Are your hair accessories snapping, rusting, or falling apart after just a few uses? It’s probably because your supplier isn’t using the right materials.
Professional hair accessories factories use premium textiles, reinforced plastics, stainless metals, and safe adhesives to ensure durability, safety, and comfort across styles like clips, bands, and pins.
As the founder of HairAcc, a headwear manufacturer in China, I’ve spent 15+ years sourcing and testing materials for global fashion brands. Let me show you what goes into high-quality hair accessories—and why it matters for your profit.
What materials are used in hair styling?
Hair styling accessories need to grip, stretch, and hold without damaging the hair or irritating the scalp. That’s a high-performance job—and it takes the right mix of flexible, skin-safe, and durable materials.
Professional factories use elastic blends, soft-touch fabrics, silicone linings, and non-snag metals in headbands, scrunchies, and clips for safe and long-lasting styling.
Common materials used in professional styling products
| Material Type | Common Use | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Elastic Nylon/Spandex | Scrunchies, hair ties | High stretch, shape recovery |
| Velvet / Cotton / Satin | Headbands, widebands | Skin comfort, anti-frizz |
| Food-grade Silicone | Anti-slip headbands, sweatbands | Grip without pulling |
| PET or TPU Plastic | Hair combs, flexible clips | Recyclable, impact-resistant |
| Alloy + Epoxy | Decorative pins, hair sticks | Durable, easy to plate/color |
How we source and test at HairAcc:
- UV-resistance test for summer-use accessories
- Wash test (30× cycle) for sweatbands & bands
- Stretch recovery test for elastics and headbands
- Prop 65 & REACH compliant textile sourcing
- OEKO-TEX certified dyeing partners
In styling tools, it's not just how it looks—it's how it grips, moves, and lasts.
What is the profit margin on hair accessories?
Margins are the lifeblood of any retail business. You might wonder: with such small products, is there really room for profit?
Yes—hair accessories often carry profit margins of 50% to 200%, especially for branded, bundled, or customized designs sold in gift sets, retail, or online stores.
Profit potential breakdown by sales model:
| Sales Channel | Typical Margin | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale to Retailer | 30%–60% | Lower risk, high volume |
| Direct-to-Consumer | 100%–200% | Higher return, requires marketing effort |
| Subscription Box | 80%–150% | Strong for seasonal or themed accessories |
| Custom Gifting | 150%+ | Branded packs for events or promotions |
What drives higher profit?
- Low unit cost from bulk + direct factory sourcing
- Low return rate from better material and construction
- Added value via packaging, branding, and storytelling
At HairAcc, many of our clients order scrunchie headbands for $0.45 to $0.60 per unit and retail them at $3 to $8 depending on market.
Margins grow even more when accessories are used as brand tokens or upsell add-ons.
What materials are used in hair clips?
Hair clips come in many shapes, colors, and sizes—but the materials behind them determine whether they’ll be strong, safe, and stylish.
Professional manufacturers use reinforced plastic, metal alloys, resin, acrylic, and fabric-wrapped finishes to produce hair clips that are durable, lightweight, and fashion-forward.
Types of materials by hair clip category:
| Clip Style | Base Material | Finishing/Decoration |
|---|---|---|
| Claw Clip | ABS/PC Plastic | Matte, gloss, marble resin |
| Bobby Pin | Iron / Carbon Steel | Epoxy coating, painting |
| Alligator Clip | Zinc Alloy / Steel | Ribbon wrapped, pearls |
| Snap Clip | Stainless Steel | Fabric cover, printed logo |
| Hair Stick / Kanzashi | Wood / Alloy | Paint, crystal, carving |
What to watch for:
- Low-quality plastic = breakage
- Uncoated metal = rust risk
- Poor spring tension = slippage
- Heavy resin = scalp discomfort
At HairAcc, we only use nickel-free plating and OEKO-TEX glue for hair clip assembly, ensuring safety and longevity.
Are hair accessories profitable?
Hair accessories are small. But the profits? Surprisingly big.
Hair accessories are one of the most profitable fashion categories due to low material cost, high customization potential, and fast trend turnover.
What makes hair accessories a high-margin category?
- Low starting capital – You can start with 500–1,000 units
- High perceived value – Velvet headbands, pearl pins, scrunchies all feel “premium”
- Brandable – Easy to add logos, tags, packaging for identity
- Easy to bundle – Gift sets and multi-packs raise order value
- Evergreen + seasonal – Everyday + holiday + wedding demand
Even better, they’re lightweight and ship cheaply worldwide. We’ve helped brands in the US and EU turn a $1.5 landed cost into $9.99 retail SKUs—profitably.
At HairAcc, our team supports everything from design to DDP shipping—so you focus on branding, not logistics.
Conclusion
Materials matter. And when you choose the right supplier, you get the right mix of quality, style, and safety—while keeping your margins healthy. At HairAcc, we believe beautiful headwear starts with smart sourcing. That’s why we test, trace, and improve every element we use—from velvet bands to claw clip hinges.
