I really want to get myself one of those hair clips that are shaped like a birds beak. (I remember seeing a picture of one posted on this site ages ago. It's got a funny name - Ficcare or something like that...)

I'm scared though because all the ones I've seen have a groove that runs down the middle of the bottom part of the clip and I don't want that putting a big crimp in my hair. Does anyone have one of these - or know what I'm talking about?

Do you have any problems with the groove or know if it's possible to buy them without the groove?

Cheers for your input!

i bought a fairly expensive one (evita peroni). it's thick metal without any groove and pinches very hard. first i was scared it was damaging the hair because of that but i read somewhere it's really what a good one is about (if they don't hurt your finger, there's no way it could hold any hair). it can't hold all my hair though, but i don't think it's supposed to. personally i am unable to do any good updo's with it though. actually i am too weak to open it easily with just one hand which is kinda required to do an updo on my own lol. (so pathetic, so i  have to train my hand before i could use it safely).

i had seen a great style which is a ponytail that looks like a french twist and is secured by a ficcare or whatever they call it. i'll keep drooling i guess  :'(

oh, by expensive i mean €18 at least if i remember correctly. i had seem some for far less in the sephora and those didn't pinch the finger at all. they're supposed to be useless.

i bought from the same brand - evita peroni - as well a super sober hairfork (in metal as well, darkish hue) and i am pretty amazed how well it secures a bun.

I know those! They are quite popular here, so I have mistaken to buy and try.  

For me- they just don't work. My hair is thick and slippery, so it just slips away from the open end of the clip, and eventually the ficcare just falls away. Besides, in order to hold the hair, they press it very hard- I don't think that can be good.

I have observed, that women who make succesful hairdos using them have rather coarse (or damaged) fairly thin hair, no longer than shoulder-length.

Now that I think of it, a girl that I saw actually wearing one of those had really choppy layered kinda damaged hair. Maybe that's why it looked so easy to use. She made it look cute!

I'll have to have a good think on this purchase. My hair has gotten to the stage now where it doesn't really want to stay in a normal claw clippie. I was hoping trying something different would work.

If I do get one, I'm glad to know that they can be found WITHOUT the groove. €18 is rather expensive...but I suppose if it works, it's worth it!

Since my hair is fine, maybe it'll work for me.  ??? :)

i was afraid of the thing damaging hair, i tried it on a little amount and it doesn't seem to leave any "marks" on the hair lol. and the style i saw was a woman with quite long hair that seemed in an amazing state. i think she used ficcare if that is indeed a brand name.

i once found a way to make a bun with them but am totally unable to find the link back now.  :(

My mother in law swears by them.  She usually has hair between BSL and waist.  Fine, but very thick--the exact hair I have ALWAYS wanted...

But I digress.  She uses the ficarre clips to put up the best french twists I've ever seen.  It doesn't appear to damage her hair, and that is why she bought it.  Although her hair seems practically undamageable.  

how i wish i could do a french twist ... but my hair refuses to do that. blah!

I have fine hair.  The cheap plastic clippies don't work at all for me but I bought an expensive metal clippie and it works great except that after about an hour I get a headache.

wrote on Dec 14^th, 2004 at 10:53am:

i once found a way to make a bun with them but am totally unable to find the link back now.  :(

I know where one is... go to longhairloom.com, then click link to the "styling station central" page, then scroll down to the F's, the style is titled Ficcare something.

yes, but i found back the one i found initially: it was on dressy tresses. but i tried it, doesn't work for me ... i dunno, i find those clips still pretty useless, you just always feel them!

I got a couple of medium (about 3" long) bird beak clippies and used them to make Galadriel's "bun for short hair".  They held better then all the pins, etc.