There are two classes of cool hair accessories which you can use to make yourself stand out from the crowd this year at upcoming Mardi Gras and St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Light-up or glowing hair accessories are ideal for these events that primarily take place at night. And crystal hair accessories are a more elegant choice for either day or night celebrations. Either way, your hair will light up and sparkle!

Light-up/glow hair accessories include Glowbys fiberoptic hair accessories, and iGlow hair gel. The fiberoptic hair accessories consist of a barrette housing two watch batteries and a light source. It clips into your hair light a normal barrette, but approximately 60 illuminated fibers of varying length extend out of the barrette; the ends of the fibers light up to create a cascade of lights through your hair! The flexible fibers can be treated just like strands of hair (loop, bend, cut, etc.) so they can fit any hair style. The plain Glowbys barrette can be hidden under a layer of hair so that only the lights are visible. Or the Crystal Glowbys barrette – covered with sparkling Swarovski crystals – can be worn on top of the hair like a normal barrette. The batteries last for approximately ten hours, but can be replaced and used over and over again.

iGlow hair gel also lights up your hair, but it works differently. It comes in two packets, which you mix together and then apply to your hair. Wherever the gel is applied, your hair will glow for approximately 5 hours! It can be fun to have a pre-party to decorate each other before going out. One great thing about the gel is that it generates it’s own light; it doesn’t require external light to glow, like some phosphorescent items. The gel washes off with normal shampoo or soap.

If light-up/glow is a little too much for you, you can also decorate your hair with Swarovski crystals. These won’t light up or glow, but they do add an elegant sparkle to your hair. Crystal Tresses consist of nine crystals on a nearly invisible strand that clips into the hair via two small magnets. The strand then hangs down in a line. If you prefer the freedom to place crystals anywhere in your hair, Crystal Stars are individual crystals that peel off and can be applied anywhere. So they offer a little more flexibility than Crystal Tresses. However, Crystal Stars are disposable after one-time use, whereas Crystal Tresses can be worn over and over again.

Traditional Mardi Gras colors are green, violet and gold. But Mardi Gras is all about color and flash, so almost any bright color can be used to enhance your outfit, costume or mask. And of course, green is the color of St Patrick’s Day. Glowbys come in nine different colors: Bright Green, Deep Violet, Glitzy Gold, Diamond White, Electric Blue, Princess Pink, Ruby Red, Sunburst Orange and Rainbow. Rainbow actually cycles/flashes through all the colors of the spectrum. iGlow hair gel comes in Green, Blue, White, Pink, Orange and Yellow.

For crystal hair accessories, the most popular green-hued Swarovski Crystals are Emerald and Peridot. Emerald is the traditional green associated with Ireland (the Emerald Isle), but because these crystals are somewhat dark, they don’t show up very well in dark hair. And even in blonde hair, the lighter Peridot color is probably your best bet for St Patrick’s Day. Of course, there are a plethora of non-green Swarovski Crystal shades that can be worn for Mardi Gras; specifically, Crystal Tresses and Crystal Stars come in: Clear, Sapphire, Ruby, Pink Ice, and Tanzanite.

See pictures and examples of light-up and crystal hair accessories in various hairstyles, or submit a question at http://www.glowbys.com.

Chris Bonang

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