TikTok’s “Flip and Claw Clip” Ponytail Hack Is a Game Changer

TikTok has no shortage of makeup and hair hacks for consumption, especially when it comes to claw clips. As someone who frequently scrolls the platform for beauty tips, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I’ve already mastered the double-bun claw-clip hack, the half-up, half-down bun claw-clip hack, and the viral claw-clip hack for layered hair. I thought I had tested all the claw-clip hacks the app had to offer, but it turns out there was another hiding right under my nose that might just be my favorite yet.

Officially named the “flip and claw clip” ponytail, I’ve seen a lot of influencers testing out the trend, but it was TikTok user Emilie Kiser’s video that influenced me to test it out for myself. In the clip, which has 9.3 million views and counting, Kiser pulls her long blond hair into a slicked-back ponytail but adds tons of volume with the addition of the claw clip. The outcome looks like a full-on Ariana Grande ponytail, and I absolutely wanted to re-create the look for myself.

Whenever I wear claw clips in my hair, I typically wear a faux french twist, and when I wear a ponytail, I don’t do anything fancy other than wrap an elastic around my hair three times. I was interested to see whether the results would work on my hair, which isn’t nearly as long or as thick as Kiser’s.

To test out the hack for myself, all I needed was my favorite claw clip and a hair tie. As previously mentioned, my hair is on the thin side, so I opted for the Goody Ouchless Hair Ties For Fine to Medium Hair ($8) rather than regular-size hair ties.

I started by combing through my hair and making sure there were no knots or snags, and I also added in a few drops of hair oil to give me some shine. One thing all of the people in the tutorials I watched had in common was long, luscious hair, but mine is frizzy and fine, so I wanted to make sure I was giving it the proper treatment before I began. Then, I pulled my hair into a ponytail situated at the middle of my head and secured it with an elastic.

From there, I made a hole in the upper half of the pony using my fingers, then I flipped the bottom half of the pony through the hole. To finish everything off, I placed the claw clip underneath at the base of my ponytail so my hair cascaded over the top. Although it sounds a bit complicated, it’s easy to get the hang of once you watch the video.

The end result looked even better than I thought it would — a voluminous ponytail with absolutely zero drooping. Also, the style lasted all day long without the need for touch-ups, which is a major plus for me because I’m always on the go.

One important thing to note: after watching videos and testing it for myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that this ponytail hack looks the best on those with long and thick hair. It worked well on my medium-length fine hair as well, but if I wanted to see some extra fullness in the future, I would consider adding a few hair extensions to my pony.

Renee Rodriguez (she/her) is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.