What Kind of Bobby Pin Are You Using?

Did you even know there were different types of bobby pins? Or as the British say "kirby grips"? The bobby pins got their name in the 1920's when they were used to keep the bobbed hair styles in place. Now we use them to pull back bangs, keep an up-d0 in place to secure those little baby fly-aways. 

I love this blog, Hairdo How-to and how it really breaks down what makes a good bobby pin. Who knew it could be so complicated?

I was recently complimenting a co-worker of mine Erin, on her great big bun. She is always looking for a new way to wear her hair, which I really admire. She mentioned that she liked the bun, but that little pieces keep falling out. I asked her what kind of bobby pin she was using and she took out one of the typical flat bobby pins like this:

These pins are great for securing hair, but not for a big bun. What she really needed was a hairpin like this:

Hairpins are not very common, but once you start using them, you'll wonder how you ever lived with out them! Instead of just pushing in a bobby pin (wavy side down of course), the hairpin collects a larger amount of hair and tucks them under the bun. Ask any former ballet dancer and I am sure they have a collection of these pins in all corners of their bathroom drawers. 

Fortunately, I keep a little zipper pouch in my wallet with bobby pins, hairpins, elastics and clips for such emergencies. I gave Erin a hairpin, tucked it into the bottom of her bun and the escaping hairs were re-joined with their peers. I gave her an extra hairpin for good measure and sent her on her way. 

This is an awesome tutorial of how to use a hairpin properly.

Hairpins are available in any pharmacy and usually come in a little plastic box. Why not make a little hair emergency kit of your own? You never know what madness Mother Nature can throw at you during the day!