Zara just launched its first hair range—and it's actually really surprised me

As a beauty and fashion fanatic, I adore a bit of sparkle (especially around the festive period), but when it comes to hair trends, I’ve always been hesitant to foray into the world of hair glitter. Perhaps it’s because I still remember the haphazard lashings of hair glitter gel I applied prior to every school disco, aged 10. 

Still, I’ve found myself more drawn to head-to-toe sparkle looks now we’re well into the festive season, and surely hair glitter formulas must have improved since 2004?

Enter: Zara Hair. Zara’s first hair range consists of a four-piece drop, formulated and designed with Creative Director and revered hair stylist, Guido Palau. Two gold glitter-themed hair products are included – a glitter spray and a glitter gel – which are both inspired by skin highlighters for a statement finish that still feels elegant. It seems I might just get the elevated glitter beauty look of my dreams after all.

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of Zara’s beauty products here at Marie Claire UK – with Zara’s affordable-yet-expensive-smelling perfumes top of our favourites list. Having launched in 2021, Zara Beauty is a great place to turn whether you’re after a new highlighter, cream eyeshadow, lip oil or nail polish.

With chic hair accessories among Zara’s best-selling products, haircare was the natural next step for the brand. So now that Zara Hair has finally dropped, I was intrigued to try the range out for myself. Shop it below, and keep scrolling for my honest thoughts…

First impressions

The first thing I noticed was the beautiful packaging. In my opinion, the products look far more expensive than they actually are and would naturally take pride of place on my dressing table this festive season.

Upon first feel of the formulas themselves, they felt super high quality, without any of the grainy glitter particles I had expected. The glitter spray and gel are inspired by make-up glitters and highlighters, which I could definitely see in their ultra-fine glitter formulas. 

The application

Give Me Glitter Hair Make-up Spray Application

The spray itself was quite powerful, but didn’t jet out too much glitter (as I thought it might), adding a subtle glittery sheen rather than an explosion of sparkles to my hair.

It didn’t feel at all crunchy in my hair, and the gold comb included in the kit was perfect for brushing out any flyaways without losing tons of glitter along the way.

One thing I will mention is that there was quite a bit of glitter fallout, so it’s probably a good idea to spray it outside or somewhere you can easily vacuum. 

Give Me Gold Hair Make-up Gel Application

For more of an intense gold glitter look, this gel can be applied in layers to build up to your preferred level of sparkle.

Upon application, the water-based gel didn’t feel at all sticky, gloopy or patchy (unlike the glitter gels I used circa 2004). It didn’t ball up when I layered more product on, but was actually pretty easy to build up to my desired finish.

I used it to tame flyaway hairs for a slicked-back bun and it worked like a dream – the perfect way to amp up a classic hairstyle for festive parties.

The Results

Give Me Glitter Hair Make-up Spray Application

I used the hair make-up spray to add some festive oomph to my blow-dried hair, and it had the most gorgeous subtle glitter effect. The effect really has to be seen IRL to be appreciated, so I’ve attached a video below so you can see how beautifully it catches the light.

You can of course layer and direct the spray for a more intense glitter effect (which I’m looking forward to experimenting with come New Year’s Eve).

Give Me Gold Hair Make-up Gel Results

Similar to the glitter spray, the gel had a surprisingly subtle finish when applied with a light hand and sheered out – a far cry from the patchy effects of glitter gels past. The formula could easily be built up to more of an opaque gold glitter sheen if desired. 

Final thoughts

In case you can’t already tell, I’m a huge fan. I will definitely be using these glitter hair products for my New Year’s Eve look.

The products layer beautifully together and are easy to build on their own, no matter what hairstyle you’re going for. Whether you’re after a subtle glittery sheen to make your blow dry sparkle or want a really statement finish with a heavy layer of gold glitter on slicked-back hairstyles, you can use them in so many different ways. 

As the first product in the new Zara Hair range, the Holiday Hair Kit is described as a “little teaser of what’s to come” and I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next for Zara Hair.