Time for a harsh truth: this is the tinsel's world, and we're all just living in it. Tinsel hair looks amazing, but sometimes it's a little tricky to work with. If you're feeling adventurous and want to go for pure sparkle, read on! We've got some tips on how to make working with tinsel a little more manageable.

Opening the Pack

If you're planning to use the entire pack of tinsel in one go, we recommend tearing it open up at the top or splitting open the sides of the bag rather than opening the self-adhesive part at the bottom. Sliding it out the top or sides will help keep the tinsel from catching on the inside of the bag and tangling.

If you're not going to use the whole thing and want to keep the bag intact, open the bottom and carefully slide the bag up about an inch or two. Hold the ends of the tinsel tight against the cardboard backing with your thumb before pulling the bag rest of the way. It will still snag a little bit, but not as much as if you just pulled it out right away.

Holding the bottom of the tinsel in place while sliding the pack open to prevent tangling.

Dealing with Tangles

If your tinsel gets tangled, pinch it tightly up where the twisty tie is fastened before combing it. Tinsel can be a bit slippery, so if you comb it or even run your fingers through it without securing the top, strands can come loose and you'll be left with uneven ends and flyaways.

Pinching the top of the tinsel before dealing with any tangles to prevent uneven ends.

Uneven Strands and Flyaways

If a few strands do end up escaping and the ends of your tinsel become uneven, that same slipperiness makes it easy to fix! Hold the ends tight and give the tinsel a little shake. The shorter side of any uneven strands will stick out so you can find them and pull them back into place. Make sure to hold the rest of the tinsel tightly with your other hand while you do work so that additional strands don't come out of place.

Shorter strands of tinsel hanging down after being given a little shake.

Dry Heat

Technically, tinsel can withstand a lot of heat without melting, but you still shouldn't use dry heat on it. Hot tools like straighteners and curling irons will cause the tinsel to singe and get frizzy. It will also smell absolutely awful, and that smell will linger on your straightener for at least a day or two -- trust us, we tried it!

Black and Candyfloss tinsel, damaged at the ends after being exposed to dry heat.

Boiling Water and Steam

Boiling water won't hurt tinsel, but it also won't do much of anything else. We tested it by wrapping tinsel around curlers and submerging it in boiling water for about a minute, then letting it completely cool off and dry before removing it from the curlers. The end result was tinsel that had a nice curl for about 10 seconds before falling completely straight again.

Black and Candyfloss tinsel after an attempt at curling with boiling water.

Sparkle Braid

If you want the sparkle without all the fuss, we recommend checking out  Sparkle Braid. Sparkle Braid is a mix of high heat hair (the same kind as Festival Braid) and tinsel, and the hair helps keep the tinsel under control. It also saves time on blending!