From Y2K to Anora: How hair tinsel became 2025’s first big beauty trend

When Anora was released late last year, the star of the film was Mikey Madison’s glimmering, luscious, tinsel-flecked hair in pink and purple. The film follows Ani, a dancer who impulsively marries the son of an oligarch and then falls into a chaotic spiral. Hair department head Justine Sierakowski dreamt up the idea after being inspired by Adrienne Maloof from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, who made hair tinsel her signature. Doing away with heavy make-up, big wigs and other stereotypes of stripper world beauty, Sierakowski created a new era with the hair in Anora. Ani’s lightly flicked black cat eye, muted matte nude lipstick and natural, slightly pronounced brow anchored the copious amounts of sparkle she wore in her hair on screen. And now, tinsel is rising in popularity, especially in New York where it’s become common to catch a glimmer of sparkle in random passerby’s hair on the streets.

Many people have been directly inspired by the film to add tinsel to their hair for the first time, like Antonella Crawley of the coquette aesthetic Instagram account Dollclub. “In terms of a beauty look, Ani reminds me of myself, not wearing heavy make-up, but the hair tinsel made her a standout in the club,” she says. “I wanted to emulate that sort of look and become a stand-out in a similar way. A smoky eye for a party is not necessarily ‘new’ but wearing hair tinsel? People notice. Hair tinsel makes me feel like I’m the centre of attention.”

The idea of glitter hair has been around for decades. “Tinsel hair first appeared in the early 2000s when the hair extensions market exploded in general,” says Rachael Gibson, the Hair Historian. “As well as seeing wider availability of extensions for more traditional services like length and volume, we started seeing options for more fun, fashion looks – like really vibrant colours.” Who could forget the infamous feather hair extensions of the mid-2010s or the iconic festival hair covered in chunky glitter from the same era? “The desire for sparkly hair goes back further though; glitter hairsprays were popular in the 80s and 90s, my favourite Vogue cover from 1984 features a bonkers silver look, and of course Cher was wearing tinsel wigs back in the 70s too,” says Gibson. Guido Palau recently released his own glitter hairspray for Zara too, proving that glimmering hair is on the rise.

Gibson also points to flapper evening wigs, which were made of metallic bullion embroidery thread designed to glitter under stage lights. It’s also incredibly low-technology to achieve the effect. Typically, strands of tinsel are simply taped in and you’re good to go. You can buy DIY kits online, or go to a hairdresser, and tinsel typically lasts one to two weeks depending on how it’s cared for.  

Now that the 2010s aesthetic is back on the rise, it’s no wonder tinsel is so ubiquitous. “I lived through tinsel hair the first time round and it felt really exciting and innovative, especially as it tied in with the explosion of modern digital culture too,” says Gibson. “I vividly remember filming tinsel hair extensions backstage at Ashish SS15 using Kira Kira; the original sparkle filter app, which launched around the same time. It was a real fashion show moment, which immediately had traction online because it was so visual and shareable.” Hair tinsel is so easily tied to a very, very nostalgic aesthetic of the past: Tumblr visuals, chunky glitter makeup, early Beyonce, Kesha and cult brands like Meadham Kirchoff and Heatherette. 

Make-up artist Monica Monteiro started wearing hair tinsel about two years ago and hasn’t taken a break since. “I love that it looks like the hair from my Barbies from the 90s,” she says. “They make me feel magic, and like I’m a whimsical creature.” Likewise, the artist and content creator Taylor Quitara first experimented with hair tinsel around 2009 when she was a tween modelling for the iconic pre-teen fashion haven Limited Too/Justice. “My revival of hair tinsel was this past Halloween when I was recreating a Galliano runway look,” she says. “Then I kept the tinsel and started incorporating it into my everyday style. I love how it catches the light and can be cute but also badass if you want it to be. It’s also a nod to my youth which is sweet.”

Hair tinsel is one of those trends that feels like it brings people together; and also one that is guaranteed to grab people’s attention so much so that they talk to you out of the blue. “It’s an automatic mood lifter for me and everyone around me,” says Millie Noble, who had her hairdresser Josephine Shears install hair tinsel with her pink and yellow hair in 2023 and hasn’t stopped wearing it ever since. “People always approach me about my hair and it makes them happy, which makes me happy! I feel like a unicorn.”

But what also makes the trend incredibly impactful is its agelessness. It’s one of the very few beauty trends that looks as at home in a toddler’s hair as it does in a teenager, or even someone older.  Frances Cohen, the 76-year-old mother of Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style, has been wearing hair tinsel for two years now. “I love all the different colours that you can have at one time,” she says. “Everyone compliments my tinsel, and it makes me feel funky and unique. I wore tinsel in my hair for my 76th birthday party and all my girlfriends started to want it too... Nobody’s going to dull my sparkle!”