Clients ask me this more than almost anything else: what should I actually be using to put my hair up? Here's the honest, unsponsored breakdown from someone who's dealt with the aftermath of all three on real heads of hair.
Traditional Hair Ties
The elastic band is the worst offender for hair health. The tight, even tension around one small section causes breakage, and repeated use in the same spot is a common cause of thinning at the hairline and crown. They're fine in a pinch for a workout, but I don't recommend them for daily use.
Scrunchies
A genuine improvement — the fabric-wrapped elastic distributes tension more evenly and won't crease or snap hair the way a bare elastic does. The trade-off is grip: scrunchies can slip on fine or freshly washed hair, and they only really do one style — a ponytail or bun.
Claw Clips
This is what I reach for most, for a simple reason: there's no elastic tension at all. A well-made claw clip holds hair through pressure spread across multiple teeth rather than one constricting band, which means less breakage and no dents if the clip has rounded, anti-snag teeth. The catch is quality — a cheap clip with a weak spring will slip and, ironically, cause more damage trying to compensate with a death-grip.
So which should you actually use?
For everyday wear and hair health, a well-made claw clip wins — no tension damage, faster to put in, and far more versatile in terms of the styles you can create. Save the scrunchie for gym days and skip the plain hair tie unless you genuinely need the security of an elastic for a workout ponytail.
What "well-made" actually means
Look for a reinforced spring, wide anti-snag teeth, and a hinge that won't loosen after a few weeks — that's the whole design brief behind every clip in the Loxx Hair Inc range. If you've been cycling through cheap clips or scrunchies because nothing quite holds, it's worth trying one built properly.
— Chad
