Hair Tinsel

Okay, confession time.  I got hooked into watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, AND I liked it.  It was like a train wreck, you just couldn't look away.  Kelsey Grammer?  Loved him!  Now?  Hate him!  Anyway, I digress.

The one thing that just kept drawing my eye was Adrienne Maloofs hair.  So much of it!  It sparkled!  Not the healthy hair kind of sparkle, but the tinsel town kind of sparkle.  What was that in her hair?  I assumed she had extensions.  I figured she probably employed Rumpelstiltskin to weave gold threads into her locks.  How do I do that?

A quick look at my bank account confirmed I wouldn't be employing Rumpelstiltskin or any of his brethren any time soon.  Hmmm...what to do?  When in doubt, Google it!  Sure enough in a couple of keystrokes I was able to discover that the golden sparkle in Ms Maloofs hair was tinsel.  Yup, the same stuff you put on your tree at Christmas.  A bit thinner then tree tinsel, but you get the idea.  The tinsel can last in your hair for a week or two.  Beyonce wears it.  The Queen of TV, Oprah wears it, so why not me?

My wonderful stylist was quite firm, she does not do tinsel!  Back to Google I went.  Finally after much research I found a local stylist who does do tinsel.  Now the question was; was I going to trust my locks to a complete stranger?  Nope!  That's what 10 year old girls are for.  What little girl is going to say no to bright sparkly things in her hair?

Finally the big day came and off we went to the salon.  Miss S was so excited to get her hair tinsled.  I was so excited to see how it would look.  I knew what to expect from seeing it done on You Tube, so I was prepared.  What I wasn't prepared for were the color choices!  Innumerable shades of pink, green, purple, gold, blue, copper, and silver.  It was crazy!  Of course Miss S choose the rainbow tinsel, a metallic strand with every color on it.

The procedure was really simple.  The stylist straightened her part and simply tied the strands of tinsel onto the base of the hair shaft.  Evidently the look is most noticeable when the stands are tied on top of the hair.  In total 5 strands of tinsel were tied onto Miss S's locks and we were done.  Now, Miss S was thrilled, me not so much.  Miss S has a lot of natural wave and the strands of tinsel were bone straight, so they didn't blend well with her hair.  I had heard you can flat iron and curl them, but the stylist suggested not curling them because they stretch.

The next morning I flat ironed Miss S's hair and the tinsel held up well to the iron.  It looked much better on stick straight hair.  I like it on Miss S, but it's not for me.  Ms Maloof has the tinsel tied all over her hair, under every layer and that is perhaps how it is best worn.  Problem is, when you are paying by the strand, you want the most bang for your buck, and putting tinsel under your hair hides it.  You only see it, if you wear it up or in some fancy concoction.  Considering most of us don't have the time, money or access to an everyday stylist, this isn't the best option.

For the average glamour girl, I think tinsel is best reserved for special occasions.  I would recommend tying it under multiple layers of hair and wearing the hair up and loose.  This is a look that would be pretty for brides and prom.  It would be fun over the holidays.  For everyday?  I'm not a big believer.