20 Ways to Use Glitter and Make Your Hair Sparkle

When you see some hair glitter in the strands or glitter roots, there can be no mistake here: someone is dressed up for a party, and they are going to rock it! If you feel like you are ready to shine on a New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day or a birthday party, consider acing a sparkly hair trend responsible for some stunning hair looks several seasons in a row.

How to Put Glitter in Your Hair

As you will soon see from the selection of 20 glitter hair ideas, there are lots of ways to wear glitter in your hair. Sparkles may be added to the roots, hair ends, separate strands, undercuts, or randomly scattered around your tresses. Depending on the glitter hairstyle that you want to recreate, you will need one of these 5 products:

1. Hair shimmer spray: A shimmer spray will give you just a slight shine, so you can freely work it all the way down the length of your hair. For a festive feel, opt for a product that adds both glow and scent, like a Victoria’s Secret Shimmer Spray.
2. Hair glitter spray: While you can fix any glitter on your hair with some gel, glitter sprays make the job easier: you just spray sparkles where you want to see them in your hair. The downside is that the shiny particles are not very large compared to chunky glitter sets. If you still prefer this variant, try gold glitter hair spray by SexyHair, which I like most.
3. Hair tinsel: Tinsel hair extensions is a way to add glitter hair strands into your do without any chemical treatment. Many women that want to buy hair tinsel sets get discouraged by their bright and unnatural look on a photo. Do not make the same mistake! The strands look drastically different in a pack and as subtle highlights in your natural hair.
4. Glitter gel: Unicorn Snot glitter gel is a very popular option here, as it can be used on its own or as a glue for larger glitters and sequins. As a glue, it helps you add a shiny “background” to the section, which you want to decorate with glitters, thus creating a more finished look.
5. Gel or hairspray and chunky glitters or sequins: Use any chunky glitters and fix them on your hair using a hair gel or a hairspray. I have lost my heart to Karizma Beauty’s Unicorn Chunky Glitter and Rose Gold Chunky Glitter due to the elegant combination of undertones. However, if you’ll be wearing a sequin dress, go only for hair glitter that matches your dress color.

If you are using a gel, apply it to the top strands and then sprinkle glitters on hair. Work in small sections not to let hair dry before you add glitter. Another option may be to mix gel with some glitters beforehand and then distribute the mixture with a hair color brush. Likewise, you may spray your hair to make glitter stick, throw some glitters on sprayed hair, and then spray it again to fix the sparkles in place.

See the hairstyles below and Pin the ones you want to try.

1. Voluminous Dutch Braid with Glitter

Slightly reminiscent of a fir tree, a Dutch braid with some sparkling hair spray on it makes an excellent Christmas hairstyle. Do not add glitter to all the loops though; it will make the hairstyle overloaded.

2. Sleek Twist with Hair Shimmer

See how well the sparkles scattered around the crown and along the twisted hair strand complement a sleek ponytail, creating a chic and elegant look.

3. Bob with Sparkly Hair Ends

Struggling to find a cute party hairstyle for your short bob? Try adding some contrasting glitter at the ends. Make sure the sparkling section is even and follows the line of your haircut.

4. Space Buns and Glitter Roots

This hairstyle has made a lot of buzz in recent years. To add a fresh take to it, twist braids with bright kanekalon and add glitter of a matching color.

5. Chic Blowout and Sparkly Sequins

For a magical look, scatter sparkly sequins all the way down the length of your hair. Make sure you pair sparkles with a simple, elegant blowout without any intricate elements or accessories.

6. Icy Glitter Roots

Ready to be an Ice Queen this New Year’s Eve? Apply some silver glitter to your roots for the snowflakes that never melt. Be generous with glitter and use varying sizes to avoid the dandruff-look effect.

7. Sparkly Undercut

Parties are a great chance to show off your undercut tattoo. Colorful hair glitters are sure to make it the center of attention.

8. Tinsel Glitter Extension

Unlike other glitter hairstyles, tinsel hair is designed to last beyond one special occasion. In fact, if you tie the extension onto individual hairs (as Goddess Glitter brand recommends), you can enjoy shimmer in your hair for up to six weeks.

9. Party Hairstyle with a Few Glitter Touches

Another way to elevate your hairstyle is to accentuate separate strands or elements of your do with shiny glimmer. A few touches of glitter add a festive spirit and make a great hairstyle for Valentine’s Day or birthday party.

10. Twisted Cornrow Braid Framed with Glitter

Glitter can do magic transforming a single twisted cornrow braid into a stunning party hairstyle. Put glitter on the roots around the braid to make it stand out and use some sparkles on your body to balance the look.

11. Stacked Bob with Shiny Particles

Women sporting stacked bob haircuts love the volume and movement this cut allows for. There is no need to refuse from it to create a holiday hair look – all you need to do is to scatter some chunky glitters around your mane.

12. Wrapped Ponytail with a Glittering Base

This hairdo has already become the iconic use of glitter for holiday hair styling. To recreate it, put glitter of different sizes to the wrapped base of the low pony and two inches around it, making the edges uneven.

13. Shimmering High Ponytail

This is another variation of a sparkling pony base. To make the right accent without overloading your do, put glitter generously on the high wrapped base of your pony, leaving the rest of your hair free of additional shimmer.

14. Glitter Playing Around with Your Hair Color

Bold colors, vivid balayage and peek a boo hair are all the rage now. While such hairstyles are noticeable per se, you may play around with the color of your highlights spraying glitter of the matching color. Just see how well light blue sparkles light up these bold blue highlights!

15. Hair Shimmer Spray on a Rainbow Bun

This is a good example of how hair shimmer spray looks like compared to chunky glitters. In fact, it may not even be noticeable until it gets into the light. Still, this is what you should aim for if your attire and makeup are bright.

16. Short Pixie with Glitter

Glitter put on the parting can easily turn a short pixie cut into edgy holiday hair. Add a few touches of glitter on the crown too to show off hair texture and create a rounded look.

17. Bold Pink Hairstyle with Golden Glitter Spray

Spraying the top of your hair with shimmering golden glitter is an excellent way to complement a bright pink half updo with space buns. It looks like a golden dust that has landed on your hair to make everyone believe in Christmas miracles.

18. Glimmering Vintage Hairstyle

Another winning combination to try is hair glitter and one of the iconic vintage hairstyles. If you can boast Marylin Monro’s signature blonde hair, getting retro locks and glitter might be a splendid idea.

19. Occasional Chunky Glitters

Make your hair sparkle with a few random yet large glitters. Better put those at the length of your hair than on the crown; otherwise, place glitters in a well-thought pattern.

20. Shimmering Base for Complex Elements

Another glitter hairstyle idea is to use sparkly hair as a background for sophisticated hairdo elements. This way, they will stand out against the rest of your hair.

Inspired to give it a try but afraid it would be hard to get glitter out of your hair? Fear not!

There are 3 proven ways to get rid of sparkles without any hassle:

• Spray hairspray on a tissue or a kitchen roll and use it to blot your sparkly hair or glitter roots;
• Saturate your hair well with coconut or olive oil, soaking your strands for about 10 minutes, then wash your hair with a shampoo;
• When in a shower, condition your hair first and brush off some glitter, then shampoo and wash off the rest – conditioning makes hair smoother, so it will be easier to remove the glitters.

A final tip: leverage glitters that can be used on hair, skin, clothes, and nails. But do not overdo the sparkles! While getting several shimmering accents might work fine for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, it will look odd on other occasions.