Most people file the claw clip under emergency hair. It’s what you grab when you’re running late, fully expecting it to slide down the back of your head by lunch. I think that sells it short. Whether a clip looks thrown on or deliberate usually comes down to the twist underneath it and a clip that’s the right size and shape for your hair.
Before you blame your technique, check the clip itself. Length gets all the attention, but tooth depth matters just as much. A long clip with shallow teeth can look right and still only grab the top layer, which is why thick hair slowly slips out. When you close the clip over a twist, the teeth should slide past each other with about a finger’s worth of give left. If the tips barely meet, it’s too small for that style.
Hairstylists and creators have been proving that for years, and the looks I save take two minutes yet still read as an actual hairstyle. Some go full updo. Others leave most of the length down, and one of my favorites has nothing to do with long, straight hair at all.
These are the four I keep coming back to.
Start With the Clip That Can Actually Hold Your Hair
A claw clip stays put best when the teeth catch both the twist and the hair against your scalp. Very clean, silky hair can slip more easily, so a little texture spray or dry shampoo first can help. If it still slides, go larger or flip the clip to face the other way.
For thick or long hair, I’d go bigger than you think for a full updo. A large clip in the 4- to 5-inch range usually makes more sense, while medium clips are better for half-up styles and finer hair. With very thick or coily hair, two clips side by side can hold better than one huge clip.
Keep It Neat Without Making It Too Tight
If your hair is short, you can still do the clip thing. A half-up style with a small or medium clip works as long as you can gather the top section, and mini clips are great for pinning one side behind your ear.
For a cleaner finish, brush or smooth your hair back before twisting, and keep the twist firm as you go. A little smoothing cream along your hairline helps tame flyaways, and a solid tortoiseshell or black clip reads more polished than a bright print.
Claw clips are generally one of the gentler ways to wear your hair up because they don’t need a tight elastic. The issue is usually wearing the same tight style in the same spot every day, so switch up your placement, don’t pull hard at your hairline, and take the clip out before you sleep.
The Ends-Up French Twist
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@gingerosesmith / Instagram
Creator @gingerosesmith captioned this one “long live the claw clip,” and her hair backs her up. Her hair is swept back smoothly from the hairline, twisted up under a big tortoiseshell clip. The ends stay fluffed out over the top instead of tucked away. Sleek from the side, a little undone on top. I love that mix.
Brush everything back as if you’re making a low ponytail, minus the tie. Twist the length upward until it lies flat against your head, letting the ends flip over the top. Then open the clip wide and close it sideways along the twist so the teeth catch both the twist and the hair underneath. Kitsch makes 5-inch clips sized for thick or long hair. Freshly washed hair slips, though, so a few sprays of Kristin Ess Dry Texture Spray before you start can help it hold the shape.
This style suits medium to long hair best. You need enough length for the twist to fold over itself with a little tail on top. Shoulder-length hair still works. You’ll just have a smaller spray of ends peeking out, which honestly looks cute. Layers are fine too. Shorter pieces near the face will probably fall out, and it’s better to let them frame your face than fight them.
Most slipping comes from twisting too loosely. Give the clip a slack twist and it has nothing solid to bite, which is why the whole thing starts sagging within the hour. Keep the tension firm while you twist, then hold the twist flat with one hand while the other hand places the clip. Another fix if it keeps slipping is to flip the clip so it faces the other way. Some heads of hair simply grip better from one side.
If you want something lower than a French twist, turn the same idea into a claw-clip bun at the nape. Twist the length into a rope, coil it flat against your neck and clip vertically through the coil so the teeth catch the bun and the hair underneath. Fine hair can start with a thin elastic first, then coil and clip over it. If your hair’s very long, keep the coil tight so it doesn’t push the clip open.
Half-Up With Curtain Bangs
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@styled_by_savv / Instagram
Utah hairstylist @styled_by_savv sums it up as “Curtain bangs and claw clips >>>” and it’s hard to argue. The top section of her soft waves is clipped upright at the crown with a small taupe clip. That gives a little height at the back, while the bangs and the rest of the length hang loose.
Love the bangs? Ask your stylist for curtain bangs that blend into longer face-framing layers so they look finished whether your hair is up or down. At home, gather the top third of your hair from temple to temple, give it one loose twist and clip it vertically at the crown. A medium clip is the right scale here. The Kitsch Medium Puffy set gives you black and tortoise. For something dressier, the handmade Camila Paris medium clip looks more like jewelry.
A half-up clip works for almost every hair type and length, which is part of why it’s so popular. Fine hair gets a little lift at the crown. Thick hair gets the weight off your face without the headache of a full updo. It’s also the easiest way to wear a claw clip when your hair is too short to twist all the way up. Only the top section has to reach.
Fine, silky hair usually does better with a smaller clip than you’d think. Bigger jaws can flatten the hair instead of gripping it, which is rude but true. Look for close-set teeth, a tight gap when the clip is shut and a matte inside finish if glossy clips keep sliding. Texture spray helps, but the right jaw shape does a lot of the work.
Placement matters more than you’d think. Clip too low and the style looks like a ponytail that gave up halfway. Aim for the crown, roughly where your head starts to curve back. Angle the clip so it stands upright rather than lying flat. For more volume, tease the roots of that top section lightly before you twist. Then smooth the surface with your fingers so it doesn’t look fuzzy.
The Messy High Twist
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@lizzyhadfield / Instagram
I’d wear this on any lazy day. @lizzyhadfield twisted her hair up high under a glossy dark clip. Her bangs and a few front pieces stay out to land wherever they like. Pure off-duty hair.
Skip the brush and gather it with your fingers. Twist once or twice, fold it against your head and clip, then pull your bangs and a couple of front pieces free. A spritz of Bumble and bumble Surf Spray through the lengths gives it that matte, beachy grit so it looks tousled on purpose. As for the clip itself, I’d pick something with a little personality, like Emi Jay’s Big Effing Clip in a blush polka dot.
This is the style for second- or third-day hair, when a bit of grit actually helps. It works on wavy and straight hair alike. Choppy layers that are long enough to gather but too uneven for a sleek twist are perfect here. You’re going for a shape that looks a little imperfect. Too neat? Pull at the top with your fingertips to loosen it.
Height is what separates this from a regular low twist. Gather your hair higher than you think, near the top of the back of your head, before you start twisting. Then let a few pieces escape around the back too, not just at the front. If your clip feels too heavy up there, a lighter acetate or plastic clip will sit better than a metal one. Heavy metal clips can slide on long hair because the weight pulls them down, even when the twist is solid.
Two Clips for Coily Hair
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@afroanihairlove / Instagram
Most of the claw clip inspiration I come across is on straight hair. That’s why this one from @afroanihairlove, styled by @hairpoplounge, is a welcome change. Her coily hair is gathered up at the back with two marbled brown and pink rectangular clips side by side. They’re the brand’s own Black Currant claw clips, paired with a gold oversized satin scrunchie on her wrist.
With a lot of hair, one clip can end up straining to hold everything, and splitting it between two takes the pressure off. Gather your hair into two sections next to each other and smooth your edges however you like them. Set a rectangular clip on each section, making sure the jaws close all the way. The cards aren’t her exact Black Currant clips. This large cutout rectangle clip in tortoiseshell has the same open, boxy shape, just in warmer browns without the pink flecks. And the CEELGON pack includes champagne and gold satin scrunchies that look a lot like the one on her wrist.
Very thick hair can also hold better with a flip-and-clip instead of forcing every inch into one jaw. Gather your hair at the nape, twist it half a turn, flip the tail up toward your crown and clip through both the base of the twist and the underside of the flipped section. It’s best when you have real bulk to lock the shape in place. On finer hair, it tends to sag.
Two clips also spread the weight across your head, which is kinder to your edges and your scalp over a long day. That matters if you wear clips often. Tension in the same spot day after day can stress the hair along your hairline. Switching placement now and then is a good habit. If a clip ever feels tight or starts to ache, take it out and redo the sections looser.
This works on coily, curly and very thick wavy hair. Wash-and-gos and stretched styles both hold up well. On a fresh wash-and-go, let your curls dry fully before clipping so you don’t squash the pattern while it’s still setting. Wet hair can be clipped loosely for a short stretch, but don’t clamp it tightly or leave it up for long. Wet hair stretches more, and a hard clamp can leave dents or pull on the same spot. On stretched hair, a little leave-in or styling cream on the ends keeps them soft where they stick out above the clips.
Match the style to your hair, check the teeth and closing gap, and give your twist some tension. Do that and the claw clip stops being a bad-hair-day fallback. It turns into a hairstyle you’ll actually plan around.
