Review and Giveaway: Flexi 8 hair accessories (CLOSED)

When I was a kid, I always wanted long hair – that I could put into braids, just like in Little House on the Prairie. My mom tells the story of how I used to tie a dish towel in ponytails on the sides of my head because I just didn’t have much hair until I got older. I made up for lost time by growing it long for many years and ever since high school I’ve gone back and forth between long and short and even for a while, curly or straight. Straight-ish, that is – because my hair is not only thick (finally) but wavy as well. I always say that it’s not enough of a wave to really curl, but just enough to always curl the wrong way. Generally, I tend to wear it pulled back away from my face most days – either in a full ponytail, or a partial one with only the front hair. Plastic clips and claws don’t always hold up very well or for long – especially with hair that’s thick and heavy. I’ve stopped buying them and instead tend to rely on barrettes of different metals – golds, silvers or coppers. I have a few favorites that I wear a lot – and get tired of a lot too. Which is why I was so excited to have the chance to try some unique clips from Flexi 8.

What they are:

Flexi 8 hair clips are shaped like a figure 8 and include an attached pin that slides through the hair and fastens on the opposite loop to firmly hold hair in place. They are available in a variety of sizes in order to secure hair of all textures and lengths, and also with a variety of metal and bead accents in quite a few styles. Unlike traditional claw clips they are designed to bend and flex with your head so as to not give you headaches. From the website:

The Flexi 8 is a completely unique, flexible barrette that holds thick, thin, curly, straight, fine and coarse hair. The Flexi 8 comes in a variety of sizes and hundreds of ever changing styles. Flexi 8 uses an ingenious patented locking mechanism to secure it in your hair. It’s such an attractive and unique accessory for your hair, once you try the Flexi 8, LOOK OUT! (you’re in love)

How do they work?:

Because Flexi 8 hair clips are flexible, you can get a range of sizes that will work for your hair type and length – depending on what styles you use them for. Larger clips will obviously hold more hair as in a full ponytail or up-do, while smaller ones work better for hair that’s fine or thin – or for a half-ponytail. According to Flexi 8, most women over-estimate what size they need, so they provide details on their website as to how to choose the best Flexi 8 for you. They also have videos that can help you figure out what your best size option is and also show you how to create different hairstyles using the Flexi 8. There are six sizes available – determined by the length of the sliding pin, not the figure 8: Mini, Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large & Extra Large. A good way to estimate your size is to figure out the diameter of your ponytail – using sizes of various coins is a helpful way to think of it. Then you can check against Flexi 8’s sizing chart – which gives you both the actual pin lengths as well as which size is best for ponytails matching the different coin sizes. The sizing video is a huge help too – I found out that for my fairly coarse, wavy and shoulder-length hair the Extra Small or Small are good options for a half or full ponytail and either the Medium or Large will work for a half or full twist up-do.

Courtesy of Flexi 8 and the Double Duty Divas, I received a variety of Flexi 8 hair clips in several different sizes and styles to try out and review.

Here’s my take on them:

When I opened the package of Flexi 8 hair clips, I just about squealed in delight (literally!) because these are exactly the kind of hair accessory I like the best – metal and beadwork with unique designs. I have a similar style clip that I bought at a craft fair years ago, but it’s all metal and not nearly as flexible as these are. I can only wear that one when my hair’s long and in a full twist. I love the variety of options that these give me, no matter what style I am creating.

Right now my hair is about shoulder length – great for creating ponytails, half ponytails, and putting in in several different ways. I’ve used the Flexi 8’s for all of these lately, and after some adjustment to determine the best size for each style, I’m loving them. My hair is thick enough that I can use the medium sizes even on a half ponytail, but find that they definitely work best on a twist up.

The only clip I haven’t used yet is the smallest one I received since my hair is too thick for it. It should work very well in my middle daughter’s hair though – like me, she took a long time to grow hair and hers is of medium thickness now. My oldest has very thick, fine and straight hair so I think she and I can share some of the same clips. And my poor little 4-year-old doesn’t even have enough hair yet for any kind of clip. Some day.  So far I’ve been a bit selfish and kept the Flexi 8 clips for myself but I’ll break down and let the girls wear them at some point soon too. My 7-year-old’s been asking to wear her hair twisted up lately and the one time I tried with a regular barrette, it just didn’t hold for very long. I think the Flexi 8 will be a much better option for her.

The only negative I can think of is that it does take a little bit of learning curve to know exactly which size is right – although the sizing video helps a lot. There are also times when I want to wear a specific style because it matches my outfit better, but isn’t quite the right size for the style I’m wearing that day. I’ve worn a larger clip loosely a few times for that reason and it does work, but might not for someone whose hair is finer and slipperier than mine. I love the quick little style videos they have on their website – I’ve never really had anyone show me how to do twist-ups and such and seeing it very clearly done will help me a lot in the future.

The bottom line:

Hair clips from Flexi 8 are a good option no matter what style you’re going for, your hair length or type. They have a variety of sizes and styles to choose from and you can even customize your choices to make sure you get the size and style that you want. The flexible but strong hair clip holds hair securely to create the style that you’re looking for.

Where can you find them?:

You can purchase Flexi 8 hair clips directly from their website at http://www.flexi8.com. Prices start at $9.99 for the smallest clips – up to just over $20 for some of the largest. Shipping starts at $4 in the US and they offer hassle-free returns and exchanges.

Would you like to try them?:

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to give away a set of three Flexi 8 hair clips of choice to one lucky reader. If you’d like to try these out for yourself, here are the rules:

1. Enter by visiting the Flexi 8 site and leaving a comment here to let me know what your favorite style is. This is required – please don’t just say anything like ‘choose me’, or your entry will be discarded.
2. The contest will run until Saturday, April 3rd at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected through random drawing, contacted by e-mail, listed on this post and also submitted to PRIZEY. US entries only, please.
3. Please leave a valid e-mail address or other way to contact you! If the winner hasn’t responded within 3 days, an alternate winner will be chosen by random drawing.
4. If you’d like extra entries, you can:

• Subscribe to my RSS feed (click on the orange icon in the upper right sidebar) or subscribe via e-mail – leave me a separate comment to let me know.
• Mention this contest on your blog with a link back to this post, and leave a separate comment with the link to your post so I can find it.
• Either Twitter about, ‘Digg’ or ‘Kirtsy’ this post – leave me a separate comment with your username at whichever site(s) you chose (one extra entry per method).
• Become a ‘fan’ of this site on Facebook – there’s a link in the sidebar or you can click here.
• Watch the Flexi 8 sizing video and leave a comment to let me know which size(s) you think would work the best for you.

So that’s a total of 7 comments/entries if you do all of the extra entry options.

Good luck! 

SORRY, THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED – the random number generator has chosen comment #9 as the winner:

Congratulations to Merrie L. (no blog), whose extra subscription entry has won for her! I will be e-mailing you shortly to work out the details.

This product review was made possible by the Double Duty Divas.  I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample(s) provided by Flexi 8. All opinions are 100% mine.