Our hair is full of secrets..

 Technology seems to be the main focus of growth throughout our society. There’s always some new technological gadget being marketed as a “must have”, to add excitement and color our lives.  We are so inundated with technology that the simple, non-technological items we may count on everyday are easily overlooked.  And often these items can be so mundane, so common like a toothbrush, or pencil, or toilet paper.  We take such items for granted until suddenly they are missing.  For me, such an item is the hair clip and more specifically, the “jaw clip”.

According to “The Hair Styler,” A jaw clip is pretty much used as an alternative to a hair tie for keeping longer hair up and out of the way. I do agree with this statement, but low and behold hairstylist, there is WAY more to it. The design of the hairclip has varied over the years, adding new shapes and colors making it more of a fashion item. I enjoy wearing hairclips because it won’t pull my hair like a hair-tie. If I tie my hair in a hair tie, usually when I take it out the ends of my hair are dry and strands of hair usually come out—but when I wear a hairclip and take it out, my hair looks brand new and there are no snarles.

When I checked in with a few of my friends about the hair clip, I found it is used for so many other uses than keeping long hair away from your face. My friend Sara uses her hair clip for adding volume to her hair. Her hair is short and pin-straight, so in the morning, after she showers, she whips her hair in this crazy styled bun (that actually makes her look like Frankenstein), securing it with a hair clip and leaves it in until it dries. When she takes it out, voila, her hair is full of body and is ready to be debuted. This was very intriguing to me because when I wear a hairclip my goal is to make my hair look pristine, not the opposite.

Another one of my girlfriends, Elizabeth, wears hair clips for different purposes. Because her hair is FULL of volume, she wears it to keep her hair tightly in tact. As I was walking around campus, I noticed many girls wearing hair clips for different hairstyles: half-way, messy up-do, tight-ballerina bun, ponytail, and pigtails. It’s a small, insignificant little item but such a resource.

Beyond being a helpful fashion item, if I think about it in greater detail, the importance of being able to work and exercise without the constant annoyance of your hair getting in the way and becoming a major obstacle is quite significant.

 If I for some reason someday had control of the hair clip companies, I would definitely make some changes. The hairclips job is to hold the hair together, BUT when a tooth breaks or several; it doesn’t do the job. This happens quite frequently I must say, I usually go through three hairclips every two months. A way to improve the hairclips is instead of using plastic but actually using wood, so it’s not as fragile. Also, since my friend Sara was all about the volume, it would be cool if the “tooth’s” of the hairclip had crimped affects, so while it being in your hair would work on it getting extra wavy.

So it is with these small, non-technological items that we may use in our lives everyday with out any thought to their importance that can really have an impact on the way your day goes.

 As pathetic as this is (especially to those with short hair), the hairclip has been a blessing in my life and to many others with long and/or big hair.

Reference:

http://www.thehairstyler.com/features/articles/hair-care/hair-accessories-the-definitive-guide