Image Source: Hello Magazine
If you ever wanted an excuse to go big and bold with your hair and makeup, Notting Hill Carnival is your chance. The West London Afro-Caribbean extravaganza is the largest street festival in Europe and this year it celebrates its 60th anniversary, so you can expect it to be louder, brighter, crazier and sparklier than ever before.
Carnival die-hards will already be planning their costumes – sewing sequins and feathers onto brightly coloured Lycra, and fashioning the highest headdresses imaginable. But even if you aren’t planning to strut your stuff down Ladbroke Grove, you’d better dress up. Choose your most colourful outfit, grab your favourite dancing shoes, and read on for tips on how to take your London carnival hair to the next level.
For Afro Hair
The Notting Hill Carnival is no place for a neat set of braids. This is a celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture, so show off your roots (so to speak) by choosing the longest hair extensions you can find. Create an elaborate up do which will prop up a headdress or simply speak for itself. Or keep your locks long and decorate them with sparkly clips, sequins or even sewn-in streaks of colour. Break up black hair with extensions in a variety of dark tones, which will add texture and interest to your carnival style. Or embrace the festival vibe with brightly coloured clip-in hair extensions – go for neon pinks, oranges and purples to really stand out from the crowd. For extra oomph, co-ordinate your outfit with your hair colour and accessorize with bold makeup and shimmering jewellery.
For First-Timers
The Carnival is an assault on the senses, especially if you’ve never been before. Just go with it – dance your way through the streets, lose your friends, make new ones, and stuff yourself with jerk chicken. You will get sweaty, you will be covered in glitter at some point, and you will dance like you have never danced before. This is not a place for a high maintenance blow-dry, so keep your hair out of your face by pulling it back and clipping in a pre-styled hair piece, for effortless festival glamour. Or take a leaf out of Cara Delavigne’s book and wear your hair long and wavy, accented with a brightly coloured headpiece. Choose human hair extensions for a more natural look – Vixen and Blush, a hair extensions salon in London, has a great selection of styles and colours to choose from.
For The Boys
It’s not just women who are expected to make an effort come carnival season. Men of all ages and all backgrounds see the Notting Hill Carnival as a chance to embrace their creativity and dress to impress. Make a style statement with colourful braids or dreadlocks. Failing that a statement headdress will do.
For Patriotic Flair
You can’t really go overboard with your style at the Carnival. The most difficult style decision you’ll have to make is choosing the theme of your outfit. Professional carnival dancers will generally start with a country’s flag and build a look around the national colours. Why not do the same with the Union Jack? Co-ordinate your hair and makeup with your costume to complete the look. Work red, white and blue hair extensions into your carnival hairstyle, and top it all off with a loud and proud headdress.
Image Source: The Times
For the VIP Area
Even if you plan on spending the Carnival in the less raucous confines of the VIP tents, you can’t escape the OTT dress code. Nod to the festivities with a few well-placed accessories – long and loose jewellery, a brightly coloured manicure or an exotic headscarf. Add boho length with human hair extensions to match your natural hair colour, or show your playful side with a few clip-in braided extensions, or streaks of wild colour.
For Accessorising your Hair Extensions
If you want to add a bit of extra bling to existing hair extensions without completely changing your look, a few well-placed hair accessories will do the job.
Use hair chalk to paint temporary streaks in your hair, or add a bit of colour to your tips. String coloured beads through braided hair extensions, or clip in jewelled hair accessories to let your look really sparkle. Or why not work long hair extensions into a loose plait, and pin tiny brooches throughout. A funky headscarf, turban or hair band will complete your carnival look.
Have you been to Notting Hill Carnival? Leave me a link to your Carnival themed posts in the comments so I can have a nosy!
