Four steps

How to use a claw clip

A claw clip that slides out is almost never a broken spring. It is usually one of three things — and all three are fixable in about ten seconds.

01
Start with dry, day-old hair
Freshly washed hair is slippery and clean-cast curls have no grip. A claw holds best on second-day hair, or on clean hair with a little texture spray through the mid-lengths.
02
Gather at the nape, not the crown
Pull the section together low, around the level of your ears. Gathering too high puts the weight of the hair above the clip, which is what levers it open over the course of the day.
03
Twist once, then once more
Twist the section a full turn, then a second. Two turns is the difference between teeth gripping a rope and teeth sliding over a sheet. Roll the twist up against your head as you go.
04
Clip against the head, teeth first
Open the jaw, set the lower teeth against your scalp under the twist, then close upward so the top teeth land on the roll. Clipping downward from above catches only the outside of the section.

Three reasons it slips

The clip is too big
A large jaw needs a thick section to push against. On fine hair it closes past useful tension and slides. Size down.
Clipping wet
Clip teeth have very little to bite on damp hair, and you will get a crease at the clip line once it dries.
Gathering too high
Anything above the occipital bone puts hair weight above the pivot. The clip levers itself open, slowly, and you blame the spring.

Sized right