Monthly Sale Flyer · September 2026 · New deals on hair, wigs, lashes and beauty every month · See the flyer

Beads and Barrettes: Fitting Them Safely

Beads finish a style beautifully and they are hardware attached to a child's hair, which means a few things are worth getting right. Most of what follows is straightforward, and the choking point at the end is the one that matters most for the youngest children.

Weight on fine hair

Every bead adds weight to the end of a braid, and that weight pulls on the hair at the root for as long as the style is in. On a small child with fine hair, a braid loaded with six or eight beads is carrying real tension all day. Keep the count modest, put fewer on the braids around the hairline where hair is finest, and use plastic beads rather than metal or glass on young children. If a child keeps tossing their head to hear the beads, that is a lot of repeated pulling.

Securing them properly

Thread the beads on with a bead threader or a folded loop of dental floss, then fold the end of the braid back and secure it with a small rubber band pushed up under the last bead. The band does the holding; the bead sits on top of it. A bead secured with nothing but a knot in the hair will slide off, and one held with a band that is too far down will let the beads travel. Check them every few days and re-secure any that have crept.

Age and choking

Beads are small hard objects near a small child's face. For children under three, and for any child who still puts things in their mouth, loose beads are a genuine choking hazard, both the spares in the packet and any that come off a braid. Keep the packet stored out of reach, count what you use, and check the floor after a session. For the youngest children, soft fabric-covered ties, snap clips or plain rubber bands are the safer finish.

Sleeping in them

Beads press into the scalp through a pillow, and a child sleeping on a head of metal cuffs will not sleep well. A satin bonnet or a scarf helps, and gathering the braids loosely on top of the head keeps the weight off the pillow. If your child is waking up uncomfortable, take the beads off the back braids and leave them on the sides.

Removal

Cut the rubber band rather than pulling it off, using blunt-nosed scissors and cutting away from the hair. Slide the beads off rather than dragging them down the braid. Rubber bands ripped out of hair take hair with them, and the ends of braids are the most fragile part.

Barrettes and clips

Snap clips with a smooth metal spine are gentler than tight sprung clips on fine hair. Check the teeth and edges of any clip for roughness, since a burr catches every time it goes in. Replace anything that has lost its coating or bent out of shape.