Best hair claw clips this year — and how TikTok helped them surge

The resurgence of fashion trends from the 90s and 2000s (Y2K) is seeing a specific revival of certain brands popular during these decades, from Delia’s to Juicy Couture and Von Dutch. One particular trend seeing some love on platforms like TikTok right now is the claw clip, as well as other hair accessories like barrettes and butterfly clips.

The claw clips' recent surge in popularity was "pretty much written in the stars," according to Amanda Varano and Kristina Raimondo, founders of Canada-based hair accessory brand Toni Rose.

Varano and Raimondo are the talent behind the brand’s TikTok account, which helps followers achieve certain hairstyles. The duo’s most viewed TikTok post covers claw clips, specifically, and how to create iconic 90s hair-dos with them — their channel has garnered 50,000 followers since they created it in August 2020.

“The 20-year rule is a common reference in the fashion industry,” Varano told Shopping. “They say fashion repeats itself every 20 years or so.”

Fashion is indeed cyclical and experts predict upcoming generations will pull inspiration from the 60s, 70s and 80s, according to Insider — of course, the particulars of what is in aren’t always the same across generations, namely Millenials and Gen Z.

Claw clips come in multiple varieties— your hair length and thickness should be the biggest factor when buying, but you should be able to make some use of just about any claw clip.

“You can’t go wrong with a large claw clip,” Varano said. “It holds up all hair types and is so versatile.” She and Raimondo recommended smaller, or mini, claw clips for thinner hair or for half-dos given thicker hair.

Claw clips can most commonly be found at local pharmacies or their online counterparts, including CVS, Walgreen, or any other pharmacy retail store. However, if you’re looking for something more unique and “trendy,” you may want to consider brands like Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie. Smaller businesses like Toni Rose and Minimal Hair custom design their products for shoppers.

To give you an idea of the variety of claw clips available online, here are some of our favorites, along with how to make the most of them.

4-Piece Matte Claw Clips

This claw clip set boasts a 4.7-star average rating from 900 Amazon reviewers. The large clips are designed to have a strong hold for thick hair and work with thin hair, as well.

Toni Rose Large Dreamy Claw Clip

Toni Rose’s large Dreamy Claw clip (seen in the above TikTok post) is meant to provide a strong hold for thick hair and comes in three colors: Dark Tortoise, Light Tortoise and Marble Ivory. They’re made from an eco-friendly celluloid acetate that, according to Varano and Raimondo, makes them “significantly more durable” than a plastic cup — and “a more polished finishing.”

Squiggle 3-Piece Claw Clips

This set of claw clips from Anthropologie sport a fun and non-traditional squiggly design and are available in Coral and Moss colorways.

Holden Metal Claw Clip

The Holden Metal Claw Clip has a minimal wireframe design that is meant to give it a cut-out appearance in your hair — it’s available in Silver or Gold.

Speckled Mini Claw Clip 6-Piece Set

If you are looking for mini claw clips, you may want to consider this six piece set from Anthropologie. They are made from acrylic and come in four colorways: Pearl, Sky, Mint and Neutral.

Butterfly Mini Claw Clip 3-Piece Set

The Butterfly Mini Claw Clips is a three piece set and comes in Purple and Neutral colorways — it's designed with a frosted matte plastic.

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