Help! Hair toy hitch!

[Chlorophylliac]

I bought a Furnivals hair fork last summer, but have never worn it because I cannot seem to get it to work with my hair! My hair is 1A/F/ii and MBL. I'm hoping it's just a length issue, as I can use other forks, sticks, and moons of various sizes without much difficulty. I've mastered various buns and updos that are length-appropriate. Yet this thing will not go in! And if it does, it doesn't actually hold anything up. I emailed the vendor for ideas and her recommendations were a no-go. I tried using it as just an accent and have failed. I linked the listing below for picture referencing. I'm thinking of trying to sell/swap, but I do like the fork (its back-story is super cute, if you have a minute to read the description), so I thought I'd try here first. Suggestions are super solicited!

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/211126208

[ooglipoo]

Hmmm... I have Furnival collection, so I'm pretty good with them. Let's see if I can help?

Are you catching scalp hair as well as bun hair when you wear it?

[Chlorophylliac]

I think I am. It seems more like, the tines are so close together at the bottom and so chunky at the top, that I can catch the scalp hair, but I can't seem to get it to go through enough of the hair to hold, if I can get something to hold, the curvature presents a problem... I have really fine hair, so if I don't twist it even a little, the whole style falls apart, but if I do twist it, the fork won't go through it. I've gotten it to sort-of stay a few times, but not reliably. I feel like I need to find the perfect style, the physics of which will allow the fork to work. That's me being weird, though - I had similar issues with my moon, I only have one style that will stay put with that beast. Pencils and most forks are usually easy-peasy for me, though.

[Lirona]

Have you tried it through the center of something like either of these (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5gTy1gCyqE)? (Video title says "nautilus" but it's more aptly described as variation of the lazy wrap, one where you don't loop around your thumb).

[Chlorophylliac]

^^ That's how I bun my hair 95% of the time. I'll practice some more and come back to see if I can get more specific.

[ooglipoo]

Yep, I was going to ask about wearing a center-held bun, too!

Maybe because you're a finey, you think?

Do you prefer forks over sticks?

[swords & roses]

Have you tried a Pha Bun? I'm a finey, too, and this works well for me, though I don't have a fork as chunky as you're using. This could be a good option for you, since it coils the hair, while the fork only needs to catch scalp hair and just the very bottom of the hair coil with the tips of the tines.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsF9Kp5W9Ig

[Chlorophylliac]

Thanks, everybody! I think I've got it! I practiced last night again. It's definitely a length and tension conundrum, complicated by texture. I finally did a lazy wrap (which is what the vendor recommended and I had tried a hundred times), but I moved it higher up on my head (which seems to make a lot of styles work better for some reason), and it has to be quite loose so that I can use leverage only to hold it - this fork is NOT going through any other hair; the tines are too close together. Maybe my hair just got long enough recently to make it loose enough to hold, or maybe it happened to be dirty enough... or the stars were aligned... Anyway, thanks!

ooglipoo - "center held bun" - that's the term I didn't know existed! I definitely prefer forks and have a Jeterfork collection started. I'm afraid sticks will slide right out, and since I'm a nurse, I'm paranoid that I'll poke someone with a stick, anyway.
swords & roses I will try the pha again when my hair gets longer - I think I can only barely do it now with my length, and this forks likes some slack
Lirona thanks for the help!

I don't think this will ever be an everyday fork, but at least now I have some options!

[ooglipoo]

SUPER!

My hair is anything but fine, and Jeterforks don't work well for me. Thank goodness there are so many of us, each different, and so many different types of toys to try out! :D

Lazy wrap bun is my favorite bun, now, too. I like to wear it high, also. It will hold all day for me that way.

Take care!

[Wildcat Diva]

Yes, my LWB can vary widely, based on my technique. I have found I need to wrap high and use two fingers to wrap. For those closer prongs on your fork, a little looser is better.

[Lirona]

Thanks, everybody! I think I've got it! I practiced last night again. It's definitely a length and tension conundrum, complicated by texture. I finally did a lazy wrap (which is what the vendor recommended and I had tried a hundred times), but I moved it higher up on my head (which seems to make a lot of styles work better for some reason), and it has to be quite loose so that I can use leverage only to hold it - this fork is NOT going through any other hair; the tines are too close together. Maybe my hair just got long enough recently to make it loose enough to hold, or maybe it happened to be dirty enough... or the stars were aligned... Anyway, thanks!

ooglipoo - "center held bun" - that's the term I didn't know existed! I definitely prefer forks and have a Jeterfork collection started. I'm afraid sticks will slide right out, and since I'm a nurse, I'm paranoid that I'll poke someone with a stick, anyway.
swords & roses I will try the pha again when my hair gets longer - I think I can only barely do it now with my length, and this forks likes some slack
Lirona thanks for the help!

I don't think this will ever be an everyday fork, but at least now I have some options!

Glad you found something that worked! I agree 100% that length, tension, texture, location of the bun, and proximity to wash day are all variables. Not to mention the type of bun and the shape of the toy... We long-haired folk end up drawing on a surprising amount of expertise every time we do an updo, when you think about it. :D