Banana Clip: Smart Accessory To Tie A Ponytail Without Elastic

TikTok announces, this vintage accessory is making a comeback in our hair at the end of the year and it offers us a perfect alternative to the scrunchie for 2022. Instructions for use.

Unless you've actively followed the hairstyle trends of the '80s, you are certainly unfamiliar with the banana clip era. This is an original hair clip whose design is reminiscent of two curved combs with teeth that meet and open on demand to capture the hair. It is in fact this characteristic curved shape that it owes its name, which refers to the yellow fruit. An essential hair accessory from the 80s that was mainly used to tie loose ponytails, the banana clip had remained very fashionable in the 90s, before falling into oblivion (and in the depths of our drawers) until at least recently.

It is the social network TikTok that has just given it a second youth thanks - precisely - to the attraction of generation Z for the beauty trends of the 90s. After having developed a passion for the crab claw - this big hair clip that until then had only been used to tie up her hair in the shower - and that she has been using for almost a year to achieve all types of hairstyles, she now sets her sights on this other hair clip smart hair and signs the big comeback of the banana clip to tie ponytails.

How to use a banana clamp?

If this clip looks like a hairdressing UFO in your eyes, rest assured, it is very easy to use. Suitable for medium to long hair, it slips open under the hair at the back of the head and helps you lift it up and secure the style when you close the clip. More concretely, you have to lift your hair and hold it in a ponytail while you slide the clip, then bring the claws of the clip together. A gesture that's super easy to reproduce and quick to do if you are in a hurry.

However, you must take care to untangle your lengths before using it, otherwise, its small teeth will get stuck in the knots and you will leave hair there when removing it.

The advantages of the banana pliers

So why swap our essential elastic for this vintage clip? Quite simply because it has several advantages for the appearance and health of our hair. Thanks to its multiple teeth which better distribute the pressure exerted on the hair, it prevents the formation of unsightly bumps that sometimes appear in our hairstyles and it is more respectful of the curls. Once in place, it also makes the hair look longer than when tied back with a scrunchie.

Note: it is useful to choose your clip according to the thickness of your hair to make styling easier. It's very simple: the thicker your hair, the more you can afford to opt for a large clamp with more widely spaced teeth. The thinner they are, the finer and tighter the teeth of the banana pliers should be.

Other hairstyles that can be done with banana clips

If this vintage accessory gives us ponytails without elastic, it is not the only hairstyle that it embellishes. The banana clip can also be a great ally to make an elegant bun very easily. You just have to use it as if you were making a ponytail before winding the excess lengths on the accessory and fixing them strand by strand with pins. Another option: use the pliers as an accessory to give more relief to a French braid whose braiding is pressed against the skull. You will then need to insert the pliers around the braid, right up against your scalp, and close it to give more fullness to the braiding.

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The 90s: hairstyle inspiration still on the agenda for 2022

The banana clip is just one more proof that on the hair side, '90s hairstyles and accessories continue to dictate the hairstyle trends of tomorrow. This hair period marked by framing locks on each side of the face, butterfly barrettes and "spiky bun" chignons has, we are sure, many more beauty comebacks in 2022.