The Little Hair Accessories Making a Big Comeback

L-R (Sofia Richie Grainge, Sabrina Carpenter, Lily Collins)

Love is definitely in the hair. We’ve given bandanas their due this year, but it’s time we looked at some of our other favourites. In 2026, we saw the bang-demic take over, and I too became a victim of the trend. In the process, I rediscovered my love for hair clips. Suddenly, the little things — my hair clips (my new besties) — that I hadn’t thought about in years were back in my bag, on my bathroom counter and, more often than not, in my hair.

And when you think about it, it makes sense. The first order of business for us girls when we get home is to tie our hair up. At the gym, we’re clipping our hair away. At our desks, we’re pushing back the pieces that somehow always fall over our faces. Hair accessories have always done the practical work. Now, they’re getting a little more attention for how they look doing it.

The Y2K revival might have something to do with it. Digital cameras, polka dots, low-rise jeans — and now, our beloved hair accessories. Claw clips, scrunchies, little pins and bows are all familiar again, but they don’t quite look the way they did when we first wore them. There are glossy acetate clips, sculptural metal pins, silk scrunchies and oversized bows, and fashion houses have got in on the fun too.

Celine has put its Triomphe on a claw clip, while Miu Miu has revived its tiny clips and brought its zigzag hairband to the SS26 runway, seen multiple times on Hailey Bieber. Prada and Hermès, meanwhile, have treated hair accessories almost like jewellery. Even ALO has made the everyday grip headband feel like part of the look, rather than something you reach for only when you need to get your hair out of the way.

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L-R ( Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner & Kaia Gerber make a case for claw clips)

The claw clip, in particular, has come a long way from the tortoiseshell one your mum wore while cooking. It’s still the quickest way to get your hair off your face, but now there’s something quite deliberate about wearing one out. Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber have all made the undone, clipped-up look feel less like a solution to a bad hair day and more like a hairstyle in its own right. Throw your hair into a loose French twist, leave a few strands out, and clip it in. Done. It’s probably the closest thing to an actual hairstyle I can manage on a rushed morning.

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L-R ( La Bonne Brosse hairpin, Deborah Pagani x Westman Atelier Heart Pin, Madewell Twisted French Hair Pin)

Then there’s the French pin. It’s a little more elegant than a claw clip, but doesn’t require you to 

suddenly become very good at doing your hair. A few twists, a tuck and a little patience, and you’re there. It has that rare ability to make even the simplest updo look surprisingly intentional. No bad hair day a French pin or a sleek bun couldn’t solve.

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L-R (Hailey Bieber, Elle Fanning & Kerry Washington make a case for Bobby pins)

The humble bobby pin deserves a mention too. We’ve spent years hiding them, but perhaps we don’t need to anymore. A single pin holding back a face-framing hairstyle, particularly against a sleek side part, can look surprisingly chic. Sometimes the best hair accessory is the one that looks like you didn’t try too hard.

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L-R ( Jennifer Behr, Skims, Burberry, Chloe Hair Accessories)

But not every hair accessory is trying to blend in. Sculptural clips, shells, flowers, pearls, and oversized barrettes are turning up everywhere, giving the hair accessory a slightly more jewellery-like quality. Jennifer Behr clips are a good example: slick, yes, but certainly not forgettable. They’re less about fixing your hair and more about finishing the look.

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L-R( Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, Lana Condor in To All The Boys Ive Loved Before, Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan)

And then there’s the scrunchie. Lara Jean made them cute in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but the accessory has been part of pop culture for decades, from Madonna wearing a velvet bow in Desperately Seeking Susan to Alicia Silverstone’s iconic hair accessories in Clueless. Now it’s having another fashion moment. At Marc Jacobs’ Fall/Winter ’26 show, oversized versions were wrapped around loose, low ponytails in candy-coloured shades. After all the sleek French pins and barely-there hair jewellery we’ve seen, it feels like a welcome return to something a little less precious.

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Marc Jacobs F/W 2026 show

None of these accessories require much from you. You don’t need an elaborate hairstyle or an hour in front of the mirror. You can clip your bangs back before a workout, twist your hair up before a coffee run or throw a bow onto a ponytail when you want to feel a little more put together. There’s something satisfying about an accessory that can make you look like you made an effort when, really, you just clipped it in. They’re small, slightly nostalgic and, most importantly, useful. What more could we want from a hair accessory?