If you are about to let your hair down, you better dress it up first. For it is time for tresses to shine and shimmer. And never has it been so easy. Even Rapunzel would be pleased as punch if she climbed down her tower and wandered into a city beauty salon.

Add on those nylon extensions in bright pinks and greens for some fun, spray on some spangle in a can, or go for the crystal encrusted look instead. Think wild, think wacky.

Britney Spears could well be the icon fuelling funky highlights with her own highlighted strands by attaching some colour to her blonde head. Here at home, the excitement among the fashion-conscious to lock in some accessories for those gleaming locks is hot like never before.

“If people are open to experimenting with their clothes, why should they stand back when it comes to getting a new-look hair do?” asks Sabina Yah of Sunflower.

“Though extensions are a rage in London right now, in Calcutta the style might take a while to catch on. But I already get the college-going brigade, both girls and guys, coming in to try some electric colours just to enhance their head-turning capacity,” adds Sabina.

The biggest pull in the city right now, feel salon owners, is colourful crystals, popular with all — starting from kids as young as three years, to older women in their forties.

“This accessory looks good on the hair and is very economical. Each crystal costs Rs 50, so even if six crystals are used, it comes to just about Rs 300,” explains Bridgett Jones of June Tomkyns.

The crystals used at A.. John are priced at around Rs 250 a piece, and have hit home with those between 20 and 40 years.

More traditional accessories include flowers made from tissues and beads. These are now used only for weddings and strictly traditional occasions.

For those in search of the streaked look, but would rather avoid the drastic dye, a false bun could be the right option. Permanent streaking is, of course, ever popular, vibrant red and ash-blonde being the coolest colours this season.

So, if you are planning to deck up your hair with these trinkets, here’s a guide to the most popular choices:

Hair extensions

Made from high-quality nylon, these can be attached to the body of the hair with a machine. Once inserted, these looks like part of the real hair coloured in bright shades. It can be washed, shampooed and oiled without a problem just like normal hair. To reverse the look, just go back to the salon to get them detached. Keep safely for future reuse.

Available at: Sunflower on Russell Street.

Cost: Rs 250 per extension of normal width. Thicker extensions will cost more.

Hair spray

As the name suggests, this can be sprayed on the hair to add some colour and glitter. The usual tints available in the market are florescent pinks, greens, yellows and even silver. The shades are best when matched with your evening outfit.

It’s popular with the youth and the disco-hopping college crowd. It also has the same stiffening and styling functions as normal hairsprays. But, unfortunately, the product usually suffers from the Cinderella syndrome. Once applied, the colour and the glitter stay for just about six hours and then disappear.

Available at: All leading salons. Can be done at home, too. Pick up a can of the imported product from any leading city mall.

Cost: Rs 350 per bottle.

Diamond hair

A string of Swarovski crystals to be attached to the body of hair. Ideal for a social do like a marriage or very formal party. The crystals can be found in red, white, blue and gold. They stay on the hair for three weeks and then come off. They can also be re-used.

Available at: Sunflower, June Tomkyns on Ballygunge Circular Road and A.. John on Park Street.

Cost: Rs 50 to Rs 250 per crystal

Hair highlights seem to be a rage in the West, with pop icon Britney Spears fuelling the trend of funky add-ons

False hair

The most basic — and affordable — option. Clipped to the hair, these buns come with coloured streaks and beaded braids nowadays, and can be easily attached at home. These are strictly for those who would not go out in broad daylight sporting something experimental. They can thus clip on either a bun with colourful streaks or a handful of neat, beaded braids when they go partying at night and go back to work in their straight-jacket workplace cuts next morning. The locally-made versions can be found at New Market. However, more exotic versions can be picked up from markets in the UK. Sunflower, the city salon, sells these false attachments imported from markets abroad.

Cost: Rs 100 onwards depending on the quality.