hair sticks vs hair forks?

[Eastbound&Down]

My hair is apl+ and I have one pair of hair sticks that I can sometimes get to work and other times not. Would it be easier to use a hair fork at my length? I don't currently have a fork but I would invest in one if I could use it.

[Quasiquixotic]

short answer yes, with lots of tines - like a 5 or 4 prong. I suggest Jeter or GoodVillageWoodcraft. Given your i/ii stat, I'd say GVW first.

Basically the more tines through your hair, the shorter length I could hold. The last thing was sticks.

Good luck!

[yogagirl]

Hair forks work better for me than hair sticks. They started working before hair sticks worked, so I'd say give it a try!

What are your hair sticks made of? If they're acrylic, that might be part of why they only sometimes work. Acrylic and dymondwood are both slippery smooth. Natural wood sticks might work better.

ETA: Was still typing when Quasi posted. Totally agree with her, forget about 2 prong forks, they're almost like a stick. 3 prong minimum for your length.

[hennalonghair]

I prefer forks over sticks any day. They are much easier to use and seem to hold better. As far as suggesting one; like most things, it's a personal preference.

[missrandie]

I actually have never owned a hair fork, and always used a single resin stick. At APL I was able to do a stick, but not the way most the folks around here do it. I always took a "bite" of hair from the side of my twisted bun with the stick, wove said stick through the bun, and took another "bite" on the other side. That held securely enough for me for a few hours, longer if my hair was damp.

[Zesty]

You should definitely try a fork, especially if your sticks aren't working the way you want them to. I will however be a dissenter here and say that even at these shorter lengths I prefer my sticks and two prong forks over my 3 prong. I think it's because at this length, in order to make a stable LWB (my go-to) it has to be fairly compact/tight. A stick disrupts the structure of the updo very little, whereas my Jeter tends to push it apart and I have more escaping tendrils than with a stick. Buuuut it might also be that (a) it's a Jeter and has rather thick prongs, and (b) I learned on sticks and never really got along with more-than-two-pronged forks at any length. And it depends on the updo you're doing! Just wanted to offer a different perspective. :flower:

[Eastbound&Down]

Thank you everyone for your replies! The sticks I have currently are bone (a gift from a friend of mine) they are beautiful and I love them but my hair just isn't quite long enough, I will definitely look in to getting a fork.

[meteor]

I agree with Quasi, a fork, especially with many prongs might give a much better grip than a stick.

I think the APL+ length could be playing into this. At greater lengths, sticks should start working better and better, so keep your hairsticks for later use... :)
Not sure why, but possibly because when bunning longer hair, there is more hair interlocking, more loops, so just a single stick can pin down the bun much more firmly at greater lengths.

There is also a possibility that even a fork won't hold at this length for some people, if the hair is very slippery or not long enough yet to be fully bunned. I'd look into claw-clips then, because they have many more teeth and good grip. These Goody ones (http://www.haircaremaster.com/half-moon-claw-clip-by-goody/) with 9 teeth sets hold very well, despite their unassuming size. LadyLongLocks uses them to hold up her floor-length hair, for example.

[cat11]

Im a stick person. I have a hard time since BSL with most of my hair forks that are more than 2 tine :/ They dont want to go through my hair and several times have caue snappy noises.. :shudder: I need to work on this...

[lazuliblue]

What type of bun are you doing? When I was at APL, I had only worked out how to do a lazy wrap bun, and sticks didn't hold brilliantly. When I learnt to do a cinnabun at BSL it held great with a stick, and therefore may have done so at APL.

Forks hold my lazy wrap buns like a rock, but they have two tines. Others with experience of forks at shorter hair lengths have given good advice.

[Eastbound&Down]

What type of bun are you doing? When I was at APL, I had only worked out how to do a lazy wrap bun, and sticks didn't hold brilliantly. When I learnt to do a cinnabun at BSL it held great with a stick, and therefore may have done so at APL.

Forks hold my lazy wrap buns like a rock, but they have two tines. Others with experience of forks at shorter hair lengths have given good advice.

Uh, I'm not exactly sure what it's called, I twist it into a circle tuck the ends under and put the stick through... But it doesn't always work and then ends fall out. It works better when my hair is damp.

[-Fern]

I'm between APL & BSL, and I can get a cinnabun to hold really well with forks. :D Sticks will not reliably hold a cinnabun for me yet--like you say, sometimes it will work, sometimes not, and sometimes even when it works it will randomly lose grip and explode.

I have iii hair, and the most solid hold I get is with a GVW fork, like Quasi mentioned. If you have i/ii hair, I think you could also do a two or three prong fork very well. (Here's a picture of my half-up cinnabun held by a two-prong fork (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16241&d=1425523466)).

Hope that helps!

[Lirona]

Uh, I'm not exactly sure what it's called, I twist it into a circle tuck the ends under and put the stick through... But it doesn't always work and then ends fall out. It works better when my hair is damp.

Sounds like a cinnabun! They weren't reliable for me at that length either. You might have better luck with your sticks in one of these buns:

DreamSheep's Nautilus Bun for Thick Hair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b6WVvzfV9U&t=1m14s)(also applies to shorter hair)
Nautilus Bun for APL hair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohzSsbQhJK8&t=1m9s)

Depending on how long APL+ is on you, you may be able to do these (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5gTy1gCyqE) also (wrapping around 1 or 2 fingers instead of your whole hand).

ETA: You might be able to do this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9PPb8gCsI) too, again wrapping around 1 or 2 fingers instead of your whole hand.

[Scarlet_Heart]

This was actually the way I first used a hair stick when my hair was short from a chop. Not the most glamorous, but it works and will hold you over until you get to a length where you can do buns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roL-8kqQXOw

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I have always preferred forks over sticks for hold and dependability. 60th St. in particular, 3 and 4 prongs, though GVW are just as good - and easier to get hold of. The first bun I could ever get to work was the pencil bun which held well for me.

[divinedobbie]

I have never done well with sticks. Forks work much better for me. Three prong are my favourite, I own one two-prong that I like as well. I also own one four prong and it doesn't work for me. I think my hair type is similar to yours, in thickness at least.

[sapphire-o]

You have fine hair. Is it slippery? If so the material (bone in this case) might be too smooth to hold well. Try a natural wood stick or fork, they have more grip. At your length I'm not sure I would try too many prongs, 3 is probably the best. You don't want a fork that's wider than your bun.

[Kiiruna]

I'm at cbl, and I prefer hair forks. My hair is too short and too thick for sticks, so forks (two prongs, but going to try three) hold them pretty well. Cinnabuns don't work for me very well, but I do a ponytail twist: pull ponytail between the prongs, then flip over the upper prong, then down behind in. Twist your hair fork and tuck it in. Works for me!

[LaBeq]

I've never tried more than a two prong fork, because my bun size is so small that I'm not sure more than two prongs would fit in, anyway! But my two-prongs I've been using work well -- the prongs are flat, rather than circular, and I feel like that gives more surface area to improve the grip, and the finish is smooth but not slick. Myabe I'll try making a three-prong this weekend to see how that works for me.

I'm currently adding in single sticks to my repertoire, as well. Again, flat ones are working great for me. I've gotten some round ones to work well, too, but they're less predictable for me. And with both forks and buns, a lot comes down to bun style. Once time, I got a cinnabun to work with a fork, generally it just doesn't . My weird hybrid lazy-wrap/nautilus/whatever holds very securely with either a stick or a fork, and an infinity works far better with a stick than a fork. Go figure. For what it's worth, I've got fine hair currently at almost BSL.

[Scarlet_Heart]

In the end, everyone's results vary based on their hair type, length, and how good/practiced they are at making whichever tool they're using work.

My hair is thick and coarse (and after all this time, plenty long) so I don't have any trouble getting sticks or forks to work. I like both and use them interchangeably.

If you already have sticks, yes maybe try a fork or two. If I were you I would invest in a Jeterfork in a relatively hard wood for a few reasons. Jeters are inexpensive. The tines aren't spindly so you are less likely to break one while practicing or learning. They're very pretty. He knows how to make the best of each wood he uses. I would suggest trying one in oak or walnut because they are both light (walnut especially) but very strong woods and they are two of the least expensive. Great for learning with.

The amount of prongs is up to you. If you have a small bun, maybe try a three prong. But the 4 prongs are my favorite. I think they hold the best.

[Eastbound&Down]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I will keep working on my buns and look into getting a fork :)