Acrylic resin hair clips line the checkout racks at every drugstore and spill across TikTok in videos showing colorful claws grabbing messy buns. They seem simple—just a cute way to pull your hair back. Dig a little deeper, you find a mix of function and culture tucked into each piece of plastic.
Acrylic resin, known for its blend of strength and flexibility, started showing up in costume jewelry during the mid-20th century as a tough, vibrant alternative to brittle plastics. Chemistry sets the stage: manufacturers mold methyl methacrylate into every possible form, from chunky barrettes to delicate mini clips. These pieces don’t crack under a little pressure and outlast most drugstore elastics tossed into bathroom drawers. Lost clips often resurface in couch cushions, still bright as ever.
Not everyone grew up with a whole shelf of hair accessories, but walk into any teenager’s room today and you’ll see these clips scattered everywhere. They’re not just for looks. Many people, especially those with thick hair, rely on them through sweaty commutes, long workdays, or just to keep hair out of soup pots at dinner. Kids use them at school to wrangle unruly knots. That grab-and-go convenience makes them a staple, not an afterthought.
These clips often get lost or tossed when the spring falls out or the hinges snap. While acrylic resin lasts, it doesn’t break down quickly once it escapes a drawer and spends a few decades in landfill. Year after year, the plastics pile up, joining billions of single-use items clogging waterways and crowding recycling bins. Microplastics drift from that broken hair clip on a playground right into the ecosystem. The numbers tell the same story—scientists estimate up to 14 million tons of microplastics already slosh through the ocean. So, while one clip weighs almost nothing, millions add up.
Change won’t happen overnight, but there’s reason for hope. Some companies swapped out virgin acrylic for recycled resin. While it’s not perfect, those efforts cut new plastic from the production line. Others experiment with plant-based plastics, though they often face higher costs and lower durability. I know people who have switched to metal or cellulose acetate clips, or simply fix broken claws with a dab of superglue. Little actions like these add up. If every shopper kept their favorite clip for a year instead of a month, fewer would end up in landfills and oceans.
Looking at my own desk, I see three acrylic hair claws collected over the past five years. None have cracked yet, mostly because I stopped tossing them in crowded purses and started stashing them in the same spot—a small shift, but one that keeps them out of the trash. Choosing clips from brands making an effort to use recycled or biodegradable materials helps push the trend in a better direction. Asking a salon or shop where their products come from takes just a minute and tells the industry people want less waste with their style.
Acrylic resin hair clips resemble little slices of the 90s, and lately, they’re everywhere again. Every time a new colorway drops, the best choice for the planet is sticking with what works, repairing what breaks, and buying from brands that care where their materials end up. Small steps matter, even for something as basic as a hair clip.
