My Mom, My Hairstylist, and a 4-Year-Old Weigh In on the Hair Clip Trend

You've seen them splattered across your Instagram feed for weeks now, layered up and down the tresses of your favorite influencers, pinned atop the heads of your most stylish friends, and maybe even in your own accessory drawer. At this point, there's no denying that the hair clip trend has reached a fever pitch in all manner of styles—from itty-bitty claws to large acrylic barrettes—taking over as the It accessory to wear and be seen wearing.

My take? The nostalgic factor definitely plays a role in their popularity. I mean, who doesn't secretly want to dress as they did in kindergarten? With the recent revival of things like scrunchies, bucket hats, and headbands, it seems everyone's game to re-create their grade-school accessory game with a modern spin. Sure, I've been inspired by all the #hairfies from my favorite fashion girls' feeds, but it's not like this trend came out of nowhere. I wanted to know what OG hair clip enthusiasts really think about 2019's clipmania and how they suggest styling the clips to achieve a winning look.

I spoke with hairstylist Chad Kenyon of the celeb-adored Ramirez Tran Salon, who's seen dozens of hair trends come and go; two preschool-aged girls who represent the key demographic of a hair clip market; and my very own mother, whose barrette collection I've admired for years now. Keep reading to see what each "expert" has to say about styling the clips, and then shop my current favorite styles.

My Hairstylist

"As a colorist, the color and texture of the hair clip are key because, like hair color, hair accessories can help make you look and feel your best when they complement your skin tone, eye color, and hair color.

"The ideal hair clip placement—and the angles the placement moves your hair to—can be the difference between becoming and not so much. Choose angles that uplift and showcase your eyes and cheekbones. I love a low side part where the hair is tucked behind the ear and secured with the fantastic hair clip. This is one of my go-to hairstyles for my clients' color reveals and my salon photo shoots.

"A row or pattern placement of hair clips can be aesthetically stunning and functionally gentler on your hair (and the clip) than forcing an oversized section of hair into a single clip." — Chad Kenyon, Ramirez Tran Salon

My Mom

"I wore clips as a teenager around ages 12 to 13 and have been wearing them ever since. I'm so happy to see the current trend of wearing multiple hair clips at once come back since I have been wearing clips and styling my hair like this just to keep it in place for a while now. I think it's a fun and unique look and definitely not overly trendy. It reminds me of an era gone by that is recapturing itself in today's day.

"My favorite clips were the tortoiseshell ones that were really thin, which I wore on one side close to my forehead. I still wear clips almost every day, but instead, I wear it styled with all my hair gathered in a large clip or half up with hair down using three clips in back." — My very own mother

Preschoolers

"My favorite color clips are blue and the clip with the rhinestones. I wear my hair with one clip on one side of my head and the other clip on the other side." — Sarah, age 4

"I love these clips! I would wear them everywhere—on the back, on the sides, on the top, and on the bottom of my hair." — April, age 4

More hair clip styling ideas:

Shop the trend:

Next, the 2019 spring fashion trends my 95-year-old grandma wore first.