Yahoo News 9 best kids' hair accessories
Kids’ hair is very different to that of adults: it’s finer, more prone to tangles and more likely to break.
Any parent who’s spent hours combing out a huge knot will recognise this straight away, and it’s important that the hair accessories you use take these differences into account, while of course being fun and pretty at the same time.
We put a range of clips, headbands, bobbles and even a headdress through their paces to find the best available.
They were tested during a number of activities, from running on the beach to a children’s party, and, as well as overall attractiveness, we were looking for how long they stayed put, ease of use and comfort.
Mimi and Lula super star salon clips: £7 for three, Mimi and Lula
These metallic stars have been cleverly designed so you can’t actually see the salon clip that keeps them in. The result gives the effect of stars floating on the hair, especially when the three different colours are worn together as a constellation.
Don’t underestimate these clips, though they look like they’d fall out pretty quickly, this isn’t the case. Their staying power is impressive and they didn’t shift all day – or night for that matter. We may have stolen them to wear to dinner ourselves.
Claire's mermazing braid hair tool: £3.60, Claire’s
Everyone wants mermaid hair, but this is definitely one for older children who are willing to sit still while you intricately criss-cross small pieces of hair into this tool. Our attempts produced some semblance of a mermaid, but it was one who looked like she’d been in battle with an octopus and took quite a bit of untangling afterwards. That said, this tool is simple to use if they (and you) have the patience.
JoJo Maman Bebe flower clips: £4 for three, JoJo Maman Bebe
These flowers do a good job of holding the hair in place thanks to their crocodile clips, keeping everything looking neat for around four hours before needing to be re-adjusted. It’s a bit of a shame that the clips themselves poke out from underneath the flower petals, but you can strategically place them so this isn’t the case.
Mori headband: £8.50, Mori
As soon as you touch this headband, you’ll know why it’s a popular for babies. Made from 30 per cent organic cotton and 70 per cent viscose bamboo, it's really soft. This comes in a range of very tasteful, muted shades and is stretchy enough so that it grows as your child does. It certainly does a great job of holding fine hair back but, once your child’s locks thicken, it tends to slip off easily.
Rockahula Kids pollyanna long velvet bow ponies: £5, Rockahula Kids
These hair bands took a bit of getting used to. At first, they’re awkward to put in as you have to get the bow in the right position before securing the rest of the ponytail. When we did finally get the knack of it, they got a tick for treading the difficult path between prettiness and practicality. They certainly turned lots of heads at a birthday party and it was only after a vigorous game of musical bumps that they needed to be re-tied.
Alex and Alexa invisibobble hair ties: £4 for three, Alex and Alexa
Don’t be deceived by the name – these hair ties are not invisible. They are, however, much easier to secure than a standard hair tie, especially if you’ve got thick hair that tangles easily to contend with. They’re also washable, so are more hygienic, and kept hair in place for six hours straight, according to our tester, they “weren’t too tight”.
Accessorize holiday salon clips: £5 for four, Accessorize
Bright, sparkly and a little bit silly, these holiday-themed clips from Accessorize certainly tick all the boxes for kids. Our tester’s favourite was the pom-pom-wearing llama which was taken out and paraded around the shops proudly. Though the quality definitely wasn’t as impressive as some of the other examples tested – for one thing it felt as it the head was being scraped as they were slipped into the hair – our tester didn’t mind and was willing to grin and bear it for the sake of fashion.
Rockahula Kids furry pom pom headband: £8, Rockahula Kids
Fluorescent pink pom-poms and glitter – what’s not to love about this headband? Not much apparently as it was one of our tester's favourites and garnered more than a few compliments while we were out and about. It did a decent job of holding her hair in place, but didn’t sit too tightly and irritate the pressure points behind the ears as many headbands tend to.
Little Lulubel lion mane: £16.50, Little Lulubel
Part-hair-accessory and part-headdress, this was the only product we tried that could be reasonably described as unisex. Made from felt and wool, this ingenious design gave our little testers the chance to release their inner roar. It ties around the neck with a comfortable, elasticated ribbon, although this did slip off a few times when the hunt was well as truly on.
Budhi Budha my mood band: £12, Budhi Budha
Anything that gives kids the chance to express themselves gets a big thumbs up from us and the concept behind this headband is very simple. The band itself is made from eco-friendly, anti-allergy jersey and is extremely soft and comfortable. But that isn’t the clever bit; it has a Velcro patch and comes with a range of interchangeable motifs too choose from, depending on how kids are feeling that day. These include a ballerina, a ladybird and a rabbit. Our favourite? The smiling frog prince.
The verdict: Kids' hair accessories
Mimi and Lula’s super star clips get our vote for their style, staying power and being a bit special. But if you want something for those every day ponytails when you’re rushing out the door and need their hair to be ready quickly, you won’t regret buying the invisibobble.
