Metal in hairtoys

[YumiYume]

Hi

I did search but did not find the answer, I wonder how come metal on hairties, metalclips (those who bends over hair) are well known damageing but metal in hairsticks, bobby pins, amish pins, spinpins, forks etc. are ok to use? dont they press itself against the hair just as much as metal on a hairtie? why do metal cause damage?

Im sorry if it has an obvios answer but I am not good at this :P. I myself have a hairstick in wood and plastic clawclips and then soft cotton hairties for sleep, but when I search for new toys and try to avoid metal I dont find any amishpins in like horn or bone

thank you for your time and sorry for my bad english writing :flower:

[Coolcombination]

Metal is a problem on hair ties because when you take them out, they rip and break hairs around your ponytail, metal hair sticks should be fine :)

[YumiYume]

Ooh I see, so it is not the metal itself :o, thank you for your answer :)

[LadyCelestina]

Bobby pins as well are considered damaging by some,for the same reason.

As long as you are careful with it,metal in hair stuff (when I read the title I though you were looking for music genre inspired toys) is pretty okay.

[YumiYume]

Oh I see, thank you :) so metal is only damaging if I cant use the hairtoy gentle, or if it is formed so hair can get stuck easy, thats good to know :)

I have had a metalcomb before with a wire on top to hold pearls, but my hair always got stuck in and under and ripped off and tangled and then those hairties and my daughters meta hairclips that always ripps hair off, guess I just assosiated all bad things with metal being damaging =/

I feel a bit stupid, sounds so logical when you guys explains it :P

Sorry I should have added damage in the title did not think about the confusion it could make =/

[Kaelee]

Yep. Or if it has sharp edges. My metal hair fork is smooth and polished all the way around. There is absolutely nothing to cut or snag hairs. Some of the cheaper metal hair accessories, like "French" barrettes (not REAL French barrettes, those are made beautifully and are generally safe), are cheaply made with rough/sharp edges (not polished) and have bits that are loose or able to snag hairs.

[swearnsue]

Even plastic can be damaging to hair! Especially combs because they are not smooth along the teeth or at the base. Check any new hair toy by rubbing on something made of silk to determine if there are rough spots before you use in your hair.

[LadyCelestina]

Sorry I should have added damage in the title did not think about the confusion it could make =/
Oh wow no :D If you are pointing to my remark about metal inspired hair toys,then the title didn't cause any confusion,it is okay even without the word "damage",I am just a bit slow sometimes :D

[chen bao jun]

Yea, be careful because the toy can appear not to hurt your hair and six months later you find you have a bunch of shorter hair where you clip the toy on.

[Venefica]

Metal in hair ties create a pinch effect so hair get trapped in the seams and in between the metal and the elastic and when you take it out it then rip, tug and so on, not a problem if you use it once in a while, but if you rip out a hair or two extra every day, all year around that might make a difference, a metal hair stick for example will not pinch in that way. However you should always run your fingers over a new metal, or any material, toy to check that it do not have sharp edges that can cut your hair.

[Peggy E.]

I've had problems with ficcares, which you wouldn't expect to have any damaging affects to your hair. My hair wants to get wrapped around the alligator clip mechanism.

You simply have to be very careful when using any objects in your hair, regardless the materials!

[0xalis]

Sharp edges and snaggy things! :p
Almost anything can be damaging... I found some hair in the zipper of my SATIN pillowcase!!! :S

[Sillage]

Almost anything can be damaging...

Too true! I was getting damage from non metal ponytail holders (a line of broken hair right where the ponytail holder should be). Can't imagine how much worse it would have been with sharp metal in the mix.

[YumiYume]

thank you all for your time and explonations it all makes sence :). it is scary how carefull I have to be, even if the material seems okey, but thanks to you guys it will be easier to find out what I can and cannot use, no mather the material :). But I did find plastic amihs pins im my cellar I had forgotten I bought years ago, yay ^^. thank you again :flower:



Oh wow no :D If you are pointing to my remark about metal inspired hair toys,then the title didn't cause any confusion,it is okay even without the word "damage",I am just a bit slow sometimes :D

okey ^^, no I dont think your slow :)! and that is also what the cute kitty in your profile picture tells my kitty in my picture ^^


[...] Check any new hair toy by rubbing on something made of silk to determine if there are rough spots before you use in your hair.

brilliant idea, thank you :)!!

peggy e: that does not sound fun :(. what is your favorite hairtoys you use instead?

emilylightning: ouch, hope the zipper wont do it again :(

sillage: I get that damage of soft haities aswell, it is sad because I like having a braid so during daytime I secure it with two small clawclips clipped together :)

[Knifegill]

Bumping old thread for new opinions.

I was under the impression that most materials that touch my hair should be of a hardness close to or lower than the hair itself (keratin). I thought that was the main reason most of us use wood, etc., in their hair. Wouldn't any metal in the hair be doing pretty good damage at the microscopic level, scraping off scales and wearing hairs thin? Can metal possibly be smooth enough to pose no threat? Is this a more complex issue, where smoothness and hardness both come into play?

[Anje]

Wouldn't any metal in the hair be doing pretty good damage at the microscopic level, scraping off scales and wearing hairs thin? Can metal possibly be smooth enough to pose no threat? Is this a more complex issue, where smoothness and hardness both come into play?

I think it's not only a function of the hardness of the material, but also how tightly your hair is pressed against it. I can make a bun REALLY tight, so that inserting a stick into it probably would cause damaging amounts of rubbing and breakage, especially if the stick wasn't smooth. But I usually make them looser, so my smooth hairstick slips in rather easily. There's not much more friction there than is necessary to hold the stick in place and stop the hair from uncoiling, so I doubt the hair would be rubbing against it firmly enough to cause any damage at all.

I don't choose my materials based on hardness. If there's a reason that many users here are more likely to use wooden sticks than metal ones, I imagine that it's because it's a lot easier for most crafters to work wood than metal. The materials and tools are easier to come by and the skills easier to learn. And it's really easy to make short-ish hairsticks out of pen blanks. :)

[meteor]

I agree with Anje's points.

I'd add that I think it's all about the smoothness of material (no snags or embellishments catching hairs) but also the relatively loose, light hold (as opposed to hard hold) - so the hold should keep all the hair up securely, but without squeezing it too much.
That's why I am not 100% sure about safety of really tight metal clips (but metal sticks/forks/U-pins are fine because there is no squeezing involved) and about safety of strong angled torquing of sticks and forks - this really pulls on hair.

[Knifegill]

Thanks for your replies!