By Ricky Barnett (@Rickyyyraptor @Styledbyglitz)
For most females going to festivals, getting ready is half the fun. Of course, the outfit is always the most important. However, if cash is tight, an easy and cheap way to dress up something basic is going all out with a fun hairstyle! I have put together some of my favorite festival hairstyles for inspiration. Now, I will admit that braiding can be hard to do on yourself if it isn’t something you have practiced, but there are a plethora of fun ways to create a festival fashion-forward hairstyle!
1. Braids that would make Khaleesi proud
There are so many ways to go about braids. Just adding some yarn or feed in braid hair to regular french or boxer braids can add a really fun festie vibe to your hair. I personally get my yarn from any craft store. It is better to get the thicker yarn to add some volume. To do this look, take up to 6 pieces for each braid, no less than 3 pieces of yarn the length of your wingspan. At the middle of the pieces, tie in a knot to the front part of your hair where each desired braid starts. Braid hair in even sections with the yarn to the desired length. Feed-in braids have the same concept, but there is no knotting involved. Simply add in hair using your thumb index and pointer fingers, feed-in hair until you get to the desired length. Other fun things besides extensions can be added to braids for an easy twist, but I will get into those in the next few paragraphs.
Other braiding options could be box braids, fishtail, or cornrows. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials at your disposal that are very informative and easy to follow.
2. Homemade Hair Glitter
Two of my favorite techniques for putting glitter in my hair for the long haul are super easy to do and take little to no time at all. One method for getting the glitter to stay is to mix it with any sort of hair gel. Just add the desired amount of glitter into about a quarter size amount of gel and mix it together. Another method that doesn’t leave your hair looking greasy is to use hairspray. First, get a good handful of glitter, apply hair spray to the desired location and dump the glitter there. For extra hold, spray again onto the glittered area. I think both of the techniques are very effective and get the job done. I personally like to apply the glitter to my hair part, space buns, or over braids. Because let’s be honest, you can never have too much glitter at a festival. You can easily make your own glitter concoction at home just to be a little different. I like to follow a formula to get a consistent and very eye-catching concoction every time.
Equal parts- Holo Glitter (gold or silver) + Warm or Cool Color Chunky Glitter + Warm or Cool Color extra fine glitter = TOTALLY GLITTER-TASTIC MIXTURE
3. Out of this World Bunz
Space Buns are always a fan favorite and super easy to do. But to add a little pizzazz to your space buns, add gems/glitter to your hair part or a fun headband (cat ears/alien antennas). Another cool way to take your space buns to another galaxy is to add color hair or yarn to the bun! This not only adds volume but gives you a pop of color without the commitment of hair dye! To add some texture to your buns, start with two pigtails and add little braids in the pigtails before you roll the hair into buns. This adds a little dimension to otherwise average space buns. One other look that deals with buns is the fauxhawk. This can be done with or without a pump in front for added volume. This look works best with 4-5 buns. Simply evenly divide your hair and use hair ties to create a line of messy buns down the middle of your scalp. Hair spray can help to texturize this look, the messier the better!
* Don’t be afraid to mix and match some of these suggestions as well!
4. Color Crazy Without the Commitment
There are plenty of alternatives to using permanent or semi-permanent hair dye. There is always colored hair spray, but that tends to leave hair feeling sticky. One of my favorites recently is color depositing shampoo and conditioner. The brand I would recommend for this is Overtone. It does not damage hair and leaves a fun color that only lasts a few days, depending on how often you wash it. Or, you can make your own at home. The best way to do this is with Kool-aid powder. Simply get the color you want of Kool-aid and mix a generous amount into conditioner, wash hair as normal with your shampoo, then put the Kool-aid mixture into your hair. Leave this in for about 30 minutes. This method will not only deep condition your hair, but also leave the color in until you wash it again! If they don’t have the desired color you want in powder, you can always mix flavors to try to get the color you are going for.
I hope this hair inspiration blog was useful to you! I know that sometimes it is hard to figure out what you want to do with your hair to look cute and stay cool while doing it. Until next time, be you be free!