How to use hair sticks and styles for shorter hair

[aforestfae]

I have two hair sticks, one metal stick with a green butterfly on the end and one stick that is carved white plastic which has two 'sticks' (prongs?) rather than one, how do I use them as my hair is too heavy to stay up, it's a bit thick too.
What are some good styles using sticks that work for fairly thick, heavy, mid back length hair?

[Sparklylady82]

Following! I'm having trouble Gettin the sticks to stay in my hair at almost BSL.

[Sparklylady82]

I also started this thread awhile back http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=123749 there are skme really cute styles...check it out!

[BonnieU]

Look up the disc bun and the lazy wrap, I'm a iii thickness and just past apl and can do them comfortably. Good luck!

[lapushka]

I couldn't do a decent bun until I hit waist and it was not a very stable one. Just FYI. I'm now past hip, almost TBL and buns are great now. Well, I can still only wear a LWB. A cinnabun or a nautilus? Not enough length.

You pay a price having thicker hair.

[Laurenji]

I just hit waist and have only just barely been able to do center-held buns like the Lazy Wrap bun. Nautilis is still a no-go for me, and I think a Chinese Bun probably still won't hold.

My hair is really slippery and single sticks and even thin, two-pronged forks don't really hold well for me without me having to redo my hair every hour or so (and that's if I get a good hold!) The only thing that's ever been truly solid for me are the 3" u-shaped hair pins. A cinnabun with 3" hairpins usually lasts me all day, especially since I've gotten some Amish pins recently.

I think what I'm trying to say is that sticks aren't necessarily for everyone, especially not at shorter lengths, especially not if you have thick, slippery hair.

[meteor]

The problem with a hair stick is that it uses tension and leverage. So to have that leverage to hold the hair one needs to already have some length.

The only way of wearing a hair stick that I can think of on very short hair is putting hair in some ponytail holder, putting the stick through the base and then working from there, like a Chinese bun or a braided Chinese bun. You can also do half-up buns with sticks on shorter hair!

When the hair is short, I highly recommend claw-clips - they are comfy, easy to use, hold like a rock... and they are sorely missed when hair gets too long/heavy to be held by those! :)

[aforestfae]

Does anyone have any videos for using hair sticks, I'm not sure if my technique is right.
I've been able to do a braided Chinese bun, a kind of tucked french braid updo (by Loepsie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_M_oSwRKfc&list=UUkrvCswr4x5LH3-Z8GTCKXw))and a french twist although I've never been able to get it to hold the same ever since.
Also would claw clips hold french twists? I've never been sure how to clip it as they have a habit of slipping down (as do braids and buns)

[CJCHair-stylist]

I have to say that wetting your hair a bit does help for some people. I can do the lazy wrap and nautilis no problem on dry hair, but the braided buns only work when my hair is wet because my hair slips a lot. If my sticks are really struggling to stay in for the chinese bun I usually spray them with a little dry shampoo and that does the trick for me. My easiest ever is the Nautilis right on top of my head, I`m a pro at it now that my hair is at waist - having said that my hair is on the fine side. Also I find that my hair holds buns way better when I have fairy tale ends than a blunt hairline. The ends just tuck in so much better. For your thick hair I would try the double buns, that would probably look awesome on you - check out Veneficas hairstyles that she has done with sticks - on the bun thread, she is really good at them.

[PrincessBob]

You can use hair sticks to secure a french twist (http://youtu.be/CUUhZSMhECg), or split your hair into sections and do any normal buns in double, triple or quad. With thinner sections of hair, more twists and folds can be done with less length than is needed at full thickness. I didn't make good single buns until almost classic, but could do a number of them in sectioned styles before then.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/Princess_Bob/hair/EHSglowpairs_zps38e9421f.jpg
Double cinnabuns.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/Princess_Bob/hair/flexi2.jpg
Half ups. Any bun done with only part of the hair while the rest is left down.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/Princess_Bob/168012_1776190934242_1523409487_1850473_1855616_n. jpg
Accent braids can take up the "bangs" area and sides, effectively thinning your hair to allow for more styles with the hair at shorter lengths, then can be pinned, wrapped, or left hanging.

[LadyCelestina]

If you have ii/iii hair,you shouldn't have trouble with buns due to thickness ... At MBL I think I could do a cinnabun and a tight nautilus,orchid bun and such...
ETA: Maybe your hair is thicker than you think? Other than that,one very stable bun for me was a braided knot bun.If sticks aren't holding all your hair,don't be afraid to use pins.I only recently learned how to use them correctly,but they make buns rock solid and help with better weight distribution.

[Johannah]

Between APL and waist I had a lot of trouble with buns. The only one that actually worked was the LWB. But I must say, metal and plastic sticks/forks didn't work AT ALL. The only thing that I could use was my GTS 4-prong, made from wood.

[Zesty]

I'm between shoulder and APL and I can do a LWB high on my head with a single hair stick. I basically don't use a second finger (I just sort of make the first loop, which ends up being rather small, then wrap the excess around the base of it, then continue as normal). I also have to twist a little at points in order to tuck the ends that want to stick out. My ends are also super blunt, which makes it more challenging to tuck them -- don't know what your hair looks like, but just for reference. But if you're really a ii/iii then you should be able to finagle something, especially at MBL. I had to learn to do buns at that length, and it does take a little to get used to what a secure bun feels like, but I would advise you to watch loads of YouTube videos and try to follow along. Eventually you'll get it. I was hair-challenged and couldn't even do a French braid or cinnabun when I was in your position. After having lots of practice it gets so easy it'll be muscle memory.

[aforestfae]

If you have ii/iii hair,you shouldn't have trouble with buns due to thickness ... At MBL I think I could do a cinnabun and a tight nautilus,orchid bun and such...
ETA: Maybe your hair is thicker than you think? Other than that,one very stable bun for me was a braided knot bun.If sticks aren't holding all your hair,don't be afraid to use pins.I only recently learned how to use them correctly,but they make buns rock solid and help with better weight distribution.

I'm not quite sure about the thickness of my hair, I measured ponytail circumference and it was about 4" (minus bangs) I don't have any picture examples of my hair yet but an example of what i believe to be similar thickness would be Genevieve Bujold in Anne of the Thousand days. My hair is also cut into a slight v if that would have any effect on styles/thickness
It's thick enough that crown braids are uncomfortable as they are a bit too heavy but I could be distributing the hair wrong.

[Laurenji]

I'm not quite sure about the thickness of my hair, I measured ponytail circumference and it was about 4" (minus bangs) I don't have any picture examples of my hair yet but an example of what i believe to be similar thickness would be Genevieve Bujold in Anne of the Thousand days. My hair is also cut into a slight v if that would have any effect on styles/thickness
It's thick enough that crown braids are uncomfortable as they are a bit too heavy but I could be distributing the hair wrong.

That's interesting. Crown braids are one of the MOST comfortable styles for me, as they distribute the weight nice and evenly around my head. Are you doing them close to the hairline all the way around, so that the braid is as "wide" as possible around your head?

[kganihanova]

I'm at SBL+ and I still can't do any buns yet. But I'm an iii and I see you are too. Can the buns for now unless you find one that works. In my experience, claw clips work pretty well :)

[browneyedsusan]

My hair is slippy, too.

Try a disc bun.
French twist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHQwLBvwoZE). (It's from a hairstick manufacturer, but still has good info.) I used 2 sticks: one at the top, and one at the bottom.

Good luck!

[aforestfae]

I just tried to use my hairstick on a really simple bun (my hair is wet and I don't want it down) and all I could hear and feel was my hair snapping even though I was trying to be really careful and wiggle the stick slowly into my hair. Is it possible to use hair sticks and clips on wet hair without snapping hair? What's the technique to insert a hair stick with the least amount of damage?

[browneyedsusan]

Afraid so. My hair is grippy when it's damp, and I can't get hairsticks in very easily.