Patent ID: 7766020

Claim:
A hair retaining clip comprising: a first clip member; a second clip member pivotally connected to the first clip member, wherein the first and second clip members are movable between a generally open configuration and a generally closed configuration; a hair gripping component, fixedly attached to the first clip member, that is made from a relatively soft material; and a biasing member, fixedly attached to the first clip member and positioned between the first clip member and the second clip member when the hair retaining clip is in the generally open configuration, wherein the hair gripping component extends from the first clip member toward, but does not extend past, the biasing member such that the hair gripping component is shielded from contact with hair within the hair retaining clip by the interposed biasing member when the hair retaining clip is in the open configuration, and the interposed biasing member is compressed by the second clip member to a position where at least a portion of the hair gripping component extends beyond the biasing member and contacts the hair within the hair retaining clip when the hair retaining clip is in the closed configuration.