7 Simple Ways to Put Your Hair in a Claw Clip

Claw clips (also known as jaw clips) are all the rage lately, and for good reason! These trendy and stylish clips are easy to use and they secure your hair effortlessly—making your ‘do look great all day while also helping it to stay out of your face. With the help of professional hairstylist Janet Miranda, we’ve put together this list of every quick, easy, and chic way to put up your hair with a claw clip. So, grab your cutest clip and keep reading!

How do you style your hair in a jaw clip?

The easiest way to style your hair with a claw clip is to gather all of your hair into a bun or ponytail, twist it up against your scalp, and secure it with the claw clip. You can also do a “half-up, half-down style,” says professional hairstylist Janet Miranda, “and just secure it with the clip.”

Method 1

Method 1 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: Quick Updo

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Claw clips are super easy to use, explains Miranda, “because all you have to really do is just secure your hair.”^{[1]
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Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview} For the absolute easiest version of a cute claw clip style, take all the hair from the front of your face and pull it backward. Using each hand on its respective side of your face, keep collecting hair as you move your hands backwards so that you end up with all of your hair gathered at the back of your head.^{[2]
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Gather the entire section of your hair—all of which should be pulled behind your shoulders—in one hand. Lift this hair upwards so that the ends are pointing up, twisting gently to tighten the locks against your scalp.^{[3]
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Open your claw clip and position it where the lifted hair meets the top of your head. Let the rest of the hair (above the claw clip) fall loosely over the clip.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: Messy Bun

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Grab all of your hair in one hand and gather it into a messy bun, begins Miranda.^{[5]
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Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview} Let the bun sit at the center of the back of your head (rather than at the top). Let some pieces fall out and scrunch your bun to create a more untidy look if necessary—remember to put the messy in the messy bun!
At about the nape of your neck, or wherever the biggest section of your bun is, fasten a claw clip around your hair, Miranda instructs.^{[6]
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Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview} If you have very thick or long hair, you may need to use an XL claw clip in order to secure your bun fully. Pull out some strands for a messier, imperfect look.

Method 3

Method 3 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: French Twist

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Start by brushing your hair. Get rid of any knots first, or the clip may get stuck. Gently move a comb or hairbrush through your strands until there are no tangles left. Brushing out your hair is especially important for long or thick hair. Once your hair is tangle-free, continue to the steps below.^{[7]
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Place one hand on either side of your head. Push your hands together slightly to gather your hair into one large section between your hands. Keep your hands in this position, with your palms upward and your thumbs on top of the gathered hair.^{[8]
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Use your hands to push your gathered hair up, but gently twist the hair in one direction as you go. You can do a quarter- or half-twist if you have thinner hair that you’d like to wear in a loose style. If you have thicker hair that you want to wear in a tight style, you can do several complete twists. Either way, twist your hair in one single section until it rests snugly against the back of your head.^{[9]
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Secure the center of the twist with your claw clip. Open the claw clip and place it in the approximate center of the twist. Let it snap shut so that the bottom portion of the twist is secured while the ends cascade over the top of the clip. You should then have your clipped French twist, which is one of Miranda’s recommended styles for claw clips!^{[10]
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Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview}
- If you want a larger spray of hair over the clip, hold the ends and open the clip slightly with your other hand. Gently pull your hair upward, then close the clip again.

Method 4

Method 4 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: Ponytail Twist

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Make a ponytail that sits comfortably at the back of your head. Secure the ponytail with a hair tie.^{[11]
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Twist the ponytail into a tight and smooth coil with the tip tucked under. Grab your ponytail so that the end of it is pointing up at the ceiling. Starting at the base, Miranda instructs, twist the loose hair in one direction until it creates a tidy coil against your scalp.^{[12]
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Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview} Bring the tip of the ponytail back down and tuck it under the base of the twist.^{[13]
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- If you have longer hair, you may need to fold and tuck your hair several times as you twist it.
Open a claw clip and position it over the coil you just created. Let the clip close to firmly secure the style, explains Miranda.^{[14]
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Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview}

Method 5

Method 5 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: Simple Half-Up, Half-Down

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Place your hands on either side of your head. Moving your hands backward, collect hair from the top half of your head (i.e., roughly all of the hair that grows above your ears).^{[15]
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Now that you’ve gathered the top section of your hair, hold it at the center of the back of your head. Then, clip the claw clip around it to hold it in place, Miranda instructs.^{[16]
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Expert Source

Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Interview} Let the bottom half of your hair hang loose, just as if you were wearing your hair down.^{[17]
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Method 6

Method 6 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: Double Clip Style

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Use your hands to sweep together only the hair that grows on the back of your head. Place your first claw clip at the very bottom of your head to secure that section.^{[18]
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Gather the rest of your hair from the front and sides of your head. Pull it backward and under the already-clipped section. Place your second clip about 2 inches (51 mm) below the first one to secure the newly-gathered section.^{[19]
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Method 7

Method 7 of 7:

Using a Claw Clip: Sleek Ponytail

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Pull nearly all of your hair to the back of your head. Gather all of your hair in your hands and pull it behind your shoulders. Center this section of hair behind your neck, almost as if you’re going to make a low pony (but without fastening it with a hair tie).^{[20]
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- Optionally, you can leave out one or two face-framing strands at the front of your hair.
Put a small amount of hair pomade in your hands. Work the pomade through the loose ends of your hair that are sitting behind your neck. The pomade will give your hair a polished, sleek, and frizz-free final look.^{[21]
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Collect your hair again so that it’s sitting like a low pony behind your neck. Instead of securing it with a hair tie, however, clip a cute claw clip at the nape of your neck. Make sure that all of your hair (besides the face-framing pieces) is secured by the clip.

Community Q&A

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Can anyone describe what the hairstyle looks like from the front?

Community Answer

The front of your hair will look like you put it in a tight pony tail. It will not look very different because of the twist.

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If you have thick hair, look for a jaw clip with a wide gap between the teeth. If the teeth are tightly interlocked, the spring is under too much pressure to withstand a thick bundle of hair.^{[22]
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To add more volume, try curling your hair before using your clip.

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A smaller clip will allow the hair to hide the clip. It can also cause the hair to fall to one side so it's seen in front as well.
Make sure the color of the clip is a different color from your hair if you want it to stand out.

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