How to Secure a Wig with Bobby Pins

If your wig keeps sliding, it’s usually not because bobby pins “don’t work.” It’s because the hair underneath (and where you place the pins) isn’t set up to grip. Once you flatten your natural hair first, then anchor the wig on the sides and back, bobby pins can be a quick, beginner-friendly fix—especially when you don’t have a wig cap or you don’t want to use glue.

Prep steps: flatten and secure your natural hair before putting on the wig

Before the wig goes on, the goal is simple: make your natural hair lie flat so the wig has something stable to sit on.

Start here:

1. Brush or comb your hair smooth (especially around the hairline, sides, and crown).
2. Flatten any bulky sections with your hands first.
3. Use bobby pins to secure the hair in place—this is where the “wig stops slipping” part begins. Flatten and hold your natural hair before the wig is even on.

If you’re not sure where to put the first pins, think in three zones:

• Sides (near where your wig cap edge will sit)
• Back (where the wig wants to shift)
• Top/pincurl area (if you have formed pincurls)

Take your time here. If your hair is still puffy, the wig has less to “grab,” and it’s easier for it to slide.

How to place bobby pins for side hold (fast, easy anchoring)

For side hold, you’re building anchor points on each side so the wig can’t creep outward.

Here’s a placement-first way to do it:

1) Pin where the wig edge will land

• Put the wig on.
• Look at the area along the side where the wig feels loose.
• Lift just a little section and slide a bobby pin in to catch both the wig and the flattened hair underneath.

2) Angle the pin for a snug grip

Bobby pins work best when they aren’t just “set.” Aim the pin so it goes through in a way that presses the wig edge down into your hair.

Quick checklist for good side pins:

• The wig edge feels tighter.
• The pin goes through the wig and into your hair (not only the wig).
• The hair stays flat instead of springing back up.

3) Add a second pin slightly behind the first

If one pin doesn’t stop the wobble, add another a bit closer to the back of your head on the same side. That helps with the small shifts that happen when you move your head.

A lot of people like this approach because it’s exactly where bobby pins are useful for a quick, easy wig fix on the sides and often the back too.

How to place bobby pins for back hold (keep the wig from shifting)

Back sliding is super common because your wig can move with every head turn. For back hold, place pins so they stop the wig from sliding downward or shifting left/right.

Pin plan for the back:

1. After the wig is on, check the lower back edge first (where it tends to loosen).
2. Place bobby pins so they anchor the wig at the back into your flattened hair.
3. Add pins in a loose “line” (not one random pin), spacing them so the wig can’t shift in one big slide.

If it still feels like it wants to drift, tweak placement:

• Move the pins slightly higher (closer to the crown).
• Or add one more pin closer to where the side and back meet.

If you’re working right by the ear area

Some setups do better when you don’t use flat bobby pins near the ear flap. If that area won’t hold, consider switching to U pins there (more on that later).

Where to pin if you have pincurls on top (use large hairpins into pincurls)

If your hair setup includes pincurls on top, you’ll anchor the wig differently than you would with flat hair.

Use large hairpins to secure the wig into each pincurl.

Instead of trying to “pin through wig + loose hair,” pin into a formed section (the pincurl) so it has something solid to hold onto.

How to do it practically:

1. Put the wig on lightly first.
2. Find the top sections where the pincurls sit.
3. Slide a large hairpin so it goes into the wig and then into the pincurl beneath.
4. Secure each pincurl area you need for stability, starting with the spots that lift most.

This is one of the most reliable ways to stop top shifting when pincurls are part of your look.

If bobby pins aren’t enough: when to switch to U pins or other fasteners

Sometimes bobby pins just don’t hold in the spot you need. That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong—it just means you need a different tool in that area.

Switch to U pins when…

• The wig won’t stay put at the ear flaps or the back of your head.
• Flat bobby pins keep slipping out or bending without gripping well.

If you’ve been pinning around the side and back with bobby pins and it keeps loosening, try U pins there instead of repeating the same setup.

Quick decision tree (where you should switch)

• Loose on the sides (wig edge pops up?) → re-pin side anchors; if it still slips, switch side/back anchoring to U pins.
• Loose on the back (wig drifts when you move?) → add more back anchors; if the lower back won’t hold, consider U pins for the back/ear-flap region.
• Loose on the top AND you have pincurls → skip bobby-pin-only fixing and use large hairpins into the pincurls.
• You’re missing the right supplies right now → use a temporary method (headbands/scarves, next section).

Beginner troubleshooting: how to get bobby pins to stay in place

If you’re asking, “How do I keep bobby pins from slipping?” the answer is usually: fix the setup first, then adjust pin placement.

Try this troubleshooting order:

1) Make sure your natural hair is flattened

If your hair underneath is puffy or textured, the bobby pin has less to grip. Go back to the prep step and flatten and pin your natural hair before you put the wig on.

2) Pin the wig edge to the hair underneath

A pin that only grabs the wig fabric won’t last. You want the pin to feel like it’s catching the wig and your hair together.

3) Use more anchors, not longer pins

If it’s shifting, add another pin a little closer to where you see movement:

• Side wig edge lifting? Add a second side pin slightly behind the first.
• Back sliding? Add another pin in the back area rather than hoping one pin holds everything.

4) If the specific area won’t hold, switch tools in that area

This is where you stop fighting the same battle.

• Ear flap/back stubborn spot? Try U pins there.
• Pincurls on top? Use large hairpins into each pincurl.

Special cases: keeping a wig secure on a bald head and on short hair

This is where the usual plan may need a tweak, because your surface is different.

If you’re trying to secure a wig on a bald head

You don’t have much hair to grip. In that case, switch the anchoring strategy:

• Focus on U pins for more secure anchoring at the ear flap and back areas.
• Also pay extra attention to flattening and placing pins precisely where the wig wants to lift.

If you have short hair

Short hair can make bobby pins slip if it isn’t lying flat or if the pins can’t catch enough length.

• Flatten your short hair first and pin it down.
• Then anchor the wig on the sides and back with bobby pins where the wig edge lifts.
• If you still can’t get grip, switch to U pins for the side/back anchoring points.

If a pin just slides around instead of holding, switch tools instead of adding more pins in the same spot.

Alternatives when you don’t want glue or a wig cap (headbands/scarves/DIY grip band/clips)

Sometimes you just need something that works today. If you don’t have a wig cap or you want to avoid glue, temporary options can help while you set up a more permanent method.

Temporary security options

• Headbands
• Scarves

These add friction so your wig has a better chance of staying put while you pin it properly or until you can get the right supplies.

If bobby pins aren’t cooperating right now

Use a temporary method (headband or scarf) while you:

• flatten and pin your natural hair,
• then place bobby pins for side/back anchoring,
• and switch to U pins or large hairpins into pincurls when your setup calls for it.

Quick checklist: a final “shake test” and re-pin routine

Once your wig is on and pinned, do a quick test before you call it done.

Shake test

1. Lightly move your head side to side.
2. Check for any wig lift at the sides.
3. See whether the back edge creeps.
4. If you have pincurls, watch the top section for any shifting.

Re-pin routine (fast fixes)

• Sides lifting? Add or adjust bobby pins on the side anchor spots.
• Back drifting? Add another back anchor point and press the wig edge down while pinning.
• Top shifting with pincurls? Use large hairpins into the pincurls.
• Still slipping after re-pinning? Switch that stubborn area to U pins (especially near ear flaps and the back).

If you still see slipping, revisit the placement steps above, then switch to the U-pin or temporary alternative method that fits your setup.