Hair sticks and tightness

[Aestuo]

Hey, I know there are a few other threads out there, but I couldn't get a concrete answer.

Should you still use hair sticks if they keep feeling too tight or just unravel from the hair? I can't seen to find the happy medium of solid but inflexible and I've been doing it for two weeks now. It has to be scalp tight, or it falls out. And even then it flops around (and hurts)!

Do you hair meisters have any advice?

[lapushka]

Maybe it's a question of not having enough length yet to be able to comfortably manage a bun?

[ladyfey]

My only advice is not to use a stick if it is too tight. I was doing infinity buns for a while. They would end up really tight, but held like a rock, so I kept doing them. I ended up with tons of broken off hair all around my nape. I'm still growing that out. I have never done an infinity bun again!

[DreamSheep]

I can do a nearly nautilus bun (have been considering making a YouTube tutorial on adapting it to only just long enough hair), but I think really it comes down to practice. Of when I bun it is too right, I like to pull at the hair to loosen it a bit. Adapting how much hair you wrap around hands/ fingers can also help with fitting problems and get the tension right

[Stormynights]

If mine feel too tight I pull out the stick or fork and put it back in.

[Aestuo]

Thanks for the answers, guys.

I know it's not a question of length - I have tailbone length hair at the moment. : ) But it seems quite... slippery when it's in protective hairstyles. Maybe spin pins would work better?

After a while the tightness fades somewhat, but in order to get it to stay there's always some kind of tight ache for at least 5-10 minutes. And it's been worrying me, especially since I'd rather keep my hair than lose it. Add in a vigorous job that requires hair out of the way and I'm a little lost on what to do.

[Johannah]

If mine feel too tight I pull out the stick or fork and put it back in.

This works for me too. When I first started using sticks, my buns were too tight as well. But after a while I found ways to do buns so they hold like a rock, but aren't too tight.

[Long_hair_bear]

Also, learning new buns to do and finding what works for your hair.

[cathair]

What kinds of buns have you tried? Are you having this problem with all kinds of buns, or just some buns?

[lapushka]

The only hairtoys for me that don't cause that tightness are from Ravenslair and Quattro, aluminum and titanium things. Maybe that's an issue, the actual hairtoy itself?

[Wildcat Diva]

Could be the bun or as Lapushka just said, the stick itself. Tried forks?

[Wosie]

Most hairdos pull on my hair one way or another, but my hair is much shorter than yours. In my case I think it's mainly due to the fact that I have to tighten my hair very much so that the buns stay put (in other words, my hair is nearly too short to make some of my favourite buns). In your case... What sticks and forks do you use? What buns do you make? Are there any kind of buns at all that don't usually create this pulling feeling?

[AlexDig]

I like to make a looser bun with 1 stick and the secure it with a second...I don't get any pulling on the hair that way! HTH!

[Anje]

Yep, looser buns. If you make them too tight, you'll break hairs and/or sticks!

I like the center-held variety of buns (lazy wraps that are twisted a bit hold the best for my also-kinda-slippery hair). They're secure without having to be tight, and they don't have the tendency to have a wrap pop out like cinnamon buns do.

[Amapola]

I used to have this problem too. I learned a disc bun and that really helped a lot. Plus let's face it, it's practice, practice, practice - It took me a couple of YEARS to learn to do it right, and in the meantime of course I got longer hair and that helped.

Try different hair toys. Try combinations: a stick and some spin pins. Try different buns. Everybody's hair is different, you will become the expert in your own hair and how it reacts to certain things.

My own personal favorite toy is a Ficcare and I live on a farm. The first thing I have to do every morning is milk the goats, throw bales of hay around, haul buckets of water etc. so I too need a hair toy that holds my hair and does not slip. That said... I happen to be wearing a stick this morning. This stick is not going to move, all day long. BUT it took practice to learn how to get it that way!

[Kaelee]

1) Length/thickness and 2) PRACTICE! (that last part is absolutely infuriating, it took me months or a year to get the hang of it!!!!! :rant:)

[LongCurlyTress]

Yep, looser buns. If you make them too tight, you'll break hairs and/or sticks!

I like the center-held variety of buns (lazy wraps that are twisted a bit hold the best for my also-kinda-slippery hair). They're secure without having to be tight, and they don't have the tendency to have a wrap pop out like cinnamon buns do.

Definitely, the LWB is my fav at 30 inches - just reaching hip length. And twisting the length as I wrap it also helps. I finally am able to do buns now. Until recently, all I did was a cinnabun using two 2 inch claw clips, one on either side. Now I only use 6 inch sticks for my "go to" LWB. :joy:

[meteor]

Thanks for the answers, guys.

I know it's not a question of length - I have tailbone length hair at the moment. : ) But it seems quite... slippery when it's in protective hairstyles. Maybe spin pins would work better?

After a while the tightness fades somewhat, but in order to get it to stay there's always some kind of tight ache for at least 5-10 minutes. And it's been worrying me, especially since I'd rather keep my hair than lose it. Add in a vigorous job that requires hair out of the way and I'm a little lost on what to do.

I think you are bunning too tightly in an attempt to compensate for slippery hair. It's better to find more secure buns than to pull hair so tightly.
My hair is extremely slippery in updos, too, and what helps a lot is creating little "knobs" or "lumps" for the hair-stick to grab onto. For example, if you braid your hair before bunning it, or do one of the extremely secure buns like Ellingwoman bun or Amish braided bun, or braided nautilus or braided knot-bun, or buns that start with a French/Dutch braid, like tucked French braid or the Masara/the Antenna braid.
Also, updos seem to hold better when hair is oiled or covered with some leave-in.

Braided bun that holds very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BggWgh0Rd8Q and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9W-kbWPSfQ
Simplified Ellingwoman braided bun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_biroGTJ7A
Braided nautilus bun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jHNTQs_lg4
Amish braided bun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PYjubahR6g
The Masara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND5dJXnBs2k or Antenna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_M_oSwRKfc

[chen bao jun]

I m wondering if you also have the wrong sort of hairsticks for your hair.
hairsticks with curves in them hold better. mamacats on etsy (hard to get) ketylo.com these hold better than other hairsticks for me. crockett mountain wood has acrylic hairsticks with twists and turns in them. Either wood or acrylic may do better in your hair and hold so that you do not have to use the hairstick so tightly.
also I would recommend jeterforks and something with 3 prongs or more as a hairtoy that can hold a loose bun
But look on the swap board for these.

And how about good old claw clips? You can smooth ones (or sand them smooth) and use the smaller ones around the edges of buns--these will hold and not be tight--and its a less expensive option.