Hair Pins There are many different styles and types of hairpins, but their purposes are all the same, and that’s to keep someone's hair in place. They are generally a very long device that can be made out of a number of different materials, depending on the style that you are interested in as well as your budget for buying a hairpin. Originating in Egypt and Assyria, hairpins were often carved out of wood, ivory, or bone or formed from metal. These luxury objects are now very commonly worn by people all around the world. There are two main types of hairpins: ones that are made out of a single straight piece of material, and ones that have been bent in half to form a crook. Hairpins that are straight are also called hair sticks. They generally are between 5-9 inches long and are used to hold hair up and in a bun or other updo. They tend to be very elaborate and decorative and are a great way to add fashion and style to your overall outfit.While straight hairpins can be tricky to use at first, especially since they tend to slide out of the hair and don't have a textured surface to grip the hair itself, they are a wonderful way to embellish an updo. It’s normal to use them in conjunction with other hair clips or claws until you understand how to hold your hair up using just a straight hair stick. The other popular type of hairpin is bent in half to form a crook that can actually be used to hold hair back out of the face or keep it in place. They are generally called bobby pins, and while they can range in size from under an inch to around 4-5 inches, they tend to be around 2.5 inches long. They are flexible so that they can be opened and the bobby pin can be inserted into the hairstyle that needs to be controlled or held, and then it will close gently over the hair. While they are often made in colors that will match a person's natural hair color, it is possible to get bobby pins that are very bright or even have rhinestones on the ends. These decorative bobbypins won't be used as much to secure a hairstyle as they will be to embellish it.