Reconsidering the hair accessory
For many of us, the idea of a hair accessory conjures up a visit to Claire’s for a fuzzy teddy bear keychain and a clip-on bow that never sat right against the back of our heads. In middle school, I had hair down to my waist and I styled it in updos and braids nearly every single day. It was MY thing! I watched Cute Girls Hairstyles on YouTube and made my arms ache trying to replicate the elaborate hairstyles myself. For all of middle school and some of high school, the diagonal Katniss Everdeen dutch braid was my default “lazy” hairstyle. My friend Jane says that everyone has a “mystery girl skill”, something that you’re shockingly adept at but rarely ever comes out in casual conversation. My mystery girl skill is definitely hair.
And yet, nowadays, aside from a few big scrunchies and two Target claw clips that I half-heartedly throw my hair up in, I don’t feel all that inspired by hair accessories. I have an entire box in a drawer and a vintage pink crystal bowl of them sitting on my bathroom counter, but I hardly ever use most of them. Considering it now, it’s because they are an afterthought, a $5 pick-me up here and there — hardly intentional at all like the rest of my wardrobe. I heard somewhere that a fashion sustainability goal can be to dress like a video game or movie character with 1-3 recognizable outfits. I’m far from that point, but I think I could be someone with a select few recognizable hair accessories. It’s my 2024 version of the Katniss braid.
Part 1: The cull
I’ve accumulated a fair number of hair accessories over the years. It’s easy to do as they barely take up any space. But I wanted to make a distinction between the “signature” ones — the pieces I’ve had for a long time and reach for most often (in the bowl), and the supplementary ones (in the drawer). I don’t mind keeping them around, but they’re not core pieces for me. Maybe later on I’ll feel comfortable letting go.
I got rid of random inherited or broken scrunchies and clips, some headbands that I tried out and weren’t for me (those knot headbands, lol). Step one, done!
Part 2: The inspo
In my All it takes is one post, I talked about the North Star collage as a technique for refining your personal style. Using my style collage from that post as a reference, I can look for accessories that would fit that vision. Here are some things I’m going to look out for:
Tortoiseshell: so sorry to my fellow Gen Z’s, but I really disagree with you when it comes to tortoiseshell. My MACHETE watch strap that I wear every day is tortoiseshell, my phone case that is hanging on by a thread is tortoiseshell. It’s just a really good neutral!
More generally, acetate: acetate (usually what faux tortoiseshell is made of) as a material is a very classic look
Classic styles: those little claw clips shaped like animals and fruits are super fun, but ultimately not for me
An *appropriately-sized* silk scrunchie: ultimately hair accessories aren’t that expensive so it’s fine to lean trendy when you want to!
Hold it on the headbands: I don’t really gravitate towards headbands so I will proceed with caution
Remain cognizant of hair length and easy styles you gravitate towards: More than likely, you already have a decent idea of what you like to do with your hair. I have decently thick hair so I don’t tend towards ponytails because they pull on my scalp. When my hair is long, I default towards braids. Right now, because my hair is in a weird transitional state, I have been trying out more eye-level ponytails, so I could find some accessories that work with both of those styles. Half up half down has always been a go to as well so more barrettes are fair game! Use what you already know to intentionally choose some accessories you’ll want to wear again and again.
Part 3: The world outside of Big Scrunchie and Claw Clip
We are in a state of emergency regarding the mass production of the same, rectangular claw clip. No wonder we don’t typically look towards hair accessories as a source of style inspiration! Instead of a bunch of claw clips, maybe you will feel inspired from this roundup to find 2-3 unique-to-you hair accessories that you will want to rewear again and again. After all, you only have the one head of hair! Hairstyle repeating > outfit repeating. I encourage you to explore what’s out there!
Barrettes
There are so many barrettes, and nearly everyone can find one that works for their particular density and length of hair.
If you’re looking for a similar glass barrette to the one I showed in my collection above, the search term you want is “dichroic glass”. The above shop, LKYGlass, has over 400 options for glass barrettes in customizable sizes! Talk about signature.
Another good search term is “Mexican mother of pearl barrette” on Etsy. These are from MexicaMexico.
Ponytail Barrettes
These are the hair accessories that inspired this post — the MACHETE pony barrette. I think these are so sweet, and at my current length I think I could wear them with either a ponytail or a little low key bun. The idea is that they leave a bigger space to hold more hair than a traditional barrette. These are on the pricier end, though, so I did try to find some affordable alternatives! Unfortunately pony barrettes seem to be few and far between…
Another very 90s LKYGlass option.
These toe the line between ponytail and regular barrettes, and that’s going to depend on the thickness of your hair but they look curved enough to count!
Hair Pins
Does anyone other than
know how to use a hairpin? No? I suggest we try for a lark, even if only for a half up half down bun situation.
I know that burgundy is allegedly the trendy nail and lip color this fall, blah blah blah. I’m still getting this first pin from TurtleStory.
These from Madewell seem like they would do a better job of holding your hair due to the wavy edges, like bobby pins do. A beginner hairpin, if you will.
A few scrunchies
I think you can all search on Etsy for a 100% silk scrunchie, but just in case: available in 4 diameters and 50 colors!
These don’t strictly fit in my moodboard, I don’t think, but I had to add them because they are so stinking cute.
I feel like my mom had one of these beaded scrunchies… from left to right, links here, here, and here.
One headband for your consideration
The inch-wide black velvet headband, as seen on Jennifer Lawrence on Hot Ones and Perpetua from Bridget Jones’ Diary. A classic for Thanksgiving, a work holiday party, a midnight mass with your family, you name it. The label on this one from Etsy looks so chic, and the model is also wearing a Bump-It so you know it’s bonafide preppy.
Whew! I think that’s all for today. Let me know if you already have a signature hair accessory or style.
Love the ponytail barrettes! And all of your photos to illustrate. Curious if you’ve also changed your hair accessory preferences once you got bangs (unless you’ve always had them!)
This was a fun read! Thanks!
I have a gold-tone metal barrette-y clip I found for half-off at Target and have had for probably 2-3 years at this point. I found it right when my commitment to buy as little new plastic as possible was being sorely tested by my desire to buy into the resurgence of the claw clip. The beautiful metal clip was the perfect compromise: I can use the muscle memory to throw my hair into a quick messy chignon like I used to with claw clips, but I didn’t have to buy the plastic version. Bonus is that I get to be trend-adjacent while also having something different that I can keep wearing after the claw clips fall out of favor again. Also, I LOVE a silk scarf or a cotton bandana! I wear them in my hair 2-3 different ways, and have a few different colors, and I feel so good in them!