2022 brought back iconic ‘90s hairstyles such as face-framing tendrils, bubble ponies, baby braids, and spiky buns. So it’s only right in 2023 we dive further into the ear by accessorizing these hairdos with the unique hair accessories that dominated ‘90s hairstyles.
When thinking of ‘90s hair, it's fair to immediately picture a voluminous fluffy blowout that became the signature look of so many rom-com queens at the time. But dig a little deeper, and you'll find that funky hair accessories were equal purveyors of the era's trends. Hair styles were clad with zig-zag headbands, plastic barrettes, and butterfly clips (okay, you won't have to dig too deep to find those). Below, you'll be reminded what pieces you'll need to get your hands on—before the TikTokers beat you to it.
Claw Clips
Really Giant Claw Clips
Indeed, *big* claw clips were a landmark of ‘90s hair trends. Shown here in “Water Lily” for the cosmic color-lovers, but with about a trillion designs, Emi Jay has something for everyone.
Emi Jay Big Effing Clip, $34 MSRP
Metal Butterfly-Shaped Claws
A bun pinned in place with a claw clip was a frequent flyer among ‘90s hairstyles–and, pun intended, so were butterflies. This fun, oversized play on the iconic metal butterfly clips is the perfect piece for this look. (And if butterflies are your thing, you might want to try a trend taking over this era: the butterfly haircut!)
Charley Metal Butterfly Claw Clip, $12 MSRP
Tortoiseshell Claw Clips
Take the tortoiseshell claw you know and love and bedazzle it with whatever it is you’d like to say (in one word).
SVNMIA Custom Claw Clip, $32 MSRP
Zig-Zag Headbands
Stretchy Hair Combs
You can swap this out for your chunky and nerdy towel headband you use to keep your hair back while washing your face. Now you can wash up and walk right out the door as-is, no additional hair styling needed.
Scunci Effortless Beauty Stretch Hair Combs, $6.91 MSRP
Jewelled Zig Zags With A Color For Everyday of The Week
In the ‘90s, it wasn't uncommon to spot some more flashy zig-zag bands. The same beloved stretch headband, but this one will make it seem like you have little gems weaved evenly across the top of your head where the combs stop. It’s the effortless ‘90s hair accessory trend that says, "I tried."
Amazon 15 Piece Colorful Stretch Comb Headband Set, $9.49 MSRP
Hair Jewelry
Hair Gem Machines
Hair gems were one of those ‘90s hair accessory trends that drew their inspiration from clothing. If you could bedazzle your jeans, then why not your hair? This little device works like a stapler (closed or open-faced)—but with jewels instead of staples, thank goodness. So you can easily add sparkle to loose strands and pulled-back styles too.
Blinger Starter Kit, $49 MSRP
Gem-Studded and Dangly Metal Clips
This luxury brand is the very definition of hair jewelry. Lelet makes serious hair accessories, and their Crystal Spine Clip delivers. A perfect union of the dangly hair clips and the glitz that filled ‘90s hair, this clip will make your high ponytail or braid extra-worthy of the era. Or, if you decide to splurge for a matching set, you can style them with two half-up ponies or space buns and snap one into each.
Lelet New York Crystal Spine Clip, $248 MSRP
Braid In Beaded Jewelry
In the ‘90s, if you could string it on a necklace, you could also throw it in your hair. Slide the top loop of this pre-beaded piece onto a braid strand and continue braiding down to secure it for a whimsical look.
Velvet Luna Nymph Braid In Jewelry, $45 MSRP
Bandanas
Crochet Bandana
Again drawing inspiration from ‘90s clothing favorites, crochet wasn’t just for cardigans. It took to heads, and like the rest of the hair accessories at the time, if it was colourful, it was perfect.
Lucky Brand Crochet Flower Hair Scarf, $9.99 MSRP
Headband Hair Scarf Combo
1990s hair loved a good headband-bandana combo, and we’re not gonna lie, if you’re going to wear a bandana in your hair, it’s a lot easier when combined with a stretchy band. This star-studded and beaded headband scarf would have turned any bad ‘90s hair day upside down (or, you know, covered it up). Luckily you can once more assuage rebellious hair days with this piece and be on-trend.
Curried Myrrh Dixie Hair Scarf, $128 MSRP
Clips Clips Clips
Butterfly Clips
Butterfly clips were the bobby pins of ‘90s hair accessories. There is no right or wrong way to wear them. Wear all 500 from your collection at once, or use just one to pin back a loose strand.
Amazon 100 Pack Assorted Color Butterfly Clips, $5.98 MSRP
Colorful Plastic Barrettes
It’s unclear how useful these were, as they grasp little to no hair. Nonetheless, if you throw one or two of these plastic barrettes on either side of your head, you’re in great ‘90s hair shape.
Goody Girls Classic Barrettes 26 Pack, $7.55 MSRP
Snap Clips
If you weren’t wearing butterfly clips, these were likely your substitute. In true ‘90s fashion, this snap clip with a cute dangle charm will get you noticed. If you’re feeling more low-key, you could opt for something such as black or silver. Whatever your vibe, you can get snap clips in every size, shape, and color.
Blackcurrant Pop Frog Fantasy Hair Clip, $17 MSRP
Headbands
Confetti Headbands
From shoes to backpacks, the 1990s were an advocate for all things “jelly.” So, it was only natural the clear plastic trend started hitting heads. If you were around in the ‘90s, you might remember having a couple of these filled with confetti, multi-colored microbeads, or glitter, as well as matching snap clips because why not?
Etsy Transparent Confetti Shaker Headbands, $11 MSRP
Puffy Headbands
As if you could even call it a full ‘90s hair accessory arsenal if you didn’t have a puffy headband. From the office to a dinner date, this little plaid number can easily coordinate with some of your wardrobe staples today.
Jennifer Behr Rowan Headband, $188 MSRP
Sequin Headbands
You couldn't slide one of these off of your head without losing at least four hairs to the sequins that would get tangled, but it was worth it because—sacrifices. This shiny pink band is reminiscent of the era's best headband must-haves.
Lele Sadoughi Pink Sequin Alice Headband, $75 MSRP
Skinny Headbands
Feel like wearing just one? Cool. Feel like wearing three? Also great. Layer as many or as few of these super skinny bands to create your own look. Feeling extra-extra? Throw them on with a spiky bun.
Goody Fabric Headbands, $5.29 MSRP
Scrunchies
All Things Lisa Frank
How can you best nail a ‘90s hairstyle must-have? Find one in a print that celebrates the times. These Lisa Frank “Sprunchies” from Invisibobble will propel you back to the 1990s in a wink.
Invisibobble Lisa Frank PAWsitively Purrrfect Sprunchie Duo, $12 MSRP
Fake Daisies
In addition to butterflies, ‘90s hair was also a fanatic of flower-themed styles. Fake daisy clips could frequently be found scattered across hairstyles, so this daisy-printed scrunchie is the perfect union between two beloved hair accessory staples from the era.
Claires Giant Sheer Mesh Daisy Hair Scrunchie, $4.99 MSRP
SUPER Giant Scrunchies
The ‘90s loved building outfits around the scrunchie (versus matching the scrunchie to the OOO). One of the best ways to do that is with an enormously oversized scrunchie like this fluffy cloud from Blissy.
Blissy Oversized Scrunchie, $29.97 MSRP
Interested in trying a ‘90s hairstyle? Stock up on all our best professional styling products on Hair.com.