Claw clip hairstyles for short hair, and how short is too short

Your hair can be too short for a full claw clip updo and still be long enough for a claw clip. The clip needs a section it can close around, plus hair lying against your head for the teeth to reach. If you can twist a section one full turn and hold it flat, a clip can generally hold it.

What a claw clip needs to grip

A claw clip holds in two places at once.

• The bundle. This is the twisted or gathered hair that sits inside the clip. It has to be thick enough to fill the space between the teeth.
• The anchor. This is the hair lying flat against your scalp under the bundle. The tips of the teeth slide into it, and that keeps the clip from moving.

Short hair fails on the first point. If the section is too short to twist, there is no bundle, only loose ends, and the clip closes on very little. On a bob the trouble is usually at the nape. Those pieces are the shortest, and they are the first to drop out of anything gathered higher up.

So the useful question is not "is my hair too short" but "too short for which style". A chin-length bob generally will not go into a full twist at the back. It will go into a half-up, a side twist or a pair of mini clips. The basic hold is explained in how to use a claw clip.

How to tell if your hair is long enough

Test with your hands before you reach for a clip.

1. Gather your hair at the spot where you want the clip to sit.
2. Notice which pieces do not reach your hand. Those will hang loose in the finished style.
3. Twist the gathered hair one full turn.
4. Press the twist flat against your head and hold it with two fingers.
5. Check the ends. If the twist keeps its shape under your fingers, a clip can generally hold it. If it springs apart and the ends slip free, the section is too short for that position.

If the test fails at the back of your head, repeat it with only the hair above your temples, gathered at the crown. A bob that fails low often passes there.

Styles for a bob

At chin to jaw length, work with the top and the sides and leave the nape alone.

1. Half-up at the crown

1. Draw your thumbs back from your temples until they meet at the crown.
2. Gather the hair above your thumbs in one hand.
3. Twist it clockwise, between a half turn and one full turn.
4. Hold the twist flat against your head.
5. Close a mini or small clip across the twist, pushing the teeth down to the hair underneath.

There are more versions in half up half down with a claw clip.

2. Two side twists

1. Part your hair where you usually do.
2. Take a section two fingers wide at one temple.
3. Twist it away from your face, up and back, three or four turns.
4. Lay the twist against your head, just above and behind your ear.
5. Close a mini clip over the end of the twist, with the teeth reaching the hair underneath.
6. Repeat on the other side.

3. One-side sweep

1. Part your hair on one side.
2. On the side with less hair, take the front section, from the part down to the top of your ear.
3. Comb it back with your fingers so it lies flat above your ear.
4. Twist it one turn away from your face.
5. Close a mini clip over the twist, just behind your ear.

The other side stays loose. This one suits very short bobs, because the section only has to reach past your ear.

Styles for shoulder-length hair

Once your hair reaches your shoulders, the nape pieces generally reach a low twist.

4. Low twist

1. Gather all your hair at the nape, as for a low ponytail.
2. Twist the ponytail clockwise until it is firm down to the ends.
3. Lift the twist straight up so it lies flat against the back of your head.
4. Hold it in place with the flat of one hand.
5. Turn the clip vertical and place it over the middle of the twist, one row of teeth on each side.
6. Push the teeth in until they touch your head, then let the clip close.

The ends will stick out above the clip in a short fan. That is how this style looks at this length. If pieces at the nape drop out, catch them with a mini clip placed below the main one.

5. Half-up loop

1. Section the hair from the tops of your ears and gather it at the back of your head.
2. Twist the section clockwise until it is firm along its whole length.
3. Fold the twist in half by bringing the ends up to meet the base, so it forms a small loop.
4. Tuck the ends under the base.
5. Close a small clip across the top of the loop, over the base and the ends together.

Which clip size suits short hair

Smaller clips. Short hair makes a small bundle, and a clip much bigger than the bundle has empty space inside it. It shifts, and its weight pulls on the little hair it holds.

• Mini: side twists, the one-side sweep, a half-up on a fine bob. See the mini claw clips.
• Small: a half-up on a thicker bob, the half-up loop, a low twist on fine shoulder-length hair.
• Medium: a low twist on thick shoulder-length hair.

The side twists need two clips of the same size. To browse by length, go to the claw clips for short hair.

If pieces keep falling out

• Clip less hair. Move from a full twist to a half-up. Fewer short pieces are involved.
• Add a second clip. A mini clip under the main one catches the nape.
• Push the teeth in further. They should reach the hair against your head, not only the twist.
• Give the hair some texture. Freshly washed hair tends to be at its most slippery. Second-day hair, or a little texturizing spray, generally grips better.
• Let some pieces go. Short layers around the face and nape will not stay in, and the style does not need them.

When your hair grows past your shoulders, the full range in claw clip hairstyles opens up.

Questions

Is my hair too short for a claw clip?

It is too short for a given style if you cannot twist the section one full turn and hold it flat against your head. Hair that fails for a full updo often still works for a half-up or for side twists with mini clips.

How do you wear a claw clip with a bob?

Clip the top or the sides, not the whole head. A half-up at the crown, two side twists or a one-side sweep all leave the short nape hair down, where it cannot fall out of anything.

What size claw clip should you use for short hair?

Mini or small in most cases. The hair should fill the clip. Medium is worth considering only for a full twist on thick, shoulder-length hair.

Can you put short layered hair in a claw clip?

Yes, with some pieces left loose. Layers that do not reach the clip will drop out. Choose a half-up, place the clip where your shortest top layer still reaches, and let the rest fall.