Hair Pins vs Elastics: Which Causes Less Breakage?

By Aviva Jansen Perea, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Day Rate Beauty

Most people spend real money on shampoo, conditioner, and treatments to keep their hair in good condition, and then reach for tools every single day that quietly undo that work. The elastic is one of the most common examples.

It is not that elastics are categorically bad. They are convenient, they are familiar, and they do hold hair. But the way they hold hair, and what that costs the hair over time, is worth understanding before you reach for one every morning.

What an elastic actually does to the hair

An elastic works by wrapping around a section of hair and holding it through compressive tension. The hair is being pulled inward from all sides at the point where the elastic sits. Every time you put the elastic in, you are creating a concentrated pressure point at the same location on the same strands, day after day.

The removal adds to this. Pulling an elastic out, particularly if it catches or if there are any strands wrapped around it, creates friction and tugging at that same already-stressed point. Elastics with plastic cores or metal crimps are harder on the hair than those without, but all elastics create some version of this tension-and-removal cycle.

Over time, the cumulative effect of this repeated concentrated tension can contribute to breakage at the hairline and at the mid-shaft where the elastic typically sits, creasing that does not grow out quickly, and thinning at points of consistent stress. These things build up gradually, which is why they are easy to attribute to other causes, but the daily elastic habit is often a significant factor.

What a hairpin does instead

A hairpin holds differently. It passes through the hair and anchors the style by weaving through and creating tension with the structure of the bun or updo itself, rather than by wrapping around and compressing the hair from the outside.

There is no concentrated pressure point. No repeated pulling at the same location. No wrapping that has to be unwound on the way out. A well-placed hairpin goes in cleanly and comes out the same way, without friction and without leaving the hair stressed at any single point.

This does not mean hairpins are effort-free. The technique matters. A hairpin placed incorrectly will slip, and the instinct is then to add more pins or go back to the elastic. But a hairpin placed correctly, at the right angle with the weave motion, holds just as reliably as an elastic and without the cumulative tension.

Where elastics still make sense

Elastics are not without a role. For certain styles, particularly those that require a tight ponytail or very precise base before building a more complex updo, an elastic underneath can be useful. For athletic or high-movement situations where the hair needs to stay absolutely controlled, elastics provide a kind of hold that is hard to replicate with a pin alone.

The problem is not occasional elastic use. It is daily elastic use as the default for every single style, whether the style actually requires it or not. Most buns, half-up styles, and twisted updos do not require an elastic. They require the right pin and the right technique.

Making the switch

Switching from elastics to hairpins for everyday styles is one of the most practical changes you can make for the long-term condition of your hair. The adjustment takes a little practice, mostly in learning the weave technique and finding the anchor point at the base of the style, but it becomes quick once it is familiar.

For fine to medium hair, the Petite Power Pin handles most everyday styles: buns, half-ups, twisted sections. It is sized to give real structural hold without overwhelming a smaller amount of hair.

For thick, long, or heavy hair, the Power Pin is built to handle the weight and density that would overwhelm a standard pin. For very heavy or large buns, two Power Pins placed at opposing angles through the base will hold reliably through a full day.

If you are building a more structured style and want the interior architecture that makes a bun or updo hold without any elastic underneath, Foundation Pins create that invisible internal structure before the finishing pin goes in. This is how styles get built professionally when they need to hold for hours.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of pinning a bun without an elastic, How to Secure a Bun Without an Elastic covers the full technique. And the Complete Guide to Hairpins has everything in one place, including how hairpins compare to other tools and how to choose the right pin for your hair type.

Browse the full Day Rate pin line at dayratebeauty.com/collections/pins.

xo, Aviva