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The things that we use in everyday life have become such intrinsic parts of our routine that we stopped wondering why they are the way that they are a long time ago. Sometimes even without fully understanding them. So, Bored Panda took a closer look at some of the most common items to show just how much thought was put into designing them. Hopefully, this will allow you to unlock their full potential!

#1

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The pom-poms on beanies and other hats. They might look cute and fluffy now but they had an actual function before. French sailors used to wear hats with pom-poms so that they wouldn't hurt their heads on the ceilings of the ship during rough weather.

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#2

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About Notebook margins. Remember the horror of realizing that “college ruled” notebook paper meant slimmer margins, and therefore left room for more writing? Well, believe it or not, those margins weren’t invented as a guide for how many sentences you could fit onto one page, or even to leave space for note-taking. Manufacturers began to apply margins to writing paper for the purpose of protecting your work. Earlier on in history, rats were a common resident in many people’s homes, and one of their favorite snacks was your paper, in addition to everything else they could munch on. Applying wide margins to paper safeguarded against losing important work by leaving blank spaces around the edges for the rats to chew through first, and to protect the writing on the outer edges from general wear and tear.

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#3

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About A lot of doorknobs are made out of brass because it destroys bacteria. So, these types of doorknobs are essentially germ-proof. Perfect in a household with lots of kids.

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Tiari
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Plus a fun fact: door knobs do not exist is many parts of the world ;)

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#4

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The half-belt on coats and jackets. Nowadays, half-belts are added to clothes mostly for the sake of style. However, they were originally used on oversized military jackets that doubled as blankets to gather up all the extra material so that soldiers could walk without stumbling.

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#5

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About You can use your screwdrivers as wrenches as well. A lot of screwdrivers can be easily slid through a wrench and are used to create more torque. This feature is especially helpful at complicated heights and angles.

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#6

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The fabric swatch. If you're curious about the world of fashion like we are, then you've probably wondered about those tiny squares of fabric with buttons in small Ziploc bags that come with new clothes. Sure, you can use the button to replace a missing one and you can use the piece of fabric to patch up a hole. But the main purpose of the fabric swatch is for you to test out different cleaning products on it so you won't ruin your clothes.

RJ News Report

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Lola
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve been buying clothes for a very long time and I have not gotten that little piece of fabric. I’ve gotten many buttons though.

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#7

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The ridges on the edges of some coins. Ridge patterns on coins are a relic of the past when precious metal coins would be as valuable as their weight. However, some sneaky rogues would shave off the edges of coins and use that metal to mint new coins while spending the shaved coins as if they didn't weigh less. The ridges were added so it would be obvious when somebody had shaved off parts of a coin and was trying to cheat the system.

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varwenea
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In some countries, they purposely design in different edges so blind people can tell which coin is what.

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#8

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The tiny buttons on your jeans. These buttons are known as rivets and they're the silent heroes that make your pants last longer. They're placed in the areas that are most likely to tear from movement or strain and help hold the fabric together.

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Stannous Flouride
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Developed by Levi Strauss in 1873 San Francisco who took blue denim and made them into work pants. At the time most men's trousers were what we might think of as slacks today. The fabric was so thick that the sewing machines of the day couldn't make strong enough connections at the stress points so he started using copper rivets. The crotch, where four pieces of fabric are joined originally had a rivet and he pooh-poohed complaints about it until (reportedly) he was sitting at a campfire with his legs apart and quite painfully learned first-hand how well copper conducts heat.

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#9

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The little arrow-like symbol on a dashboard. It’s not only you who, upon arrival at a gas station, has had to work hard at remembering which side your gas tank is on. It turns out, the answer has been right in front of you.

Every dashboard has a little symbol—an arrow or a triangle—placed near the gas gauge. It indicates precisely that which you forgot: which side your gas tank is on. If the arrow is pointing left, look for the filler cap there. If it is pointing right, you know what to do.

Tom Magliery Report

#10

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The extra eyelets on shoes. If you loop your laces through them, then you tighten the shoe around your ankle and prevent the shoe from moving around. This way you increase the stability of the shoe, decrease impact loading rates, and prevent your foot from moving about while climbing or descending hills and trails. It's great for jogging and hiking!

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#11

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The holes in pen caps. Some people can't help but chew the caps of their pens (tip: don't do this). However, it's a potential health hazard because you might swallow it and choke. The holes in the caps allow people to breathe in case that happens.

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Scagsy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can also use the plastic tube (emptied) for an emergency tracheotomy

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#12

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About Remember that drawer under your oven? The one where you keep your kitchen gear that doesn't belong anywhere else? It wasn’t actually designed for that. Manufacturers originally made that drawer for keeping food warm until you were ready to serve it. Now tell us how many people do you know who actually do this.

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#13

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The hole at the top of a lollipop stick. The Hole At The Top Of A Lollipop Stick. This weird little hole emerging after you finish a candy has been bugging us for years. Who would ever put a whistle there if it doesn't work?! It turns out, the reason for this lollipop stick hole has to do with manufacturing. When pouring hot, molten caramel into the mold, some of it seeps into this hole and hardens. It allows the candy to stay on the stick and not to fall off.

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#14

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The small holes on locks. They help drain water from locks which stop it from rusting and clogging up with gunk. You can also use the hole to oil the lock's inner mechanism and keep it in tip-top shape.

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#15

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The number "57" on a Heinz bottle. Apparently, the embossed number "57" on Heinz’s bottle is what the company’s spokesperson calls a soft spot. “All you need to do is apply a firm tap where the bottle narrows, and the ketchup will come out easier." No need to punch that bottle too much!

HeinzKetchup_US Report

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Blackheart
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is an absolute load of c**p. That is not why there is a 57, the 57 was supposed to stand for 57 varieties. The label appeared on glass bottles back in the day.and I can assure you, it would not have helped you get the ketchup out at all. In fact older commercials touted its thickness and included the song Anticipation by Carly Simon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoLoyg3JKRQ

09ckmoked avatar
Doggo Georgia
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And that's not even true. It was put on the bottles because Henry liked the number 57.

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MrTree1779
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who buys ketchup in glass bottles anymore? I haven't seen one of those in...years. Hell, the plastic, upside-down squeeze bottles solve the sheer force problems of "slow ketchup", won't shatter when they fall, are lighter, and are far more precise when adding ketchup to food.

carmen9369 avatar
Carmen Honacker
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whoohoo, I knew that! I learned that shortly after I moved to the US and was complaining about the ketchup not coming out of the bottle. This is when I learned this neat trick :D

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Łukasz Markuszewski
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ketchup in a bottle is one of the stupidest ideas humanity found. Jar rules, also plastic squishy bottles are ok.

09ckmoked avatar
Doggo Georgia
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Would you rather not have the FDA? Long story, comes from one my fav shows The Food That Built America. Though from your username it doesn't seem like you're from America. 🙃

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Tim Douglass
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have my doubts - but I buy catsup in plastic bottles anymore, so have no way to test this, but it doesn't pass my physics sniff-test.

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M Kate McCulloch
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

sweet spot. They also show the bottle at that angle because that angle allows air to get down the throat of the bottle allowing the ketchup to flow....

zanoni608 avatar
Patti Vance
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

discovered this decades ago on my first job as a waitress. one of the cooks showed this to me after i got yelled at by a customer for his inability to get the ketchup out of the bottle. after that, anytime i saw a customer struggling i would walk up, show them how to do it.

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Bill Taylor
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone who is older and from Pittsburgh knows this, cool fact.

marnidarr avatar
marnidarr
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why is this such a secret?? Did they like watching ketchup catastrophes??

babzzz1 avatar
WildBerry
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Another lie. It's because Heinz made 57 types of food products back in the day.

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Barb Evans
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am going to examine every Heinz bottle in the supermarket. (I don't have one at home)

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Steve Cruz
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back when ketchup used to sit out on the table, my stepdad would take the bottle and lay it sideways so it would settle and pour easier. Servers would reach for it and he would pull it away from them.

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Suebee70
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

...or you could simply slide a table knife into the bottle, against the side, and the vacuum holding the ketchup in is released. (Careful, it will flow out rather quickly when you do this)

dicartwright avatar
Diana Cartwright
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this sounds like someone's laughing at me, so I'm gonna have to try...

mattsmith31 avatar
Matthew Smith
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I knew this one, remember learning this from a TV program before the internet.

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CatWoman312
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a friend teach me this. You put the ketchup and 57 degrees and tap the bottle. The ketchup will come out almost always

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Freya the Wanderer
Community Member
3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

freyathewanderer_1 avatar
Freya the Wanderer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Contrary to what you may have read or heard, 57 does not refer to the number of products or pickle varieties Heinz made at any particular time. It's just a nice-sounding number.

babzzz1 avatar
WildBerry
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Freya - google is your friend. Look it up. It DOES refer to exactly that.

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Richard Brown
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The 57 marks the spot but also the 57 itself represents the number of varieties of sauces, as it says on the bottle

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#16

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About You might think that wooden coat hangers are simply a fancier version of the ones made from plastic or wire. But in reality, they actually have a unique purpose to them. These closet hangers aren't just made from any wood. They're from cedarwood, which is known to repel bugs and moths. Not to mention its refreshing scent and durability. These hangers are perfect for heavy clothing that is susceptible to damage from insects, such as coats and jackets or dresses. Especially those that were made from wool.

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Electric Ed
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A bit of a generalization here... Closet hangers are made out of any wood (just go to Ikea and see for yourself). Only cedar closet hangers are made out of cedar. I think I have one made of cedar wood, the rest are probably birch.

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#17

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About Double-colored erasers. The different-colored sides are used to erase marks made by different pencils on different types of paper. While the soft pinkish-orange side is used for light grades of paper and lighter pencil marks, the blue side is meant for grainier, tougher paper and darker marks. The blue side was later promoted for removing pen marks because a lot of people didn't understand what it was meant for.

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Rahul Eluri
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still remember damaging paper trying to erase pen with this eraser

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#18

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About Aside from the obvious use for buttons, you might have wondered why the ones women’s shirts are on the left. Especially when you consider that most people are right-handed. Turns out, putting the buttons on the left of clothes is an old tradition carried over from a time when buttons represented your social and financial status. If you owned buttons, you probably were being dressed by a chambermaid, and the buttons on your left were on her right when she was facing you.

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#19

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The ridges on the “F” and “J” keys on the keyboard. They help your fingers find their location on the keyboard. This way you can type without having to glance down much easier.

Javier Morales Report

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Data1001
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm very surprised if this is not widely known. I make use of that all the time.

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#20

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The holes in the handles of utensils. Sure, they're great when you want to hang your pan or pot on a wall but they're also perfect for holding spoons and ladles while cooking. That way, you won't get your kitchen counter messy!

Acuity_Design Report

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Chris Jones
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone told me that if you place a wooden spoon across a pan it stops it boiling over... so I do that instead and so far so good!

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#21

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About Long bottle-necks. The shape of a beer or a soda bottle is so familiar, nobody would think twice about it. But it turns out this long bottleneck is shaped this way on purpose.

According to “Interesting Engineering,” such a design allows packers to seal off the top with a small bottle cap, reducing the size of the seal and thus saving money. Plus, it’s practical, since a small seal on a beverage container is stronger and more reliable than one which covers a larger area.

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#22

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About Have you ever wondered why keyboard letters are arranged the way they are? To find the answer to this question, we need to take a look at the first keyboard ever invented. It belonged to the typewriter. Originally, keys were arranged in alphabetical order but typists got so good at their job that they would end up typing too fast and the key “arms” would get cross-wired and stuck. So, keyboard manufacturers had to randomize the order of keys to intentionally slow down typists to keep the machine running, and we haven’t changed it back to this day.

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Colin L
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"DVORAK" keyboards are designed for minimal finger movement so you can maximize your typing speed. Culturally, we are stuck with the QWERTY keyboards though.

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#23

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About In the 1970s, cleaning the mouth to keep it healthy wasn’t enough; people wanted something in the toothpaste to freshen the breath, too. Aquafresh answered the call by adding in a blue stripe to their paste to indicate that it could do both. After people began paying more attention to the health of their gums, the brand added a 3rd red stripe to their product, indicating that their paste now had triple action; cleaning, freshening, and plaque control. Even though solid white toothpaste offers the same benefits, companies continue to add stripes to their paste because it still sells.

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Tiari
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is not really “A Hidden Feature Most People Fail To Notice“...

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#24

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About If you fly a lot, then maybe you’ve rolled over the possible uses for the tiny hole in your airplane window a time or two before. It actually serves two purposes: first, it allows airflow through to keep from too much pressure building in the plane and busting the window as it rises in altitude, and second, it keeps the windows from fogging up with all the warm breath of the passengers.

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#25

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The delicious Toblerone candy bar was first manufactured in Switzerland, so it is easy to see why people assume that the odd triangular shape of the candy bar is a shout out to the Swiss Alps. Actually, the design of the chocolate bar is all about function, not aesthetic. The pieces are in triangles so that if you press on one of them with your thumb, it will snap off easily and leave you with the perfect sized serving.

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chi-wei shen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The perfectly sized serving of Toblerone is one complete bar at least (unless it is one of those giant bars).

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#26

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The brushes on the sides of escalators aren’t for polishing your shoes. You may have been using these escalator brushes to clean your shoes, however, these bristles are actually a big safety feature. One of the biggest reasons for escalator mishaps is people getting their clothes and bags stuck in them when they stand too close to the sides.

These nylon bristles play with your mind and make you keep your feet away from the escalator’s skirt panels, hence avoiding accidents.

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#27

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About The little slot at the end of measuring tape. Most measuring tapes come with a metal stub with a small slot on the end. In case all your hands are full, hang the slot on a nail for measurement. If you look closely, you will also notice that the stub is slightly serrated on one side. It can be used to mark the points without a pencil.

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Scagsy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, you can use the long yellow section for measuring the length of things. Fact.

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#28

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About A teeny-tiny pocket that's seemingly pointless. If you’re wearing a good ol’ pair of jeans, chances are it has a teeny-tiny pocket above the regular pockets on the front. The same place where you get your thumb stuck now and then. It was originally meant to tuck in a hand watch. Levi’s points out it has served more purposes throughout the years, like storing coins, matches, and tickets.

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#29

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About What Are These Circles On A Window Of A Bus And What Do They Do?

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#30

30 Everyday Things With 'Hidden' Features You Probably Didn't Know About When you see a person with bobby pins in their hair, they’re usually wavy side up. This is because they probably assume the curves in the pin are there for fashion. The true purpose for the little waves, however, is to grip the pin into place by catching it to the underlying bulk of hair. In other words, wavy side down.

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SashaAlexandra
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Saw that info everywhere but that is not true. If you see that pin - the end of the wavy side is bent up. If you wear that wavy side down - that end would point to your skin directly. And the coat of those ends usually fell off. So you will get a sharp metal scratching your skin while wearing it.

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