Root clipping is more than the latest TikTok trend, it’s a hair hack we want to stick around. We reached out to Shab Reslan, HairClub’s trichologist and leading hair health expert, on who the technique is best for and how to do it.
What Is Root Clipping?
Root clipping isn’t as final as it sounds. The technique involves clipping hair, not snipping it. To get the look, simply place adorable mini clips (we recommend the butterfly variety for a mood lifter) at the roots (it’s all in a name). Hair air dries when clipped up, which creates volume that lasts longer than a blowout and avoids any potential hair damage.
“You can create lift at your roots by leaving in small clips positioned right at the roots and left in until your hair completely air dries. Once you remove these clips, the hair will have dried lifted from the scalp, and not stuck to your head. Your lifted roots will create a fuller and more bouncy curly look,” Shab explains.
As Shab notes, it’s definitely for those with waves. Root clipping isn’t for those who are faking a curl, it’s for any “2B curly hair types and up, to increase volume at the roots” and enhance their ringlets. “It’s not ideal for straighter hair types, as the clips will leave visible demarcation lines that will appear like kinks at the roots,” she continues.
How to Do Root Clipping
For best results, allow hair to dry before you start clipping it up. “It’s important to make sure the hair is not more than 60% wet or it could take a prolonged time for the roots to dry,” Shab explains.
Even if you’re not a typical hair wiz (we usually leave it to the pros too), Shab reassures us that “this technique can be done easily by anyone. It’s just a matter of finding the right kind of claw clip if your hair is on the thicker side or smaller double-pronged clips if your hair is thinner and finer.”
Hair clipping is a hack, but you have to get it right. “The trick is to get underneath the hair so tilting your hair to the side and allowing the hair to hang and clipping into the roots. This will ensure that you get more direct access to the roots and not affect the surface curls by clipping right over them,” she continues.
When you’re clipping up your roots, it’s important to use very lightweight products when trying to increase volume and more lift at the roots. “A great lightweight product that will help enhance and define curls and provide hold to help lift roots is the Maxxam Sculpting Lotion Spray Gel,” recommends Shab.
This technique is all about volume, so don’t be shy. Place clips high at your crown and unravel for easy waves.