How To Use Hair Snaps

Hair Snaps are a fun, colourful way to secure the ends of your braids or twists, decorate your locs, or sprinkle in and around your hair style, no matter what kind of hair you have! They are also fabulous to combine with beads. Perfect for your little princess, or rediscover the little girl inside of you!

Snaps eliminate the need for unsightly elastics on the ends of the hair.

Simply braid or twist down to the end of the section of hair, wrap the last bit of hair around the hinge of the snap once or twice (twice or three times if you are putting beads on), and snap closed, capturing the last bit of hair between the closure. Sometimes a bit of hair may poke out the side. Experiment with what works best for your child's hair, and for the particular snap you are using.

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3

You may find that in some cases you really have to work to get that snap to close...some customers even bite them closed although, of course, I can't recommend that is good for your teeth!

Also, some snaps have a hinge that, when new, must be worked to be bent and creased well. You can use small pliers or NOT your teeth to "set" the hinge with a crease.

For great styling ideas, discussions, and everything else you could want to know about hair and skin care for your child of colour, I highly suggest the Yahoo Adoption Hair & Skin Care Group!

How To End the Braid/Twist with a Bead

If a snap will not work for you, or you have a style that there is no matching snap for,
here is how to achieve this look, and end with a bead.

This will work for ANY item that finishes the braid...anything with a closed loop,
like a ring, bead, even a charm, or anything fun you can think of!

FOR THESE INSTRUCTIONS, THE PURPLE CORD
REPRESENTS THE BRAID/TWIST!

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3
Step 4	Step 5	Except, of course, yours will look much neater than mine! I used a clear bead to illustrate how the rubber band is hidden inside the bead.

For great styling ideas, discussions, and everything else you could want to know about hair and skin care for your child of colour, I highly suggest the Yahoo Adoption Hair & Skin Care Group!

How To Make Your Own Tiny Bead Ballie

For this you need either the pro-beader or a cheap crochet hook.
Because these rubber bands for hair are so small, it is difficult to stretch them and get a grasp.
It's faster to use the hook.

FOR THESE INSTRUCTIONS, THE PENCIL
REPRESENTS THE BRAID/TWIST!

Step 1 Stick a rubber band through a bead. Make sure the bead you use has some girth to it so that the rubber band could not slip back over the sides. If you use a longer rubber band you could put on more than one bead! You might also be able to fasten it around the hair without the use of the hook.	Step 2 Stretch the rubber band out across the hair (pencil). Insert your hook through one loop-end, across the hair (opposite side from where the bead is) and grab the other loop-end.	Step 3 Pull the hooked loop-end through the other loop-end.
Step 4 Let go of the first loop-end that was around your finger.	Step 5 Insert your thumb inside the loop-end you pulled thru, and put the hook down, you're finished with it. Put the loop-end back around the bead.	Step 6 Let go with your thumb. There you go! Homemade Tiny Ballie!
Homemade double-end ballie using non-damaging fabric coated elastic. NO METAL CRIMPS! Loop any fabric-coated elastic thru a pony bead at each end. Pull tight! Make sure the loop end won't slip back around the bead

For great styling ideas, discussions, and everything else you could want to know about hair and skin care for your child of colour, I highly suggest the Yahoo Adoption Hair & Skin Care Group!

Loop a band through a few beads,
and make your own danglies.
Put them on the ends of braids like you would a bead!

Got Extra Snaps? Do Something Different!

Snap a Bunch on a Rubber Band