Assalamu alaikum. Most of us own both — a little dish of pins by the mirror, and a set of magnets in the hijab drawer. So the question is rarely whether to own them. It is which one to reach for. The honest answer: they do different jobs. Here is how to choose, fabric by fabric and moment by moment.
What each one actually does
A pin fastens two points together. It passes through the fabric and locks it to whatever is beneath — another layer of the wrap, or your underscarf. Where the pin is, the fabric does not travel.
A magnet holds the fabric itself. Two halves meet through the layers and hold them against each other. Nothing pierces anything. The hold is spread across the fabric instead of concentrated at one point.
We put it this way in our guide to How to Stop Your Hijab From Slipping, and it is still the cleanest way to think about it: pins hold points; magnets hold fabric.
The fabric question comes first
Before hold, ask what the fastening does to the hijab itself.
Every time a pin goes through a fabric, it parts the threads. On a sturdy weave, that is nothing to worry about. On a fine or smooth fabric, it can be: a pin can catch a thread and pull it, and on satin and silk a pin dragged as you adjust can leave a snag line, or a tiny hole that never quite disappears. It is not the pin that is the problem — it is how much a delicate fabric forgives. Delicate fabrics do not forgive much.
Magnets never pierce, so there is nothing to catch and nothing to pull. For your finest pieces — our Satin Sheen line is the one most women want to protect — a magnet is simply the kinder tool. The fabric comes off at night exactly as it went on.
Hold, honestly
Neither tool wins everywhere. It depends on what is being asked of it.
A magnet holds beautifully across a flat area. Under the chin, at the temple — anywhere the two halves can sit flat against each other through the layers, the hold is steady, and it can be lifted and reset in a second without leaving a mark.
A pin holds absolutely at one point. Once it is through, that point stays until you take it out. A magnet can shift if it is knocked or dragged — a long lean against a headrest, say. A pin does not shift. But every bit of that movement concentrates at the one pierced point, which is exactly where snags begin.
Thickness is the magnet's limit. The more layers stacked between the two halves, the less hold they have on each other. Through a double-folded edge or several wrapped layers at once, a pin is the surer tool.
And a word for the fabric in the middle: our Premium Georgette is slightly slippery, so it asks more of its fastening than most. A magnet under the chin handles the everyday drape well — but if your georgette style is layered or folded, that is pin territory.
When a pin is still the right tool
Magnets have not retired pins, and honestly, they should not:
- Anchoring the wrap to your underscarf. A pin at the side, through the wrap and into the cap beneath, locks the whole style to its base. A magnet can only hold layers it can close around.
- Holding a fold in an exact place. A pleat, a styled edge, a drape that must fall just so — a pin fixes that point, and the point stays.
- Thick, layered styling. Many folds, a doubled edge, several layers to fasten through at once.
- Finishing. Some pins are jewellery as much as tools — a pearl pin at the side is a deliberate part of the look. You will find ours among the hijab accessories, alongside snag-free pins, which are the gentler way to pin when the fabric is fine.
Placement basics
Magnets: one under the chin sets the drape for most styles. If the front edge still creeps back, add one at the temple. One half sits against your underscarf, the other outside the wrap — placed once, in the morning, and left alone.
Pins: pin through to the underscarf layer where you can, not just through the wrap itself — a point anchored to the base holds the whole style. And pin once, firmly. Re-pinning the same spot all day is hard on any fabric.
The simple decision guide
- Satin, silk, or any fine fabric you want to protect: magnet.
- An everyday drape to set under the chin: magnet. (Shop hijab magnets — in matte and metallic finishes.)
- One exact point that must not move — a fold, an edge, the side anchor into your underscarf: pin.
- Many layers to fasten through at once: pin.
- A Premium Jersey day: often neither. Premium Jersey is non-slip — on a good jersey day, the fabric does the holding itself.
Keep both, and let the fabric decide
This was never really a contest. Magnets for the fabric's sake and the everyday drape; pins for the exact point and the layered style. Most women end up with a small set of each and reach without thinking — because the choice was made by the fabric that morning, not by habit.
Every order from Concealed Muslimah comes with a free gift, and US shipping is free over $60 — so if your magnet set or your pin dish needs completing, it is an easy addition.
With love,
Your #CMFam