One of the most common questions I get asked — by clients and on my Loxx Hair Inc socials — is "why doesn't my claw clip hold like it does in the video?" Nine times out of ten, it's not the technique. It's a mismatch between the clip and the hair type. Here's how I match clips to hair in the chair.
Thick or Coarse Hair
Thick hair needs a clip with real spring tension and wide-set teeth, otherwise it'll force itself open within the hour. Go for a larger clip and section the hair before clipping rather than trying to gather it all in one go — twist first, then clip over the twist for extra grip. Our Hero Clip range is built with a reinforced hinge specifically for this.
Fine or Thin Hair
Fine hair has the opposite problem — too much clip and it'll slide straight out. Smaller and medium clips with tighter teeth spacing hold better here. Backcombing the section slightly before clipping also gives the clip something to grip onto.
Curly or Textured Hair
Curls have natural volume and grip, which actually makes claw clips one of the best accessories for curly hair — no elastic tension pulling at the pattern. Use a larger clip and let curls fall naturally rather than smoothing them flat first; fighting the texture is what causes slipping.
Long Hair
The heavier the ponytail, the more twist you need before clipping. Twist from root to tip, fold if needed, and clip vertically through the thickest part of the twist — horizontal clipping on long, heavy hair is the number one reason clips fail by midday.
Short or Bob-Length Hair
You don't need a full ponytail to use a claw clip. Small clips work beautifully to pin back face-framing pieces or half-up sections on a bob, and they're much gentler than pins, which can leave dents.
My rule of thumb
If a clip is slipping, don't fight it with hairspray — size up. If a clip feels loose within the hour, it's the tension spring, not your hair. That's exactly the problem we engineered around when we built Loxx clips — you can browse the full range, sized and colour-matched for every hair type, in our shop.
— Chad
