Kanzashi! Spice up your hair in a Japanese way!

Kanzashi!! What are they? They’re Japanese hair ornaments usually worn by geishas and brides. I first laid my hands on them a few years ago when I had a stop over in Tokyo Narita International Airport. (I haven’t spent time in Japan yet, but I wish I could) You should see Narita Airport. Many shops are decorated with goods made in kimono fabrics, and they sell authentic kabuki brushes that can be used in Japanese theater.

They’re (usually) flowers, made of fabric. But I adore the ones that are plastic. And they are extremely hard to find!! They can also range from wood, sometimes just a round ball on a hair pin to stick in your hair, to little flower clips, to floral combs that you can put in your hair.

Above: The few Kanzashi pieces I have. Mostly I bought them in the airport, but one of them I did buy here in NYC.

And why not spice up your hair Japanese style? Now THAT’S something you don’t see on the streets every day. And they are slowly becoming more popular in the US. There are a couple sites now that sell them & have it shipped right to your house.

Above: Me wearing one of my Kanzashi hair clips that I bought in Japan

Etsy.com, website of crafty women, now sell them by the thousands!! There are some women that have taken it up as a craft & started selling hair pieces online. There are a few on Amazon.com, and I’ve provided a link to a Japanese craft store in NYC that also sells them. There is also an authentic Japanese website that sells hairpieces to Japanese geisha (& brides)!! They can be really cheap (like $10) and they go all the way up in the hundreds. Usually the very large pieces are the expensive ones.

And why not be unique and different? Put one in your hair and you can say to your friends, “This came all the way from Japan..!” If you want, you could order the larger hair pieces for your wedding. But that is entirely up to you. For me I think that’s absolutely gorgeous to have one of them pinned in your hair & rows of flowers dangling down. Get one and try it!! I’ve listed below links to where you can buy them. Below I’ve also included photos of real Japanese geisha. You don’t have to be as exaggerated a they are, but just to put one or two.. is beautiful..