Wanting to try using hair sticks, have a few questions....

[Alarice]

Hello, everyone!
I've been wanting to try hair sticks, but due to my hair type/lack of experience I'm kind of nervous to buy any without checking a few things first.

My hair is somewhere between fine and medium, very straight, and doesn't have a lot of volume (ponytail circ. is a little over 3 inches).
When I use bobby pins, I typically have to use a lot of them to keep my style from falling down/out. And then, of course, I have to take them all back out later. I'm a low-maintenance person, so I'd like to switch to sticks, but I'm not sure what kind to get for my hair type:
-Forks or sticks?
-If sticks, should I get ones that have a straight shaft, a wavy shaft, or that spiral-groove thing running down them? (I'm assuming curves of some kind would be better, but for all I know, maybe straight is fine if you know how to use them..:confused:)
-Is there a certain material that would work better for me (wood/bone/synthetic)?
-If my hair is tailbone length, but not with a full hemline (it's on the thin side all down the length), what length stick would you recommend?
-Is there a way to/do I have to clean hair sticks? I would imagine they'd get at least a little buildup over time...

Augghh, that snowballed into several questions! Thanks so much if you read this far, I would appreciate any tips you may have.:blushing:

[Nebulae]

My hair is thinner (and shorter) than yours and sticks is what I mostly use to put my hair up with. You should have no problems with it. :)
I own straight and wavy sticks, I find that the straight ones hold better. It probably depends on technique and hair type.
I Haven't noticed a difference in materials. Just go with whatever you think looks nicest.
I use mostly 6" sticks, but they are a bit too long for me unless they have decorations on top but I hope to grow into them. Forks should be shorter.
Haven't cleaned any hair toys yet, but I imagine a damp cloth would do the job.

Hope that helps. :)

[PraiseCheeses]

Ack, all those bobby pins would drive me nuts too.

For comparisons: my hair's about an inch and a half shorter than yours, very fine, average slip, and ponytail circumference is somewhere between 2.75" and 3" without too much taper. I'll put my answers in bold. Hopefully something will be helpful! :)


Hello, everyone!
I've been wanting to try hair sticks, but due to my hair type/lack of experience I'm kind of nervous to buy any without checking a few things first.

My hair is somewhere between fine and medium, very straight, and doesn't have a lot of volume (ponytail circ. is a little over 3 inches).
When I use bobby pins, I typically have to use a lot of them to keep my style from falling down/out. And then, of course, I have to take them all back out later. I'm a low-maintenance person, so I'd like to switch to sticks, but I'm not sure what kind to get for my hair type:
-Forks or sticks? Forks generally have more stability, especially when inserted vertically like in the Figure 8, and take up more room so buns might look bigger. :D Sticks I find to be more elegant and easier to insert. I usually reach for my sticks over forks right now, but I go through phases.

-If sticks, should I get ones that have a straight shaft, a wavy shaft, or that spiral-groove thing running down them? (I'm assuming curves of some kind would be better, but for all I know, maybe straight is fine if you know how to use them..:confused:)YMMV significantly, but I definitely can't use anything besides straight sticks. Bends and twists displace more hair and pull apart my bun as they go through, so I end up with an unstable bun that nevertheless pulls really tightly on just a few hairs. Ouch! If you go for a fork, an overall curve to fit your head will make a HUGE difference in comfort, as well as not stick out as much.

-Is there a certain material that would work better for me (wood/bone/synthetic)?It depends. Nicely finished wood can feel just as smooth as acrylic. Then again, with 1a/F slippery hair, you might need a slightly rougher surface so your hair doesn't slither out. :p

-If my hair is tailbone length, but not with a full hemline (it's on the thin side all down the length), what length stick would you recommend? I find 5.5" or 6" to be perfect, depending on what bun I do. Try getting some cheap chopsticks or pencils and cutting them to different lengths to get an idea of what you like.

-Is there a way to/do I have to clean hair sticks? I would imagine they'd get at least a little buildup over time... The only things I have to clean are my combs and brushes - nothing else seems to get much buildup Oil is probably good for wood, and acrylics can be wiped with soap and water.

Augghh, that snowballed into several questions! Thanks so much if you read this far, I would appreciate any tips you may have.:blushing:

[untothehills]

I'm not sure about hair type (my hair is curly, not straight), but with knitting, it is helpful to have needles with a bit of grip so that the yarn doesn't slip off all the time, especially if the yarn is smooth. I would recommend wood or bone over plastic anyway because of durability, but also because they would have more grip to hold up hair. My wood hair sticks and forks stay in whereas my plastic hair stuff starts to wiggle out over time. I feel like forks stay in better, too, but with both forks and sticks it took a lot of practice for me to get it right.

I have never cleaned my hair sticks, either. I oil my wood ones occasionally, if they feel "thirsty", but that is it.

Good luck!

[Magalo]

We have pretty much the same hair type, but yours is longer. Thinner sticks don't work in my hair, they pull single hair and I can't seem to make them tight enough. Ketylos didn't work neither, but I can't tell if it's because they are thin, or because they are curvy. Thick, straight sticks works wonder (think Lady Idun, Elymwold) but FORKS are definetly the most secure and comfortable. You should try a 3-prongs forks. :)

[Alarice]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses! They were all very helpful, I appreciate it.:D