Hair fasteners and methods of manufacture thereof

A hair fastener in the form of a loop for securing a lock of hair within the loop, comprising an inner elastic core and an outer fabric enveloping the inner elastic core, wherein:

• the elastic core is made of a band resembling a circle having an integral, one piece structure free of any joint or connection between opposite ends, the band being formed as a continuous closed loop, and with a width of 2 to 6 mm and a thickness of 1 to 3 mm,
• the elastic core is made of silicone or a thermoplastic elastomer material selected from the group consisting of hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers (SEBS), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV), and
• the tensile stress of the band has a value of 3.02 to 4.08 MPa, and the band has a Shore Hardness A of 23.8 to 32.2,
• the elastic core has a circumferential length of 8-18 cm in its first default configuration,
• whereby due to a combination of dimensional configuration, physical configuration and material characteristics of the band, the fastener is adapted to assume a first, default, configuration in which an opening defined and surrounded by the loop has a first area and a second, fully expanded, configuration in which the opening defined and surrounded by the loop has a second area, and the band is elongateable up to 8.5 to 10 times of its original length thus enabling the first area of the loop to expand to the second area by a factor 72.3 to 100, and
• the outer fabric is sufficiently loose to provide room for maximum expansion of the band, and the outer fabric is loosely fitted around the inner core and is made of a loose cloth material but not knitted around the inner core and provided with room between the outer fabric and the inner core for expansion of the inner core within the room,
• the outer fabric is inelastic and arranged to prevent any direct surface attachment between the inner elastic core and the outer fabric during elongation, thereby maintaining a freely sliding relationship between the inner elastic core and the outer fabric throughout expansion and contraction.