Okay, so I saw these super cute fruit hair clips all over my social media, and I just had to try making them myself. I mean, who doesn’t want tiny strawberries and watermelons in their hair, right?
First, I gathered all my materials. I already had some plain metal hair clips lying around. The main thing was, of course, to get my material to make the fruits, I thought it would be best to use polymer clay, cause it’s easy to work with and comes in tons of colors. Here’s what that looked like:
- Polymer clay (red, green, yellow, pink, black, etc. – you know, fruit colors!)
- Those plain metal hair clips (the snap-clip kind)
- Some strong glue (E6000 is my go-to)
- A little bit of aluminum foil
- An old toothbrush (for texturing, we’ll get to that)
- A toothpick or a needle
Then, I started shaping the clay. I began with strawberries because, honestly, they seemed the easiest. I just rolled out little red balls, then pinched one end to make them more strawberry-shaped. For the little green tops, I flattened out some green clay and cut out tiny star-ish shapes. I used the toothpick to make little indentations for the seeds – super simple!
Watermelons were next. I rolled out some pink clay, flattened it into a circle, and then cut it in half. Then I added a thin strip of white clay around the edge, and then a slightly thicker strip of green clay for the rind. The toothpick came in handy again to make the little black seed shapes. I am super happy with the effect that this gives.
Baking Time!
This is where the foil comes in. I crumpled up some foil to make a little bumpy surface for my clay fruits to sit on while they baked. This helps prevent them from getting flat spots. The package said to bake at 275°F (about 135°C) for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch of thickness, So, I just followed the instructions on my clay package. They’re pretty small, so 15-20 minutes was perfect.
While they were baking, I took my old toothbrush and lightly brushed it over the clay to give it a bit of texture. I didn’t press too hard, just enough to make it look a little less… perfectly smooth, you know? More like real fruit skin, that natural look I’m going for.
Once they were cooled down, it was time to glue! I just put a dab of E6000 on the back of each fruit and pressed it onto a hair clip. Super easy. I did make sure to let them dry completely overnight before I tried wearing them, though. Gotta be patient!
And that’s it! Seriously, so easy. Now I have a whole bunch of adorable fruit hair clips, and I didn’t have to spend a fortune. Plus, it was a fun little project to do on a lazy afternoon. I’m already thinking about what other fruits I can make – maybe some little lemons or oranges next time!
