Hair Care

Product Overview

Silver metal duckbill hair clips — flat, hinged barrettes in the Y2K style that has come back around. They are worn to hold back bangs, to pin a side section away from the face, or in a row as a deliberate part of the look rather than a way of hiding one.

A duckbill clip is the flat, elongated shape with a spring hinge, sometimes called a bill clip or a beak clip. It is the one that lies flush against the head rather than standing away from it.

Why Metal Rather Than Plastic

• A metal hinge holds its tension. Plastic clips loosen over a few months and then slide out of clean hair; metal keeps its grip for years.
• It lies flat. The low profile is what makes a duckbill clip usable under a helmet, a hijab or a hat.
• It does not snap. The common way a plastic clip dies is the hinge breaking at the worst moment.
• The silver tone goes with everything, which is the practical argument for silver over colour.

How to Wear Them

1. Clips grip better on hair that is not freshly washed. On very clean, very smooth hair, a light mist of dry shampoo or texturising spray gives the clip something to hold.
2. Gather the section you want to hold, slide the open clip in against the direction of the hair, and close it.
3. For a symmetrical look, use two — one each side, at the same height.
4. For the Y2K version, stack two or three in a row along one side, slightly angled.
5. Open the clip properly to remove it rather than pulling it out. Dragging a closed clip out is what tears hair.

Looking After Your Hair and the Clips

• Do not sleep in metal clips. They press into the scalp and they bend hair into a crease you will fight in the morning.
• Move the position from day to day. Clipping the same spot every day, tightly, is the kind of steady tension that causes real hair loss at the hairline over years.
• Take them out before swimming — chlorine and salt water dull plated metal quickly.
• Wipe them with a dry cloth if they get hairspray or product on them, and store them dry.
• Check the edges before first use. Any metal clip with a rough edge should be smoothed or discarded rather than run through hair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will they hold thick hair?

A duckbill clip is designed for a section, not a whole head of thick hair. Take a smaller section and it will hold securely; try to clip everything at once and it will slide.

Do they damage hair?

Not if you open them to take them out. The damage from clips comes from pulling them out closed, and from clipping the same tight spot every single day.

Are they suitable for fine or short hair?

Yes — the flat hinge is well suited to fine hair and to short bangs, which is what the style was built around. Fine hair may need the texturising trick above.

Will the silver colour wear off?

Plated finishes wear at the hinge and at the contact points over time, which is normal. Keeping them dry and away from hairspray and chlorine slows it down considerably.