Frenchies Hairpins: The Patented Flocked Hairpin Solving Hair’s Biggest Slipping Problem

Frenchies are patented, velvet flocked, U-shaped hairpins built to grip hair without sliding, poking, or scratching the scalp. Founded by actresses turned entrepreneurs Elena and Elena in California, Frenchies solve a problem every stylist knows well: metal pins that slip out of buns, updos, and extensions after hours of wear.

What Makes Frenchies Different From Regular Hairpins?

A standard U-shaped French hairpin is metal on metal. It has no grip, so it slides out of thick hair, loose curls, and heavy extensions within hours. Frenchies solve this by coating the traditional U-shaped pin in a velvety flocked fiber. The fiber creates a high friction surface that holds hair in place through long shoots, long shifts, and long nights out.

Frenchies hairpins are built around five specific advantages.

• Non-slip. The flocked coating grips hair instead of sliding against it.
• Extra strong hold. Updos, buns, braids, and twists stay set for hours.
• Soft to the touch. No poking or scratching, even with all-day wear.
• Color matched. Pins are made to match different hair colors, so they disappear into the style instead of standing out.
• Scalp-friendly. The fiber coating removes the scratching and irritation that come with bare metal.

Who Invented Frenchies and Why?

Frenchies was created by Elena and Elena, two working actresses, models, and dancers who spent long days in updos for film sets and performances. Regular metal hairpins never held. They slid out, poked the scalp, and caused real pain across sixteen-hour shooting days.

The idea came from an unlikely source: velvet non-slip hangers. When flocked, non-slip hangers hit the market, the two Elenas applied the same friction concept to a hairpin. Elena T handmade the first prototype with glue and flock, then handed it out to dancer friends to test. The feedback was immediate and positive, and Frenchies was born.

Turning the prototype into a real product took time. The pair filed for trademark and patent protection, built packaging and a website, and sourced a factory before they had ever run a manufacturing business. They started by walking into beauty supply and dance stores in person, product in hand, one of them pushing a newborn in a stroller between stops. They also placed pins directly in the hands of hairstylists working film and TV sets. Word spread from there, and celebrities and prima ballerinas began seeking Frenchies out by name.

How Do Flocked Hairpins Work to Keep Hair From Slipping?

The flocked fiber coating is the entire mechanism. Where a bare metal pin relies on tension alone, the velvety surface on a Frenchies pin creates friction against every strand it touches. That friction is what holds thick hair, heavy extensions, and full wigs in place for extended wear, without the pin needing to dig into the scalp to stay put.

What Challenges Have Frenchies Faced as a Growing Beauty Brand?

Frenchies has been through four distinct business challenges in recent years, and the brand has been transparent about each one.

The pandemic backed up ports for roughly three months, cutting off inventory at a critical stretch. Customers stayed patient through the shortage. Inflation has since pushed up raw material, labor, and shipping costs, and Frenchies has held pricing steady for loyal customers despite the pressure. The brand’s Instagram account was also hacked, with the hacker contacting customers and collaborators to try to extract personal information. Frenchies responded by standing up personal accounts immediately, publicly warning followers, and reaching out individually to active followers to flag the breach. Alongside all of it, the founders were running the business while raising young children through pandemic-era lockdowns, managing work calls and caregiving at the same time with no separation between the two.

Where Can You Buy Frenchies Hairpins?

Frenchies are sold directly through www.frenchieshairpins.com, on Amazon, and through other major retail platforms. The brand also supplies local beauty supply stores, salons, and dance stores, and continues to expand into new markets as word of mouth spreads through social media.

What’s Next for Frenchies?

Frenchies is actively growing its product line and says customer suggestions shape what gets built next. The founders stay in touch with their community through social media, email, and phone, and credit cross-promotion with other brands and supporters as a direct driver of their global reach.

Elena and Elena’s advice to other founders is direct. Write the idea down. Pin a visual reference where you will see it every day. Take the work in small steps, make lists, and cross off what gets done. Talk it through with people you trust, and if you can, build the business with a partner who believes in it as much as you do.