite ghds? ‘Absolutely not! It’s heatproof and flameproof,’ Lillie assures me. (If you’re buying an at-home kit, do ensure it’s heat-safe before using electricals on it.)
The look can be ‘as wacky or as soft as you want. There are bright colours or much more subtle shades that tone in like sparkly highlights,’ says Lillie, who recommends a bronze tinsel, which ties in with my balayage.
How is it attached to your hair?
Tinsel is added on to dry hair, and it can done on its own or as a twinkly finish to a blow-dry. It involves firstly sectioning off the top of your hair so that the tinsel can be attached out of sight. A few strands of your own hair are combined with strands of tinsel, then threaded through a loop. A tiny bead is then slid from the loop to the hair root and clamped with pliers, which holds the tinselled section in place.
For a softer, grown-up effect, Lillie advises only having two or three strands of tinsel in each bond, and fewer sparkly sections overall. Most people have 6-12 sections of hair tinsel, so we go with the ‘less is more’ approach, spacing six twinkly pieces out the sides and back of my head. Each one only takes a minute to attach, so it’s a little sparkly enhancement you can do very quickly.
How long does hair tinsel last?
The tinsel can stay in for several weeks, if you look after your hair properly (which we’ll come to). They’re also very quick and easy to take out, either at the salon or even at home. ‘They’re removed using pliers to release the bead and slide the tinsel out. It’s so simple to do yourself,’ says Lillie.
How much does hair tinsel cost?
It costs from £35 at Samantha Cusick, and you can get it done on its own or as an add-on to any service, such as a blow-dry.
Will hair tinsel damage my hair?
It shouldn’t, as this is a no-heat, no-glue method. However, there are caveats, says Lillie. ‘The tinsel bond grows down with your hair and if you don’t wash your hair properly or brush the sections through carefully, they can get matted. I definitely wouldn’t recommend the type of hair tinsel that you tie to the hair, as it’s hard to get out and can easily get tangled.’ Again, do check the method of application if you’re using an at-home kit.
While you can use any shampoo as normal (unlike tape hair extensions, for instance), Lillie says I’ll need to go gently, not scrub my scalp vigorously, and be careful when I comb through. Common sense dictates I won’t be able to just thrust a brush or comb in at the roots, as that would risk catching on the bond and tugging it. ‘Otherwise, hair tinsel is very easy,’ she says.
Hair tinsel: the verdict
Having silver 'sparkles' in my hair is something I know all about, but hair tinsel is a lot more fun than dousing my greys with root dye on a monthly basis.
As Lillie promises, it only takes moments to attach the tinsel to my hair. Once it’s all in, she snips off the excess length, then uses irons to add a glam finish (and also prove it really doesn’t melt!) And… I love it! It’s so fun and twinkly. Done subtly like mine, it’s actually hard to capture the effect in pictures or video – it’s something that works best in real life, as your hair moves and catches the light.
I feel like one of the glam Twilight vampires when they glint in the sunshine, and I even get compliments from a couple of strangers on the train home. My teen, meanwhile, is almost as envious as the time I went to see Billie Eilish without her: ‘I can’t believe you had hair tinsel done and didn’t invite me!’ (Being 15, she would have had ‘more tinsel and much brighter’, obviously!)
I’ve been careful to keep on top of brushing my hair so there’s no issue with matting, and I haven’t had any problems with tangling when I wake up in the mornings. One thing I would say is that the tinsel, while heatproof, doesn’t hold a curl well in itself, so you can expect it to end up straighter than the rest of your hair if you tong it.
Overall, hair tinsel isn’t something I’d wear the whole time and I’ll probably take it out in a week or so, but it’s brilliant for a festival and something I’ll definitely be revisiting for the festive season.
