How to Use a Large U Shaped Hairpin for Elegant yet Easy Updos! - Beautiful Life (2024)

Have you ever wondered how to use a large u shaped hairpin?

What about how to use u pins for a bun, how to use a French pin, how to use hairpins, or how to use a Swerve U pin?

For many ladies, hairpins are that one hair accessory that is a mystery on how to use.

In this post, I will show you how to use use u pins for hair (also called French pins, French u pins, or Swerve Upins) in three videos so you can enjoy this stylish, yet comfortable, hairpin!

In my first video, you will learn how to use large u shaped hairpins, what is a Swerve U pin, and why it is the best hairpin out there.

I will also show you how to use decorative hairpins in a variety of hairstyles:
~ How to use a u pin for a bun
~ How to use a u pin for a French twist
~ How to use a u pin for a half up bun

In this second video, my daughter shows how to use a Swerve Upin in a Topknot bun and in an Up-and-down Twist hairstyle:

The Lilla Rose Swerve U-pin she is using in this video is the elegant "Marlisa," that you can find HERE.

Here is a simple step by step U pin tutorial, showing how to use a large u shaped hair pin in a Tails-up hairstyle. This one is a new style called "Emmy" by Lilla Rose that is made out of acrylic for a fun, stylish look that is lightweight and very comfortable!

The aqua blue color is so pretty in these gorgeous sisterlocs!

You can shop for Emmy in white marble, abalone and greenHERE and Lilly in brown, turquoise and magentaHERE.

The acrylic u-pins are 4" long.

To learn how to use acrylic U-pins, also known as hair forks, watch the video in my post here: How Do You Use Acrylic Hair Forks?

Lilla Rose large U pins come in both elegant, decorated hairpin styles for dressy occasions, and simple styles for everyday hairstyles.

The classic Swerve U pin is a favorite of young ladies and teens, because it is practically invisible in your hair! It makes a perfect messy bun or top knot hairstyle.

In my video below, I will show you how to use a large U pin in a simple French twist. You can see how you can hardly see it is there!

You can shop for this simple Swerve hair pin in four different finishes (gold, rose gold, silver, and black nickel) HERE.

The Swerve U pins also come in a small size (which is affectionately known as the "baby swerve") which is perfect for thin or fine hair, or smaller amounts of hair, such as you'd wear in a half-up bun. They are 3" long. You can get it HERE.

Don't stress too much about the two sizes...you pretty much can't go wrong with either one, as both usually can fit most types of hair and hairstyles. The difference would mainly be that the baby Swerve's ends would be more likely not to stick out or show in finer hair or half-up buns, though would still hold securely.

Here are some awesome testimonials about the Lilla Rose Swerve that I am getting from my customers:

Tips for using hair pins

1. Make sure your bun or twist is tight; not loose

2. Sometimes slightly damp hair helps with hold

3. Make sure you are grabbing a good chunk of the side of the bun/twist before turning the hair pin and going along the scalp

4. Make sure the prongs of the hair pin are going along the scalp

5. It helps to make sure the prongs go OUT the other side of the bun/twist to have a more secure hold (rather than just staying along your scalp)

The U-shaped hair pins featured in this post were all "large" u-pins and are 4.5" long. They are also called French Pins, Hair Forks, or Swerve U-pins. You can get them individually at Lilla Rose. Most hairstyles can easily be achieved with just one large Swerve U-pin, even in thick, heavy hair, which is pretty incredible (much better than the ton of bobby pins you may have used in the past!)

The other type of u-shaped hair pins are the "small" u-pins. As the name suggests, they are smaller and come in sets of two. They are 3" long. And for most hairstyles, just one set of small u-shaped hair pin is all that is needed.

To learn more about the small u-shaped hair pins, see my post How to Use U-Shaped Hair Pins for Perfect Styling Every Time.

To see my post on the best hair sticks, clickHERE.

To see my post on the best bobby pins, clickHERE.