Some were obvious: They\u2019d never ride a motorcycle<\/a>, especially without a helmet. They\u2019d never let their kids jump on a trampoline<\/a> without protective netting. They\u2019d never speed through the city streets on an e-scooter.<\/p>\n But also? They\u2019d never wear a claw clip<\/a> in their hair.<\/p>\n Claw clips have been a messy-bun staple since the 1980s, but in the recent frenzy for anything \u201cvintage\u201d or \u201cY2K,\u201d they\u2019ve become a staple for Gen Z.<\/p>\n 20-something celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner have sported the toothy accessory, which retails for as little as $4 at Walmart<\/a>\u2026 or as much as $750 at Prada<\/a>.<\/p>\n But according to health experts, the cute, trendy accessory is not worth the risk they impose.<\/p>\n \u201cClaw clips have the potential to cause injury during road traffic accidents. If our head is forcefully propelled back into the headrest, metal claw clips can cause head, neck and scalp injuries,\u201d Dr. Dorieann O\u2019Leary explained in the caption of an Instagram video<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can become lodged in the scalp, cause lacerations and need surgical removal,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n A retired ICU nurse agreed, advising online readers that during a car collision, \u201cthey get embedded in your skull.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDeath investigator here,\u201d wrote another<\/a>. \u201cI will never wear claw clips while driving.\u201d<\/p>\n A cemetery worker added, \u201cMy daughter is eight and really likes claw clips. I won\u2019t let her wear them in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2023, a British college student named Jeena Panesar, then 19, suffered serious injuries<\/a> to her skull, face and eye sockets when her car flipped over on a rural road, causing her hair clip to dig into her head. <\/p>\n Last year in Australia, a 22-year-old fashion influencer named Ella Carter suffered a similar fate, enduring a severe concussion because of her plastic claw clip. <\/p>\n If it was metal, she told her followers, the doctors thought it could have killed her. (But she was apparently well enough to make a TikTok while in the ambulance.)<\/p>\n But though the clips are convenient and super-cute, it\u2019s tough to make a life-threatening head injury seem chic.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Hailey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hailey-bieber-seen-december-15-138794138.jpg\")
Hailey Bieber wearing a baby pink claw clip. The accessory is popular with Gen Z. GC Images<\/p>\n![\"X-ray](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/www-facebook-com-photo-fbid-138794137.jpg\")
In 2023, a young British woman was seriously injured when her hair clip embedded into her skull during a car crash. Facebook\/<\/p>\n