As a child, my role models consisted mainly of characters with colorful hair from Sailor Moon, The Powerpuff Girls, and My Little Pony. When I first saw the glitter roots trend emerging on Instagram, I was both awestruck and envious. I have a fascination with anything sparkly or glittery; I subconsciously collect shimmering clothing, accessories, and makeup like a magpie and guard my treasure hoard like a dragon. Naturally, when I discovered people were giving themselves DIY sparkling glitter roots, I wanted in on this nostalgic trend.
As to the origins of this trend, which celebs and the general public seem to be loving, it is unclear as to where it began. However, it appears that it started as a way to cover up outgrown roots and turn something not so pretty into something glorious. Miley Cyrus loves her some glitter roots (she has sported this dazzling trend on more than one occasion), and Lucy Hale appears to be a fan of them as well.
When recreating this trend, many vloggers and social media celebs seem to opt for the '90s space buns style. These cute, retro buns are a perfect match for this nostalgic, new, glittering trend; however, there may be times when you want to look a little less '90s space babe and a little more decadent futuristic fox. Therefore, I will show you how you can wear glitter roots with any style in a loose hair look.
Equipment
To complete this DIY you will need:
- Glitter (obvs)
- Hair gel
- A bowl or plastic container
- Hairbrush
- Tinting brush or a clean (preferably new) paintbrush
- 2 hair ties
This DIY is especially great because you likely already have most of the stuff lying around at home. I personally only had to purchase hair gel, glitter, and a tinting brush. The tinting brush was only about $1.50, so check out cheap beauty stores. Alternatively, you can use an unused paint brush.
Preparation
Before I began, I parted my hair. You can part it however you like as long as it is a relatively straight part. Another awesome thing about this tutorial is you can complete it even on dirty hair; I would normally have washed my hair today as my roots were greasy but as I was covering them over with glitter, I didn't think it necessary.
1. Mix The Glitter And Hair Gel
First off I squeezed some hair gel into my little container. I have seen other people use hair wax or hair oil but I chose hair gel as I thought it would create a nice, even consistency when mixed with the glitter. Use whichever product you like best!
Sprinkle some glitter into your hair gel and mix with your tinting (or paint) brush. I had to keep adding more in to get a thick consistency of glitter; however, if you prefer a more subtle shimmer you can add less.
When I had finished mixing, this is what the gel/glitter solution looked like.
2. Put Your Hair Into Pigtails
To ensure your roots are held back tight and you get fewer rogue fly away strands when you begin applying the glitter, you'll need to tie your hair back into tight pigtails.
3. Apply Your Mixture
Begin at the front of your head and paint backwards. You can choose how thick you want your glitter roots to be, depending on your preference.
After a few strokes it should look something like this.
When you have painted all the way to the back and to the end of your parting, your hair should look similar to this. Remember not to paint down the back of your head as this is a look for loose hair.
4. Embellish Your Parting
This next step is really a bonus step, but I think it takes this look to a whole other phenomenally sparkly level. I raided my craft drawer and I grabbed anything that caught my eye. So naturally, I placed some faux diamantés around my parting.
After this, I added a selection of star sequins (or table confetti) to my 'do because it's the festive season, y'all!
To finish, I sprinkled even more glitter — silver this time — across my roots.
5. Remove Pigtails
To complete my look I removed my hair ties and brushed my hair. I was really pleased with how insanely sparkly this turned out. I figure it could work for a night out, a Christmas party, or it could be a super festive look for New Year's Day.
The best thing about this glitter roots look is that you are free to style the rest of your hair to suit the occasion. A style such as this half up half down look would be wonderful for a more formal occasion, paired with your favorite LBD. Also, you can choose any color combinations you desire, so you know you can always color coordinate.
So go ahead and add a little holiday cheer to your hairdo this festive season with glitter roots!
Images: Phoebe Waller
