My daughter is blessed with a ton of gorgeous hair. While she hates when I brush it, she looooves to demand different hair styles (how she expects me to execute her hair demands without brushing her hair, I’ll never know). I slave away on her vague hair requests like, “I want princess monster hair,” or “Mommy, give me preschool baseball style,” only to be rewarded with, “Mommy…this isn’t beautiful enough.” This is where colored bobby pins come in handy to help jazz things up.
I used to buy Annie all sorts of cute barrettes, but they inevitably got lost. I hate wasting money, so I started customizing my own bobby pins to help make Annie’s hair, “beautiful enough.” It’s so easy and CHEAP to make your own – all you need are bobby pins and nail polish, two things you likely already have in your house.
In my experience, the bobby pins meant for blondes work the best for this, but for dark colors or sparkles, the standard brown will work!
I start by putting my pins on a sheet of paper, grouping together the ones I’m going to paint the same color.
You might notice I’m showing you the flat side – that’s because technically, the flat side is the top.
It’s not wrong to wear a bobby pin with the bumpy side on top, but you’ll get a much better grip on your hair if you wear it with the bumpy side against your head.
Give each pin at least two coats of nail polish. Some colors might need more coats – you’ll be able to tell as you go.
I always let my bobby pins dry overnight…mostly because I paint them after Annie goes to bed so I don’t get the constant, “Mommy, will you paint my nails?!?!” requests.
When your pins are dry, wiggle them a bit and then pull them off the paper. They may pull some paper with them, or have extra pieces of paint sticking off the sides. Just scratch the excess off with your fingernail.
Annie says these pins are “beautiful enough” to go in her hair. She now makes requests for different colored bobby pins, which I use as an excuse to buy more nail polish!
Have fun customizing!
LisaJ says:
I can’t wait to try this!!!
Paula says:
What an awesome idea! I might try this for my own hair!
Christen says:
Beautiful! I did this in high school, only the “other” way… I hadn’t thought about doing this for my 5 year old who LOVES to wear her hair DOWN to school…
Jess says:
I never thought of doing this! I love that idea and may have to do this as my Sunday funday relaxing project!
Julie says:
I’ve been doing this for a few years (well up until I cut my hair off) because I saw them at Antrhopologie and couldn’t stomach paying $20 for 5 of them! I would always make sure to clear coat them if since I planned on using them all of the time
Melissa says:
great idea!
Cathi says:
Fantastic. I’m having flashbacks to the early eighties when we made custom barrettes using those 2-bar standards and weaving them with ribbons. All the rage circa 1982! Just found the how-to online: http://m.xojane.com/diy/how-to-make-those-streamer-barrettes-from-your-70s-or-80s-childhood
Jerilynn says:
Cathi, I LOVE THOSE barrettes, too!! Going to check out the how-to you posted. I so wish these would come back. I never got over my love of them!
AmyG says:
ok, that’s a REALLY cool idea!! Especially for dance, when they have to wear their hair in a ponytail, they can still have a bit of color/style. And I never knew that about the bumpy side verses the smooth side of bobby pins. Thanks for the tip!!
Jen says:
This is genious! And I had no idea I was wearing my bobby pins upside down. I wear bobby pins daily while trying to grow my bangs out. Bangs=bad idea.
Alanna says:
Ha! I have been wearing my bobby pins upside down and never knew. Guess you learn something new every day.
Em says:
I always thought that bobby pins just didnt work in my hair – now I know I have been doing it wrong!! Thanks! I love your hair tutorials
GingerB says:
Wow. This makes me think I really should be more creative with stuff I already have in the house…one of these days I will post about sock puppets stuffed with household, um, excess stuff that we make. This is a craft I could totally do, and use later, thank you.
And with two college degrees and 46 years of living with unruly hair, how could I never have known how to use a bobby pin correctly?!? How?
Jerilynn says:
Very cool! Makes me lament the fact that the only female in my household I can try this on is me! Not sure if you have OPI’s Excuse Moi or Rainbow Connection, but if you do, they’d look great on these hair ornaments.
Meg says:
This is the most brilliant thing I have ever seen! Off to the drugstore!
GreenInOC says:
Whoa – I had no idea that I was wearing bobby pins upside down nor that I could customize them, thanks!!!
Gina says:
Great idea. Two girls of my own this is a great project for them. I have been wearing my bobby pins wrong. I actually have one in my hair right now and read this and changed it the correct way. WOW what a difference. Made my MOnday. Have a great day.
Christina Bathan says:
It is a wonder WHY I never had girls!!!!! I have a plastic tote full of polish, bobby pins galore, I have a plastic rolling cart full off ribbon and another with all tulle, Oh I am a crafters dream, Annie would have craft melt down I think, Or Heather, hard to say which, and we wont even mention yarn, when we moved,recently, my husband stacked it in the garage to prove a point, it went from floor to the rafters, this didnt include my embroidery machine nor thread and material, blankets, etc….. I think I need a 12 step program lol….. Now since Christmas is coming, and I have nieces with long thick hair, these are perfect!!!!!!!
Nicole says:
Can’t wait to try this with my daughter!
Jennifer says:
Hey I had NO idea i’ve been using bobby pins wrong all this time! Next time I’ll try the flat side thetop! Thanks for the tip! lol
Tricia says:
That is genius! I can’t wait to get home and try this for Bella!
And I totally cracked up at “princess monster hair.” Annie is hilarious.
rc says:
ADORABLE! Great job.
Sathya says:
i have green hair so this is really great for me ??