beauty

"I tried to do my hair like the Kardashians. It's harder to pull off than you think."

 

In 2018, beauty seems to be all about emulating a clear, streak-free pane of glass.

Not literally, but having clear, translucent glass skin, and now glass hair, is in.

Characterised by its sleek, glass-like sheen, glass hair can be worn long, or cut short into a blunt bob. Scroll through the #GlassHair Instagram hashtag and you’ll find all the inspiration you need.

Like all things good and pure, glass hair started with the Kardashians. And the Jenners.

Not that they were the first women in the history of the world to wear a sleek bob or long straight hair stuck to their faces (thanks Cher), but when Kim decides it’s cool, so does the world.

It’s not just one of those weird Kardashian things though – celebs like Jenna Dewan, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Hailey Baldwin and Olivia Culpo are doing it too.

Cher rocking glass hair before it was called glass hair.
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Oh hey, Dua Lipa.
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Bella Hadid enjoys her glass hair short...
... and long. Images: Getty.
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I thought about killing you ????

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

A post shared by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on

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A post shared by Rene Fris Hair (@renefrishair) on

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A post shared by Olivia Culpo (@oliviaculpo) on

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A post shared by Hailey Baldwin (@haileybaldwin) on

Sure, glass hair looks stunning, but I feel like there's a hairy elephant in the room no one's talking about.

This style doesn't always look that good in real life. Away from Instagram filters.

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Take me, for example.

I decided to style my hair likes the Kardashians and give the glass hair look a go. Honestly, it's harder to pull off than you think.

There are two tools you need to achieve the look, sans celebrity stylist. A straightener and a shine product.

Because I'm a bit stingy thrifty, I substituted a legit shine product like GHD's Final Shine Spray ($25) or evo love perpetua shine drops ($34) for dry hair oil mixed with liquid highlighter. As in, the stuff you pop on your cheekbones.

The finished look was, as promised, sleek and shiny. But for me, it didn't feel all that flattering.

My attempt at glass hair.
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Yes, it's certainly shiny...
But for me, not so flattering.
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Or practical. Images: Supplied.
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Unlike the Kardashians, I don't have a naturally or cosmetically enhanced chiselled jawline. To keep the style looking angular, rather than stuck flat on your head, you need to shape your face with a heck of a lot of contouring.

It also takes time and patience to maintain this dead straight hair look. Be prepared for touch ups throughout the day too - easier said than done when you don't have a glam team on call for such hair emergencies.

For a more flattering and wearable version of glass hair, style yours a la Kourtney Kardashian. Her take on the trend is less poker straight, but still shiny.

You can replicate it by running straightening tongs over the ends of your hair (and the front pieces if you have cowlicks) and spraying a little bit of dry shampoo on the roots to add natural looking volume before finishing with your shine product of choice.

Winning.

Have you tried glass hair? What's your go-to everyday hair style?