Thirty Tips for Using Bobby Pins Outside of Hair Styling

There are lots of hair style that benefit from the use of bobby pins.  Whether you want the pins to be displayed or hidden in your hair, you can try almost 50 different styles.

However, did you know that bobby pins have other uses in your closet and around the house too?  Below are 30 tips (15 each) giving ways to use bobby pins to help out.


15 Quick Clothing Repairs and Craft Tips Using a Bobby Pin

1. Fix a broken zipper slide
2. Mini clothespins for lingerie
3. Use to hold silky fabrics together, instead of straight pins, when sewing
4. Hold together a broken clothing strap or for a missing button
5. Tie a knot in drawstring to thread back into pants or hoodie
6. Repair broken or sagging hemline
7. Use as a money clip
8. Prevent tangling on the end of ribbon or lace roles
9. Pin/brush tip for fingernail art
10. Poke thru elastic to use as threader in new waistband
11. Use as a tie clip inside a vest or jacket
12. Keep balls/skeins of yarn together
13. Secure loose end of a too long belt
14. Stitch saver to mark ends of knitting rows
15. Embellish pins for hair or jewelry-making crafts

15 Tips to Help Around the House Using a Bobby Pin

1. Reset electronics with tiny hole or button
2. Squeeze and roll- up toothpaste tube
3. Pry out little batteries or SIM cards
4. Mark end of the tape role
5. Use as a bookmark
6. Instead of paper clip or staple on notes or multiple pages
7. Use as a bag clip on snacks
8. Pry open stuck medicine or drink seals on bottles and jars
9. Hold a nail when hammering it
10. Open letter envelopes without tearing
11. Lock the end of twine or cord onto roll
12. Keep headphones cords from tangling
13. Hook hair out of clogged drain
14. Hold together streamers or tinsel on holiday tree
15. Use as ornament holders if you are missing hooks

Let me know if you come up with any other ideas by placing your suggestions in the commetns for this post.

Summer Hair: Ponies, Braids, and More with a Topsy Tail

I get lots of complements on my hair styles during the summer because I try to go for more than just a pony tail or bun to stay cool.  One tool I love to use is the Conair Topsy Tail, below is a video showing how to use the 3-piece Topsy Tail kit.  There are copies of the tool out there, I do not recommend those as the rubber-band type break easily and the stiff version are really hard to pull thru your hair so you can end up with a lopsided look.

After you make the basic topsy pony tail, you can wear it natural; straighten it for a thinner tail; fancy it up by using a curling iron to make the tail a large ringlet; or use electric curlers to make 3-5 smaller ringlets.  You can also make the pony into a standard 3-stand braid or mock braid by spacing rubber bands every 1-2 inches down the pony. You can then put a pretty pony tail bob or hair clip or big at the end of the braid.  If you use a hair clip, first put a rubber band at the end and then weave the back of clip into hair above the rubber band.  Otherwise, the hair clip may fall off and get lost. 

Another cute look is braids with ribbons running through them.  The standard way is to put a rubber band at top of braid and then place the two ends over 2 of the 3 hair stands so that you weave the color down and through the braid – then wrap the ribbon around bottom rubber band and tie into small bow.

Another thing I discovered is you can repeat the Topsy process multiple times to create a horizontal mock French twist (standard version is vertical).  Once you have only a tiny bit of hair left, you tuck it in and then use spin pins and hair spray to secure it in place. 

To read tips for other ways I do my hair in the summer, visit video posts on Buns with Goody Spin Pins and Tools for Up Do’s.  Other spring/summer decorative hair options can be found in post on Accessories for Bundling Hair.  Any season styles can be found on Bouffants with Bump Its.

If you want more braid styles, check out how to make a messy mock French braid (and other ideas at end of linked article) using instructions in additional video at https://youtu.be/iobEpVk1IhI.  Or for really long hair, do a video search for other pull through braid styles.

Six Hair Tools into Four Easy Up Do Styles

In almost 9 minutes of video below, these 2 ladies share 6 tools to build 4 different ways to make a bun from big and loose to tiny and tight. 

To make it easy for you to find the tools they use that you want to check out, here are links to these tools, which I have also seen in some drugstores: magic hair donut and long magic hair bun sponge.  I covered the standard “Spin Pin” and plastic “BumpIts” tools in other posts.   However, now I want to try out the velcro “Bump It Up” pieces too.  I will end their list with the two hairpieces for extended bangs and the drawstring big bun that they started with.  You may also want to check out my posts on ballerina hair accessories which gives the impressions of a decorative chignon with very little work. Please note, if you want to try everything in the video, including a “Topsy Tail” tool, save some time and money by checking out this full accessory kit.

Bump Up the Hair – Jersey Style Bouffants

I always liked the elegant bouffant hairdos, yet never did them for myself because I do not like having my hair teased and am sensitive to aerosol sprays.  I have often thought about trying a Bumpit, but thought the price was not right for that tiny piece of plastic.  The other day I was perusing the 99 cent store and saw the 3-piece Bumpits set there so I figured why not test it out.  I bought the set that matched my hair color and tried out the medium size.  It worked fine with mousse instead of hair spray.  My first thought when I looked at the completed hairstyle in the mirror was maybe it was a little too 60’s circa Annette Funicello, but it was still cute.  Once I added my form-fitting dress, chunky necklace, and big earring – I decided I looked more modern:  sorta laid-back Jersey Girl. The Bumpit did give me a fuller, thicker hairstyle, so I plan to try other styles later.  If you are curious about the Bumpit, check out the 5-minute “how-to” video from when they were the “new thing” and cost way more than I paid!

Another hair option, Goody spin pin

I gave some ideas on bundling the hair bun for a dressy look in my last post.  Here is another idea that sounds pretty good if you want to go with the natural look.  The pins it talks about are not as cheap as bobby pins or old fashioned hair pins which are used with hair nets, but they can be found at most drug and department stores that sell Goody hair accessories.  I have not yet tried the new spin pins for making buns (twisted pins that look like springs – see Goody Spin Pin Review and Tutorial video below).  These pins are supposed to take the place of multiple bobby pins, and they really work!  I love mine.

Bundling the hair bun

During the summer, I like to wear my hair up to keep cooler in the 100 degree southern heat.  A pony tail or a twist and flip with a butterfly/claw clip sometimes works for a casual look.  But if I want a dressier cool look, I go for making the ponytail into a bun at the back of my head or on top.  It can be frustrating to have to put in all those bobby pins and still have flyaway hairs, especially if you do not like to use hairspray.  Making the pony tail into a braid and then twisting into a bun with end tuck deep inside prevents some flyaway, but you still have to use a lot of pins to hold it in place. The only advantage I see to using bobby pins for a bun is I can use them for other hair styling and they can be found at most drug stores.  Of course, you can use lots of fancy hair pins or decorated bobby pins with jewels glued to their curved end but too many with lots of variation (since they usually come in single or pairs) can be too much.

Assorted bun clips, cages, and snoods.

Instead, I find that you can use bun nets, bun wraps, or chignon covers to dress up the bun and hold it in place with fewer pins.  I have been frustrated in trying to find these at stores lately, so I decided look on-line.  To my shock, these are considered dance accessories for ballerinas.  Now I know where to look in the future.  Before, I always found them on clearance with other fashion accessories so there were not a lot of choices.  My internet search even found crochet instructions for different versions to make my own in assorted colors!

What I really love to use that looks super dressy and gets me lots of compliments is the snood.  This is a way to skip using any pins on the bun because you only make the pony tail.  First make your pony tail, next put the snood clip (which is under flowers or a bow) above the pony tail band, and finally roll the pony tail in your hand to tuck it into the net or lace bag that hangs from the clip.  Fast, simple, and very cute!  Don’t try using the clip to hold the pony; it will not keep it tight enough to look properly coifed.  These are harder to find, but well worth the search!  This is the bun-type of snood, not the 30’s or cafeteria lady look, although those can look good on the right face and hair length… 

Another easy idea for thinner or straighter hair, is to wrap the pony tail into a bun and then use an octopus clip to hold it in place without pins for a casual-dressy look. 

Besides the hyperlinks above, another website I found with cool hair stuff to use for purpose other than buns, included flowers and fascinators (those micro-hats made popular again by an English royalty wedding).  Frustration Warning!  Please note before clicking to the site that it was not well designed.  It is primarily a mass-order catalog store for retailers, so visit it for just-for-fun or if you have a shop or on-line business.  Start with to the categories in the left menu and rest your mouse on the desired one.  Then a photo of some of the related items will pop up.  Once you see the photo, you can click on the option to go to a full screen of multiple selections, otherwise it seems to die when trying to load the full page.