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Why Did I Try Root Clipping?
As I am the sole proprietor of this blog, I always need to find more things to write about and/or potentially try. I don’t really like putting heat on my hair, and I like to take the easiest route when it comes to my daily hair styling. I saw the phrase “root clipping,” and I had no idea root clipping was a thing.
When I looked into clips for root clipping, I was getting a lot of searches pertaining to those with curly hair. I thought, okay, maybe this isn’t a thing for people with straight hair. Then I looked it up on YouTube for straight-haired people and saw a short with this hair clip. It’s like a hybrid between an alligator clip and two longer, flattened Velcro rollers covering the length of the clip.
The girl in the short had straight hair, but it wasn’t as long or thick as mine. I decided to look up the clip and just went for it. I liked how it could be part of my blow-drying routine and just hang out until I was ready to take it out. It seemed very low maintenance compared to having a bunch of round brushes sitting in my hair for that kind of volume.
It’s been a few months, and I’ve incorporated root clipping into my blow-dry routine. This is what I figured out.
Figuring Out How to Use the Root Clips
When I got them, looking at their size, I immediately thought I bought too many. Spoiler alert, for everyday use, yes, 16 is too many. I don’t know where to put them all. But naturally, the first thing I did was play with one like it was an alligator. That was fun.
I was pleasantly surprised that they aren’t super hard to open with one hand compared to other clips. I mean, it makes sense. They’re not meant to wear out or hold hair to keep it out of your face.
When it was time to blow-dry my hair, I let it air dry for a bit first. I did an all-over dry so my ends weren’t totally wet and used K18 Astrolift. If I attempted to put the clips in while my hair was too wet, sectioning would have been more tedious and annoying. The ends would likely tangle. I just knew it.
The amount of time I keep the clips in varies. I’ve kept them in for the duration of a blow-dry, and I’ve left them in because I forgot about them. There is a difference in lift initially when I leave them in longer, but not enough that I think too hard about it. It mostly depends on how fast I’m trying to get things done.
The clips really just sit along for the ride while I’m drying my hair. I don’t do anything exotic, but I do use a round brush when I dry my hair intentionally. I’ll hit the clips with heat in between drying sections. Right before I take them out, I hit them with heat again, use the cold shot on my hair dryer, give them a moment and then take them out.
Where I Put the Root Clips
For everyday volume, I use four clips from the front of my head toward the back. I alternate which direction the ends face because I could tell that if I placed them all the same way, they could fall in the direction of the closed end. Alternating them helped with the overall balance.
Instead of placing them to match my part, I do the opposite. My hair is pretty flat along my part, so I figured this kind of placement would help my hair fight its natural tendencies.
I was tempted to use the clips the way I saw them used in the short, but when I placed them that way, I could feel them working with my hair’s natural tendencies. That’s when I did the opposite, sort of mimicking how I’d use a round brush. So it wasn’t obvious that I needed a different placement until I placed them the obvious way.
I section my hair perpendicular to my part, horizontal I guess? I use my finger to complete the section, brush it out and hold the section up. Then I place the clip.
I also can’t just slide the clips in. Their all-around grippiness starts catching the other hair, so I have to make sure the section is the section and everything else is out of the way. I’m pretty particular about this because I just don’t like the feeling. I have strong responses to textures, so being particular about the placement also makes sure the following clips don’t catch hair they shouldn’t.
Once the clips are in, I continue drying and styling the rest of my hair. When I shoot the clips with heat, I mean the focus of the dryer is directly on the clips. Then I use the cold shot to set them before taking them out.
Did Root Clipping Give My Straight Hair More Volume?
When I take the clips out, I tell myself, “up and over.” I open each one, pull up and let the hair fall in front of my face. I remove them from front to back, so the way they go in is the way they come out. It isn’t anything dramatic, and they come out without issue.
I noticed the lift right away. I wouldn’t call it significant, but it’s noticeable to me. I wear my hair down and straight afterward, and the bit of lift I get sort of elongates my face.
The volume looks more like something for everyday wear. I don’t think the regular people in my life would clock it enough to say something to me. It’s one of those things where even though I put effort into it, it looks effortless and nice.
I focus primarily on the front of my hair because I wanted to find the easiest way to create volume without making it a total production. If I were trying to style my hair very large, I’d use more clips all around. I still don’t think I’d use all 16, but it would give me a good base to work from.
Do the Root Clips Hold the Volume?
I’ve used the clips both with and without K18 Astrolift because I wanted to know what was actually doing what. The clips create the volume. Astrolift helps keep it there.
Without a root lifter, the volume starts going away within a couple of hours. I only tried this a few times to make sure. With Astrolift, the volume lasts for the day. Once I go to sleep or pull my hair into a ponytail, the volume I created goes away. If I opted to use hairspray, I think I could get a little more time.
For what I want from root clipping right now, a day is enough.
How I Use Root Clips Now
I’ve gotten faster at putting the clips in. It didn’t take long to begin with, but I don’t have to think as hard about keeping them from catching the surrounding hair anymore.
It’s more mindless now because I found a routine that works for me. That analytical part of my brain has turned off when it comes to using root clips to style my hair.
The only thing that annoys me about the clips specifically is storing them. Since I only use a few, the rest are living under the sink until I decide to go full-on ham and use them all. The four I’ve been using are awkward to store. They take up a lot of space in the drawer and are kind of an eyesore.
I do want to try other root lifting volumizing products. I also want to try using more of the clips with the intention of styling my hair for an event when I want big hair. For now, though, four is enough for what I’m trying to accomplish.
Are Root Clips Worth Adding to My Hair Routine?
Yes and no.
Root clipping did fix the issue of volume with my hair. The amount of lift is worth the effort to me if I’m going out with friends or having a casual night out. The clips are faster than using round brushes now that I know how I want to use them, and most of the time they’re just sitting there while I do the rest of my hair.
But I’m also comfortable with my hair in its natural state. I don’t necessarily think having flat hair is a bad thing. It’s about what you want and what makes you comfortable when you’re out and about.
If I lost these, I’d be really surprised that I somehow managed to lose all 16 of them. But if I did, I don’t think I’d feel compelled to immediately replace them. If I knew I had events coming up, I’d add them to my cart for sure.
I also wouldn’t travel with them. I already have round brushes that can give me lift, and I don’t need to pack one more thing. It doesn’t feel very Medium Maintenance to me if I keep adding more and more things to my routines.
Root clipping doesn’t complicate my life, but it is one more thing to make a decision about. Even though it’s not hard to do, sometimes I don’t want to have to think about it. I still feel like there has to be an even easier way to get this kind of volume.
So, can root clipping actually give my straight, thick hair more volume? Yes. Does that mean I need to do it every time I dry my hair? No.
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