How to prettify dull hair clips
9.7.2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Pia Seidel
What’s that jingling sound? Probably this summer’s must-have item. We made our own accessory for accessories and were delighted with the result.
Charms have reached the very top. After clipping them to our handbags and lip care products, the trendy pendants are now also adorning our heads this summer. Or rather, our hair claws.
Sound over the top? Just wait until you’ve seen this Instagram clip. It will instantly have you thinking about which pearls you’ll be using for your hair clip. At least that’s how it was for me and my fellow editors Stephanie Vinzens, Laura Scholz and Pia Seidel. We made the most of the nice weather we’ve had to work on our hair claws while sitting in the garden.
You’ll need:
- Claw clip (hair clip)
- Multifunctional tool or a drill with fine drill bits
- Jewellery carabiner (diameter of roughly 4 mm or more)
- different sized decorative eyelets, chain elements and flat head pins
- Side cutters, round and flat nose pliers
- Beads, bows, pendants, sequins, glittering stones and whatever your heart desires
- possibly superglue and a pair of tweezers
Craft sets
CHF29.95
I Am Creative Schmuck Herstellungs / Reparatur Kit inkl. Verschlüsse (600 Stück) für Ohrringe + Ketten
How it works
The process is simple: drill one or several holes in your hair clip to attach (beaded) pendants or other decorative items. Sounds easy enough, but there are still a few hurdles to overcome during our crafting session.
These are the most important things we learned to make your session a smoother experience.
It’s all about the order
Make the pendant before you drill the hole. That way, you can drill the hole where it makes the most sense for the length and shape of your trinkets.
String or wire?
If you want to decorate your hair clip with beads, you’re probably thinking nylon thread or jewellery wire to string it all together. Obviously, you can use these materials, but flat head pins are a handy alternative. They’re basically stiff wire pins with a flat stopper on one side. Their shape makes it easy to string beads. If the pin’s too long, use a pair of side cutters to snip a bit of the top off. But leave enough so you can turn the end of the rod into an eyelet using round nose pliers. And that’s it.
A question of weight
Glass beads and stone elements look wonderful. Just make sure you don’t overdo it. Otherwise your hair accessories may be too heavy and the clip won’t hold your hair securely.
Where to put the hole?
Think about how you’ll be wearing your hair claw and at what angle it’ll be keeping your hair in place. This will give you an idea of how and where your pendants will look best. We placed the holes as close to the edges as we could, so that the charms are easy to attach.
Drilled the wrong spot?
What do you do if you drilled a hole in the wrong place? You can easily cover up the mishap with rhinestones of the same size or slightly larger than the hole. Simply apply some superglue around the edge of the hole and place the stone over it with tweezers.
Remember that plastic melts
The plastic heats up when you drill. That’s why our drill bit was covered in a layer of plastic at the end, and I still haven’t been able to remove it. You may have to replace your drill bit or accept that the holes will be slightly bigger than before with each new layer of plastic.
Modular elements
Maybe you like to change things up and want to occasionally wear the hair claw without the jewellery. For example, during a workout or in a quiet environment where you don’t want to be jingling about. In that case, jewellery carabiners or small hoop earrings with a hinged clasp are a great way to attach your jewellery to the claw. They allow you to attach, remove, replace or combine your creations with other decorations in a matter of seconds.
It’s up to you whether you want to attach the carabiner straight to the clasp or add a jewellery eyelet as a buffer. The latter will give you the freedom of combining several elements. What’s more, the jewellery will also dangle more effectively, because a ring creates more freedom of movement and distance from the clasp.
Lurking pitfalls
The decorated hair claws are very pretty, no question. But they can also tend to jingle quite loudly because they knock against each other or the clamp, depending on their angle and position. Your hair also risks getting caught in eyelets that haven’t been closed properly. So be careful when attaching or removing your hair clip.
Itching to do some more decorating? This is how you can make use of the rest of your beads:
Natalie Hemengül
Senior Editor
Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.chAs a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.
Beauty
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Fashion
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
7 comments
later