CURL STYLING / ROOT VOLUME
If your curls have plenty of volume through the lengths but insist on lying flat at the crown, a few strategically placed clips may be all you need.
Root clipping is exactly what it sounds like: placing small clips near the scalp while your hair dries so the roots are held slightly away from your head.
The result can be more lift at the crown without teasing, backcombing or fluffing your entire curl pattern.
And unlike buying another styling product, you only need a handful of clips.
Style your hair as usual.
Lift the roots that normally dry flat.
Slide clips underneath so they hold those roots up.
Leave them in while the hair dries.
Remove, shake the roots gently and move on.
Who is root clipping actually good for?
Anyone whose hair has more volume through the ends than it does at the scalp.
It can be especially useful for wavy and curly hair that gets weighed down at the crown, longer curls, dense hair or anyone whose usual part tends to dry very flat.
If your roots already have all the volume they could possibly want, you probably don’t need it.
This is a problem-solving technique, not another mandatory step for curly hair.
What kind of clips should you use?
Small metal styling clips or lightweight plastic root clips are the easiest options.
You want something that can hold a small section of hair away from the scalp without crushing the curl or pulling painfully at the root.
Duckbill clips are popular because they are long and narrow. Smaller claw-style root clips can work too.
You do not need 47 of them.
For most people, a few clips through the flattest areas of the crown are enough to see whether the technique works.
When do you put the clips in?
After you’ve applied your styling products and arranged your curls.
Your hair should still be wet or damp enough that the roots have not already dried flat.
Finish your normal styling first.
Then look at the areas where you want more height—usually along the part and crown—and clip those roots into a slightly lifted position.
The clips are helping determine how the hair sits while it sets.
How do you actually place a root clip?
You’re not clipping the hair flat to your head.
You’re doing the opposite.
Take a small section near your part or crown, gently lift it away from the scalp and slide the clip underneath or across the root so the section stays raised.
Then repeat wherever you normally lose volume.
Start with 2–4 clips around the crown.
If one area is still flat next wash day, add another clip there.
If you remove the clips and look like you’ve installed tiny speed bumps across your scalp, use fewer next time.
Where should the clips go if you wear a middle part?
Try placing clips on either side of the part rather than directly flattening the part itself.
Lift a small section from each side and position the clips so those roots dry slightly upward.
This can give you volume while keeping the middle part visible.
If you want a softer, less defined part, you can also place a few clips across or diagonally through it while drying, then rearrange the hair once everything is dry.
What about a side part?
Concentrate on the heavier side.
That larger section of hair often has more weight pulling the roots downward, so a couple of clips near the crown can help prop it up as it dries.
You can also temporarily dry your hair with the part shifted slightly in the opposite direction, then flip it back once dry for additional lift.
No extra mousse required.
Should the clips feel tight?
No.
The clip only needs enough grip to support the hair.
If you can feel significant pulling, pinching or scalp discomfort, reposition it.
You are trying to create volume—not suspend your hair from the ceiling.
Also avoid repeatedly trapping a large amount of hair inside one tiny clip. Smaller sections usually give you more control and less pulling.
Can you diffuse with root clips in?
Yes.
You can diffuse around the clips while they hold the roots in position.
Use moving airflow rather than concentrating very high heat on one spot for a long time.
Research on hair drying has found that surface damage increases as dryer temperature rises, so more heat is not automatically better or faster for your hair.
If the clips are metal, they may also warm up, so keep the diffuser moving rather than holding intense heat directly against them.
Root clipping works while your hair is drying. You shouldn’t have to destroy the finished curls afterward to create the volume.
When should you take the clips out?
Wait until the roots are dry—or at least very close to it.
If you remove the clips while the roots are still quite wet, the hair may simply settle back into the position you were trying to avoid.
Once dry, carefully slide each clip out instead of dragging it through the curl.
Then put your fingertips underneath the hair and gently shake the roots.
Do not immediately start raking through the lengths.
The curls already did their job.
Why did root clipping leave dents in my hair?
Usually the clip was holding too much hair, clamping too tightly or sitting in a position that created a very obvious bend.
Try:
Using a smaller section.
Moving the clip slightly farther from your visible part.
Changing the direction of the clip.
Using fewer clips.
A small amount of experimenting is normal. Your first root-clipping attempt does not need to look like an architectural drawing.
Does root clipping stretch your curls?
It can slightly alter the shape right at the root—which is basically why it works.
Curly hair has measurable spring-like mechanical behaviour: when the fibre is stretched or repositioned, its geometry affects how it returns and sits.
Root clipping temporarily holds that first section of hair in a more lifted position as it dries.
You’re not trying to stretch the entire curl straight.
You’re creating a little more space between the scalp and the beginning of the curl.
Can root clipping cause frizz?
The technique itself doesn’t require you to create frizz.
But repeatedly inserting, removing and repositioning clips through partially drying curls can disturb the clumps you just styled.
That’s why it helps to place the clips once and then leave them alone.
Hair-to-hair and hair-to-object friction can affect how fibres interact, so minimizing unnecessary handling is useful if definition matters to you.
You may be doing too much after removing the clips.
Lift at the roots. Leave the lengths alone.
Root clips or a hair pick?
They solve the same problem at different times.
Root clips: create lift while your hair dries.
Hair pick: creates lift after your hair is already dry.
You can use both.
Root-clip the areas that always dry flat, then use a pick very lightly at the roots afterward if you want even more volume.
You do not need to drag the pick through the curls themselves.
Do you need to root clip every wash day?
Only if you like what it does.
You might use it when you want extra volume and skip it when you prefer a flatter, more elongated shape.
You may also discover that only one stubborn section of your crown needs clipping.
That still counts.
The beauty of this technique is that it’s supposed to be small.
The bottom line
Root clipping is one of the easiest ways to experiment with volume because you do not have to change your entire routine.
Style your curls normally, lift the areas that tend to dry flat, place a few clips and leave them there until the roots dry.
Tiny clips. Strategic placement. Considerably less fighting with your crown later.
Disclaimer: This article provides general hair-care information and is not a substitute for advice from a dermatologist or other qualified healthcare professional. Persistent breakage, scalp changes or sudden hair loss should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.