Open Thread: Let Me Answer Your Hair Queries

I was recently asked how to use bobby pins so that they
1) don't stretch out, and
2) hold your hair.

Luckily, the same bit of advice works on both counts. Bobby pins get stretched out when you try to clamp too much hair into them all at once. If you are pinning a chunk of hair that is twisted, try twisting tightly and sliding the pin ONLY in the hair that is on the outermost section of the twist. In other words, pin whatever bit of hair is holding the rest of the hair. That way, you're using a pin to stabilize hair, which is already stabilizing hair. Pin doesn't stretch out. Your hair doesn't go anywhere.

Another way to accomplish both things is by teasing and spraying the crap out of your hair, first. Teasing (backcombing/ratting) your hair creates a network in which bobby pins feel safe and links the hair together, like Velcro. If you tease and spray your hair, and then gently smooth the outer section with a boar bristle brush, you can slip a couple of bobby pins into the tuft of hair, and the hair itself will already be holding the mass together. This way, the bobby pin serves to hold the hair to your head, rather than holding the hair to itself.