Explore the various types of hair clips available in a range of colours, shapes, functions, and sizes. Humans have always had the itch to decorate their hair with different types of hair clips.
Even the cave dwellers showed proof that sticks, thorns, stones, and bones formed crude hairpins. However, hairpins were also used during ancient Roman times as containers for poison or perfume.
During the Victorian era, hair clips morphed into bobby pins when it was unfashionable for women to show off loose hair.
Below is the list of the various types of hair clips, each with its unique style and function.
1. Claw Clip
These hair clips are often referred to as a butterfly clip and have developed over the years from a widely known and gaudy choice during the 80s and 90s to more subdued clips. These hair clips are easily concealed in your hair without paying much attention to your look.
They have two sets of comb with very large teeth that are attached to a very strong spring in the middle. This spring will allow you to force the two combs to open the claw clip’s mouth and then when released, will cause the clip to snap shut, without any problems keeping your hair in place.
Not only are these clips perfect for pinning hair back from your face when you style it or cut it, but they are also great on their own for style. A perfect way to capture and keep fine hair back from your face is to use very small claw clips. They are a great choice for use on small children who are not going to sit still for a long period.
The larger claw clips can be used on their own to either keep the bun in place or in a modified ponytail to sweep all of the hair up and off the body.
For this reason, selecting a variety of claw clips in a few different sizes is a good idea so that you can style your hair easily any way you like.
2. Bobby pin
Bobby pins are among the types of hair clips to have on hand because they are so flexible and helpful in styling your hair in several different ways. However, they don’t have a mechanism that enables them to clip them to your hair.
One side of the bobby pin is smooth and flat, while it has grooves on the other side. The grooves are specifically designed and included in the bobby pin to help it keep your hair in place, and they can remain where you put it without falling out.
On both ends, they have little plastic balls so that you can easily slip them into your hair without snagging your strands or poking your skin. So it’s best to wear only bobby pins that have these little balls in place.
Since bobby pins come in so many colours, including bright colours, as well as a selection of natural shades, it is easy to find one or a few that will either stand out and add a splash of colour to your look or will blend in with your hair that is, if you want a more natural look.
One of the main advantages of bobby pins and is also the reason why they are so popular is that they are very cheap. This means that without breaking the bank, you can easily purchase a lot of them to have on hand.
3. Classic Hinged Barrettes
These are one of the types of hair clips to own if you want to style your hair. Although these plastic barrettes are not as common as they used to be, they are still a great way to style the hair of a child and allow them to choose colours and designs that are fun.
They are made of a single plastic piece, and in the centre, they have a hinge that allows them to fold in half. They can be tricky to use, but these barrettes are perfect because they come in so many colours and designs.
It can be challenging at first to insert the tab into the hole at the bottom of the barrette, and also many kids find it uncomfortable to have them on their heads.
4. Snap clip
This is also known as a contour clip and is one of the most common types of hair clips available.
It is often sold to liven up a hairstyle in bright colours and fun designs, making them popular with women of all ages, and particularly kids.
One of the main advantages of this hair clip is that a lot of hair or probably just a few fine strands can be easily kept away from the face.
They are formed from a single metal piece that will snap open for the hair to be inserted when the ends are raised up. Once the clip is in place, and the hair is within the clip, the two ends are pushed back down, which causes the centre of the clip to snap up, keeping the hair in place.
These clips are available in a variety of different sizes, which makes finding those that will fit your hair type and style very easy.
Regardless of what choice you make, be it a big clip that can hold a lot of hair or make a statement or a smaller snap clip that will fit in a little better with your hairstyle, there is a size for everyone and for every use.
This makes it easier than ever to customise your style.
5. Banana clip
The banana clip is another very common type of hair clip. These are very wide and around 6 inches in length on average, so they are usually only used for individuals who have long hair.
On both sides of the clip, they have teeth and can actually lock into place so that the hair is kept at the base of the neck in place. One of the reasons they are so common is that they can actually offer the illusion of your hair being longer than it actually is, and also because of the way they protect the hair, which is something that many people love and enjoy.
Most people with long hair have banana clips on hand, and when you are working or coming out of the shower, they are a perfect way to clip hair out of the way.
They may be more difficult to use on thinner hair, so they are not widely used on younger kids who might have hair that is too thin and thin to carry the banana clip easily.
In the 80s, these clips were really popular; nonetheless, they are still in use today. With some banana clips being very plain and in a pattern like a tortoiseshell, and others being much more complex, they come in a variety of different types and designs.
If you need to go somewhere fancy and want to match the rest of your wardrobe with your hair clip, then you’ll want to opt for a banana clip with embellishments and decorative edges.
This clip can be quickly enhanced by rhinestones and fancy edges and will make it a little more impressive so that it can stand up to the elegance and style of the rest of your outfit without appearing bland and boring.
6. Alligator clip
Hairstylists use this hair clip to hold extra hair out of the way when they cut hair because they are one of the most popular types of hair clips. Also, if you want to keep your hair pinned back from your face with little effort, they are a great choice.
These are the types of hair clips that possess a pinch that has a spring at one end. One half of this clip will be flat so that it can fit better against the head and will have the same number of teeth that match the clip’s top half. When used correctly, the alligator clip can easily keep hair out of the way.
For parents looking to clip their child’s hair and pin it away from the face, these are a great choice, as they can easily carry a few thinner strands or a lot of hair all at once.
It’s easy to find decorated alligator clips that are built to either be a little fancier than a basic clip or to dress up an outfit. One of the main reasons they are so popular is that they come in a variety of different sizes, types, and colours for both parents and children.
Alligator clips with big bows on them are very popular, making it easy to dress up the outfit of a child without having to think about the difficulty of pinning a bow in their hair.
7. Double Prong Curl
Although most hair clips are used to keep your hair in place when you are about to go out, this type of hair clip is specifically used to help you style your hair. Though they look like alligator clips, they have no teeth on them and are not normally worn out of the house.
You need to make sure that you have some of these clips on hand if you are going to use curlers to curl your hair. They are perfect for ensuring that the curler’s hair is healthy and kept in place without causing it to fall out of position.
In addition, you don’t have to worry about the clip causing your wet hair to look damaged or to kink because the parts of the clip that will hold your hair have a flat surface and don’t have teeth.
If you want to do finger waves, there is another way these clips can be useful to help you, to style your hair that is. Since they do not cause the hair to dry with any texture or in funny shapes, they are perfect for keeping finger waves in place and will ensure that your waves do not lose their position as they dry.
If you want to style your own hair, then you need these clips to help you make sure you get the look you want.
8. Duckbill clip
This is one of the types of hair clips that a hairstylist can easily use to keep hair out of the way when they cut it. They are not multi-purpose the way alligator clips are because of their longer length.
At the end of the clip lies a fine point, which enables the hairstylist to use them to quickly section hair and transfer bits out of the way as they cut it. This makes sure that all parts are neat and organised, and this helps to separate and transfer the hair, rather than to reach for a brush.
Since these clips are not used for styling hair for an outing, they are typically very plain. If you want to make use of these clips to style your hair yourself, it is best to look for metal clips, because they last a lot longer than plastic clips, and are not going to be just as susceptible to breaking.
