When I was growing up into my teen years I had this long hair nice thick black wavy hair that went up to the waist.
It was the high light of my personality.
I loved my hair and took hours to groom my hair each week. From shampoos to conditioner and oiling I did the whole Shabang!
When it came to tying my hair. For the longest time it was my moms job or atleast till when I went to college.
My mom used to have these case where she kept so many hair clips and pins and what not and each of them had a specific purpose.
Till the time I did not go to college I really did not bother to learn but as soon as I was on my own I quickly realised that I had to get in touch with mommy dear and learn what was there in this case.
So today I will be sharing with you my two bits that I learned from my mother about hair pins.
What is a Hair Pin?
So basically as the name suggest it is used in hair to pin it in its place I.e. A tool to keep the hair in its place for its convenience or decorative purposes.
You might want to leave your hair open but then it comes on your face all the time a hair pin is your friend to keep your hair away.
If you want to do a Victorian style decorative hair do which needs to be in its place for several hours your hair pin is your BEST friend.
Be it big or small any type of hair needs a pin.
What are different types of hair pins?
There are a lot of different types of hair pins in the market for this article we are going to talk about three basic types
- Bobby pin
- U pin
- Straight pin
What are bobby pins?
In the recent past there was very popular hairstyle called bob cut. It was a short hair cut where your neck was exposed and the hair was allowed to fall from the head.
Sometimes on bad hair day it used to be very difficult to ladies to keep there hair from the face hence bobby pins were invented by a lady to help her do mundane chores looking gorgeous. They helped her secure the hair and still keep it open.
Latter they were used to make several hair styles for longer hair.
They basically two prongs one shorter and other longer sometimes it had curves to have more firm hold sometimes they were just two straight prongs.
The shorter prong went inside the hair and the longer plain prong was exposed.
They were made of iron with a enamel coat with different colour common ones being black for black hair and blond for blond hair.
Over time more colourful and decorative colours were made for esthetic purposes.
What are U pins?
U pins as the name suggest have 2 prongs in U shape they are close together but not touching unlike the bobby pin.
There are essential made for hair buns. They help to hold bigger strands of hair together.
They are also made of iron and covered with colourful paint.
In olden days Egyptians had decorative U pins made from bone, wood or very expensive stone like jade. Even the Chinese and many Asian cultures have them to decorate a nobles hair be it male of female.
They hold the hairstyle together without being too bulky or strainous on the hair.
It made their hair look beautiful and luxurious.
What are straight pins?
Now a lot of people confuse between U pins and bobby pins because of the interchanged function between the two but straight pin is rather simple straight strong rod made to keep you bun in place.
I love using this pin on my hair when I want to keep my bun in place. It looks so pretty and give a nice grip to the hair.
They are longer and bulkier than both the above mentioned pins but they serve dual purpose.
The Koreans have made this kind of pins popular in their K – Dramas. I love those beautiful delicate designs they have and the way they look on ones hair. Its just super to look at.
Though I don’t have those beautiful versions of those pins but I would love to flaunt my collection here.
Tips to buy hair pins.
- There are two kinds of head with bobby or you pins one with a q tip like head and the other is just plain. (refer to the photo) You would want to buy Q tip like head since they are gentler on the scalp whereas the one without the head can possibly hurt you as it is does not have cushioning.
- If you keep your pins for longer in the humid area like bathrooms they can develop rust as they are made of metal. So store them properly in a dry area and also discard the rusty ones since if you hurt yourself you might want to get a shot of from your doc.
- Buy the pins which are closer to your haircolour so they don’t stand out if you want to make a hairstyle or get invisible ones made of plastic ( but they don’t last very long ) as per your hair requirements
- Decorative pins are a super for kids and adults a like they come in various colours and desgins.
Now Lets see some FAQ’s people have when using all these pins
FAQs for Hair Pin
What are bobby pins called now?
Bobby pins sometimes are called as hair grip because they grip your hair and they are also called as Kirby pins ffrom my logic it is curb the long hair and keep it in place.
Can I wear bobby pins to bed?
No not until you are a Giesha where doing that hairstyle takes hours to make since they are so elaborate. For them also it is so difficult to sleep in those hairstyles. I remember a movie I saw about Geisha’s where they had special type of pillows made of wood to keep their hairstyle intact.
PC – Marie Claire
So yeah we should never have any pins in our head firstly because they are made of metal or even if it is made of plastic they can hurt us especially during night when we have no control over our head and body.
Can bobby pins open locks?
Okay now this one is interesting and the answer is yes only if you are a well seasoned thief. But two pins together and a sound ear can pick a lock.
If you want to learn to p ick a lock here read some
I hope I have answer your basic questions If you have any more please feel free to comment below and let me know.
Love light,
Aarti