20 Messy Claw Clip Hairstyles We Adore
Twenty messy claw clip styles, and the distinction that makes them work — messy is built, not skipped. A deliberately undone style and a style that came undone look nothing alike.
In this article · 27
- Messy Is Built, Not Skipped
- Why Messy Needs More Product
- The 20 Styles
- 1. Classic Messy Clipped Bun
- 2. Messy Bun with Ends Fanned Out
- 3. Undone Half-Up
- 4. Messy Low Chignon
- 5. Bedhead Clip
- 6. Messy Twist with Tendrils
- 7. Asymmetric Messy Clip
- 8. Messy Bun on Second-Day Hair
- 9. Messy Curly Clip
- 10. Messy High Clip
- 11. Messy Bun with a Deep Part
- 12. Half-Up Messy Twist
- 13. Messy Clip with a Backcombed Crown
- 14. Messy Side Gather
- 15. Two-Clip Messy Stack
- 16. Messy Bun with a Fringe
- 17. Air-Dried Clipped Waves
- 18. Messy Clipped Ponytail Fold
- 19. Messy Bun on Fine Hair
- 20. Overnight Messy Clip
- Which Pieces to Pull
- Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts
There is a real difference between a style that was made undone and a style that came undone, and everyone can see it even if they could not say what it is.
The difference is structure. A convincing messy style is secure underneath and loose on the surface. A scruffy one is loose all the way through, so the whole shape drifts over the day — and drifting is the thing that reads as neglect.
Messy Is Built, Not Skipped
Three principles, and the order matters.
Secure the base properly first. Clip it as firmly as you would a sleek style. Everything decorative happens after.
Then pull pieces loose from chosen places. Two at the temples, one at the nape. That is the whole formula, and it works because those are the places hair would naturally escape from if it were escaping — so it reads as authentic rather than arbitrary.
Keep it asymmetric. Two pieces pulled to exactly matching lengths look styled in the wrong way. Different lengths on each side is what sells it.
The pieces you pull are the style. Everything else is just a bun.
Why Messy Needs More Product
This surprises people, and it is the most common reason a messy style collapses by lunchtime.
A sleek style asks hair to lie flat, which is what hair does anyway. A messy style asks pieces to hold a position they were never cut or dried into — a loose strand curving away from the head is being held there by texture alone.
Clean, smooth hair has no texture, so those pieces simply fall. Within an hour the deliberate looseness has become genuine flatness, and the style has quietly turned into the scruffy version.
Texture spray through the mid-lengths before you start. Or dry shampoo at the roots, or simply day-two hair, which does the job for free.
The 20 Styles
1. Classic Messy Clipped Bun
Secure base, two temple pieces, one at the nape.
2. Messy Bun with Ends Fanned Out
Ends left showing above the clip rather than tucked in.
3. Undone Half-Up
Gathered loosely, pieces released around the face.
4. Messy Low Chignon
Folded low without smoothing anything first.
5. Bedhead Clip
Texture spray, shake, clip. Deliberately unbrushed.
6. Messy Twist with Tendrils
Twisted loosely, several pieces released down the neck.
7. Asymmetric Messy Clip
Set deliberately off-centre. Asymmetry is what stops it looking accidental.
8. Messy Bun on Second-Day Hair
The easiest version — the texture is already there.
9. Messy Curly Clip
Curl contained loosely. Curly hair is naturally good at this.
10. Messy High Clip
Gathered high and loose, volume left at the crown.
11. Messy Bun with a Deep Part
Parting sharp, everything else undone. The contrast reads as intentional.
12. Half-Up Messy Twist
Top third twisted loosely and clipped, length untouched.
13. Messy Clip with a Backcombed Crown
Volume above, looseness below. The most flattering version.
14. Messy Side Gather
Everything moved one way and loosely clipped.
15. Two-Clip Messy Stack
Two clips, neither perfectly placed. More structure than it looks.
16. Messy Bun with a Fringe
Fringe left out, everything behind it undone.
17. Air-Dried Clipped Waves
Waved as they dried, then clipped loosely. No tools at all.
18. Messy Clipped Ponytail Fold
Folded and clipped without straightening the fold.
19. Messy Bun on Fine Hair
Loose twisting is what makes fine hair occupy more space.
20. Overnight Messy Clip
Clipped loosely to sleep in, adjusted rather than redone in the morning.
Which Pieces to Pull
The pieces are the style, so it is worth being specific.
Two at the temples, in front of the ears, at different lengths — one to the jaw, one to the cheekbone. These frame the face and do most of the work.
One at the nape, in the centre. It softens the join between the style and your neck.
Nothing at the crown. This is the one people get wrong. Pieces pulled from the top do not read as effortless; they read as a style falling apart, because hair does not naturally escape upward.
Pull, do not tug. Take the piece and ease it out from the base. Yanking pulls the whole structure loose behind it.
Mistakes to Avoid
A loose base. Secure underneath, undone on top. A loose base drifts and drifting reads as scruffy.
Pieces pulled from the crown. Hair does not escape upward, so it reads as failure rather than design.
Matching pieces on each side. Different lengths is what sells it.
Clean hair with no product. The loose pieces will not hold a position they were never dried into.
Too many pieces. Three is the formula. Six is a style that has come apart.
FAQ
How do you make it look intentional? Pull pieces from planned places — two temples, one nape.
Does messy need product? More than sleek, not less. Loose pieces need texture to hold.
Why does mine look scruffy? The base is probably loose too. Secure underneath, undone on top.
Final Thoughts
Clip it as firmly as you would a sleek style, then take three pieces down — two at the temples, one at the nape, and none from the crown. Messy is a decision made after the style is secure, not a decision to skip securing it.
For the polished opposite see 15 sleek claw clip hairstyles, and for half-ups see 15 half up claw clip hairstyles. More in Updos & Clips.
