Ugh-bobby pins, need I say more. My daughter took ballet lessons for 11 years! She loved ballet. At least a few times a week, we would have to put her hair in a bun. It was time-consuming and a hassle when I couldn't find the bobby pins I needed. While she was a lovely ballerina, I dreaded looking for bobby pins! So, over the years, we had bought and lost my fair share of bobby pins!
The bobby pins never seem to get back to the container or bin we have for them. I would find them everywhere - in the sock drawer, on the kitchen floor, in the car side pocket, in a pencil box, in the backpack, in the shower - they were everywhere!
Over the years, I came across several creative ways for storing bobby pins. Here are 8 ways to store bobby pins.
Upright Paper Clip Holders are handy for quick access.
But, note that if you use it, get a large opening in the container because they can get stuck inside because of the magnet and the only way to get it out would be to take the lid off.
A magnetic strip attached to the inside of a vanity mirror, bathroom cabinet door or drawer.
A hidden place works nicely. Note: you will not be able to take it with you, though. It's a good idea to have a backup location to store bobby pins while in transit. 
Use a tic tac(R) container to hold bobby pins as well.
Empty out the container and break the label seal around the top. Wash it out and then add the bobby pins to it and reattach the lid. If you want you can re-tape the edges of the top. Be sure not to tape the flap that opens.
Store in small mason jars with a lid.
Mason jars are so useful. I use them often because they are cheap and durable. The smallest size mason jar works great for holding small items.
Keep your Altoids(R) container and store them inside.
Use contact paper and affix it to the top for a decorative look.
The key is to have a place small enough to keep them organized and easily accessible. If the container is too large, you are going to have an issue with them getting tangled. And, when you need it, you will have to go through and disconnect them from one another. For some more examples, here are the ways I organized bobby pins.
TRAVEL TO AND FROM COLLEGE CONTAINER:
When I was in college, this is where I would keep my bobby pins. It was a cute sturdy box that held up for years. But, it was a smaller size so if I needed to bring the bobby pins with me, like traveling back and forth to college, I was able to do that easily.
DIVIDED DRAWER ORGANIZERS:
When my daughter was in Kindergarten, I use to hide the bobby pins in my vanity drawer in one of these drawer organizers. A drawer organizer worked well organizing the bobby pins but I couldn't take them with me when we would travel. Instead, I would add the bobby pins to a resealable small snack bag and put it in my traveling bag.
PUSHPIN CONTAINERS:
But, as she got older, I needed to find something for her to use. I found this push-pin holder that worked for her. It doesn't have a lip so the bobby pins come right out with wand attached to the lid. I found it in the clearance section at an office supply store. Cool, right? The magnet actually pulls out the bobby pins for me. Nice!
Did you know there were that many places to store bobby pins? It's surprising to me too. Here are some additional information and tips about bobby pins and how to make buns WITHOUT bobby pins. A great tip my daughter does almost every day for school. She's still a ballerina at heart.
Here is some great information on how to use bobby pins curated by Good Housekeeping.
Check out this video tutorial on how to make a bun without bobby pins by The Pages of Ink.
With any organizing project, the system may need to change and be updated when it doesn't work any longer for you and your family. So, hopefully, you will come back and revisit this post for other creative ideas for organizing those pesky bobby pins.
Now it's your turn, what do you do with your small bobby pins? If you don't have bobby pins, do you use these small containers for other small organizing items? Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
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Only having boys, I was surprised to find out that bobby pins were still around - now I get it, with dance. 🙂 You've come up with some really creative storage ideas, Sabrina!
Such creative ways to store bobby pins! During our daughters' dance lesson years, did their bobby pin storage old school and kept the bobby pins affixed to the cardboard packaging that they came on. I would have loved to instead have had that cool magnetic push pin jar that you showed.
I think ballet alone accounts for about 80% of bobby pin use! My daughter did this for awhile, and she has a TON of hair. I found the altoid container was one of the easiest options - perfect size, and you could keep a couple of them around (one in the dance bag, one in the drawer, one in the car....)
Thanks for all these ideas Sabrina! My daughter is in ballet as well and bobby pins end up all over our home. I like the mason jar idea... I use the large ones for so many things but never thought about the small ones for bobby pins.