U-shaped pins?

[Sharysa]

I hate bobby pins because they barely work in my thick hair, plus it takes forever to get them out. So I bought a box of the U-shaped hair-pins for two or three dollars.

My understanding is that you stick them through the hair you want pinned open side down, twist them up or to the side, and then stick them into nearby scalp hair, but they still don't seem to hold very well even for small pieces of hair.

Anyone else use this type of pin?

[HaMalka]

I use this of pin. How I put them in depends on the style I'm doing. Usually I sort of weave them through my hair making sure to grab some scalp hair. My main problem with them is that mine get bent out of shape and I have to bend them bake into shape when I take them out.

[StellaKatherine]

I have a couple very long ones, they very old ones and they hold very well. But the small ones that you can buy usually in stores do nothing to my hair. Or I just do not know how to use them properly :)

[ooglipoo]

Sharysa, your hair is so thick and abundant that you may find they don't work so well... :(

The way I use them, which seems to work okay for me is that I hold the pin so the points are touching each other, then use it like a stick or a fork, pointing backwards, gripping scalp hair, then bun hair, alternately, kind of weaving it in... Then when you let go of the pin, the points of the U pop apart, and that tension is what helps hold them in your hair.

Are you talking about Amish pins, because those are what? Steel or some pretty un-bendable metal, shaped so they don't bend easily...

[ravenreed]

I can't get the cheap ones to work at all for me. I use crinkled Amish hair pins, and they work much better because they are stronger. However, U pins don't do the same thing that bobbies do. Bobbies are more like barrettes in holding back small bits of hair. U pins work more like mini hair forks. HTH!

[Laurenji]

Yeah, U pins I put in more like little tiny hair forks. I also agree that Amish pins or ones made out of thicker metal hold much better for me than the cheap ones (although I did use the cheaper ones successfully for many years before I got my Amish pins.)

[ooglipoo]

Very apt description! Just like mini hair forks... :D

[Aderyn]

U shaped hairpins never work for securing a hairstyle for me. They're good for pinning down looses bits of hair or providing a little bit of additional stability, but they're really not something I rely on.

Amish pins, though, are great for securing hair. I've ordered a few packs online, 10-12 pins for about $4. These work much better as "mini forks" in my experience. I prefer the straight, non-crinkled amish hair pins around 2.5 inches long (though I have a pack of shorter and longer ones just in case). Crinkled works fine, too.

[Sharysa]

I bought the modern ones that are a bit crinkled and essentially look like bobby pins with more space between the tines. How do you use hair forks if the technique is the same as with pins?

As for the Amish pins, what makes them so good aside from being made of steel? I'm not going to buy any just yet, but I won't be bothered if the cheaper pins are useless for my hair.

[Anje]

As for the Amish pins, what makes them so good aside from being made of steel? I'm not going to buy any just yet, but I won't be bothered if the cheaper pins are useless for my hair.
I prefer the stiffness of the Amish variety to standard U-shaped hairpins. The cheap ones just bent under the weight of my hair, and by LHC standards my hair isn't very heavy.

I could try to talk you through the hair fork/Amish pin procedure, but really, the easiest thing to do is look for videos on YouTube. You'll get a much better idea faster than I can write anything that makes any sense.

[duchess67]

If you don't mind me asking, could you please tell me where you order Amish pins from?



U shaped hairpins never work for securing a hairstyle for me. They're good for pinning down looses bits of hair or providing a little bit of additional stability, but they're really not something I rely on.

Amish pins, though, are great for securing hair. I've ordered a few packs online, 10-12 pins for about $4. These work much better as "mini forks" in my experience. I prefer the straight, non-crinkled amish hair pins around 2.5 inches long (though I have a pack of shorter and longer ones just in case). Crinkled works fine, too.

[duchess67]

I googled and found Amish pins on ebay :)

[Sharysa]

Okay, I just realized that all the videos I've seen use half-up braids or ponytails for an anchoring point--I just didn't notice earlier because most of the girls had dark hair.

Do you need a ponytail to use u-shaped pins?

[Tosca]

I usually only use u shaped pins for cinnabuns. I haven't used them recently on my hair without a ponytail, but back when my hair was waist length, they held it up quite well without one.

I find the long ones worked best for me, and I use them like bobby pins in a bun.

[Sharysa]

I'm thinking I'll need the longer ones as well, since my hair's so thick. I've sort of got the hang of pinning hair back, but I think they keep falling out because they're just a little too short.

[Aderyn]

My hair's a bit thicker than yours, a little longer and though it does have a bit of taper, 2.5 inch works well. 3 inch pins are very nice to have on hand as well, and 2 inch pins are nice, though not as necessary. Just depends on the bun, really.

The last amish pins I bought were from Mennonite Maidens, I think the name is.

[duchess67]

Thanks Aderyn. It was from the same seller I bought a pack of 12 last night off ebay. I went for 2.5 inch ones after reading your previous post.




My hair's a bit thicker than yours, a little longer and though it does have a bit of taper, 2.5 inch works well. 3 inch pins are very nice to have on hand as well, and 2 inch pins are nice, though not as necessary. Just depends on the bun, really.

The last amish pins I bought were from Mennonite Maidens, I think the name is.

[Laurenji]

With my hair I prefer the 3" ones - they go all the way from one side of my cinnabun to the other. They're almost too long, but I like them that way. I feel they really keep my hair better that way.

I also use the little short ones (like the 2" or less? Not sure of the size) for securing crown braids or pinning double braids up.

I find they work so much better than the cheap kind because like Anje said, the cheap, thin ones always bend in my hair, so they don't really hold nearly as well. The Amish pins hold SO much better because they are stiffer and thicker and just have more structure.

[Paranda Belle]

U shaped pins are great once you get the hang of them. But us long hairs need to use the amish, or the bun heads ones which are thicker and don't bend. I use U shaped pins from India. If you have an Indian grocery store near you, have a look for some. They are thick, with waves in and cheap but the black coating does come off.

[Sharysa]

Yeah, I noticed that just trying to pin up a bit of hair kept bending the pin out of shape. :p It's most likely a combination of being too small and being made from whatever bobby pins are made from. Definitely going to spring for Amish pins whenever I get the chance. (They're not too expensive, but I'm a college student.)

[eternallyverdan]

I'm a big fan of U-pins! Amish pins are great, but they're quite pricey for me, and I'm one who loses hair pins all the time. I recently bought a box of these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NJE22U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) off Amazon, and they've been working wonderfully so far-- they're nice and thick, and they don't bend unless you want them to. My hair is reasonably thick and about knee-length, and I need 6-8 of them for a good cinnamon bun.

[Achlys]

This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b_v4zU3uY0) explains it pretty well. It's important that they go in the opposite direction first. You don't actually need to make a ponytail, regular twisting is fine.

[Sharysa]

Oh crap, I forgot to mention that I don't want to use them for buns--I want to use them for things like crown-braids or just half-up types of styles.

Also, I've already seen that video--good to know it's a nice one.

[Achlys]

I think it's quite similar with crown braids, except you stick them through the side of the braid, not the side of a bun. And you can do a bunned half-up? :D They're not very good when it comes to securing small untwisted pieces of hair, though. But it is somewhat possible, as the video shows. Maybe it works with your hair type.

[Sharysa]

I can't do buns because my hair is too heavy. Even a braided bun sags, poofs out, or starts pulling after a couple hours. Still, plugging along with trying to make these things work on thick hair.

If I can't use these for pinning up bits of hair, then I'll be fine with bobby pins.

[Radiant]

I'm a big fan of U-pins! Amish pins are great, but they're quite pricey for me, and I'm one who loses hair pins all the time. I recently bought a box of these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NJE22U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) off Amazon, and they've been working wonderfully so far-- they're nice and thick, and they don't bend unless you want them to. My hair is reasonably thick and about knee-length, and I need 6-8 of them for a good cinnamon bun.

I have the exact same ones from Amazon, and also really like them. I'd definitely highly recommend these Soft 'N Style pins. I had previously purchased an almost identical item, only in the Diane brand, and those are very sharp on the ends. So yes, these are the best ones in my opinion, although I've never purchased the Amish ones.

[eva92watson]

Yes, for a French-roll, I use U-pins which is an amazing thing. Unlike bobby pins, it does not hurt at all while removing and keep your hair quite in place. I'm too fond of U-pins.