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View Full Version : Hair hates pencils and chopsticks. Should I invest in hairsticks?



Granger Mane
July 11th, 2015, 12:14 AM
Hey guys, I know I haven't been on here in awhile (still lurk occasionally). After finally finding a routine that worked well for me, I haven't wanted to make any changes. However some are no needed.

Last time was here, my hair was APL. Now it's midback unstretched, waist stretched. Am really happy and still growing to hip. But I have to confess -I HATE wearing my hair up. Braids are fine, buns are neither comfy nor flattering. Since my goal has always been to have it as long as possible while still being able to wear it down that is not a concern. However, when I do need my hair up and not braided for various reasons, my hair is outgrowing even the sturdiest hairclips and elastics are never comfortable and spin pins are a joke. So I'm thinking to invest in hair sticks...
...But my hair hates being put up in pencils and chopsticks. They are uncomfortable and give when they stay in at all. I worry a cheap haistick will break, and a custom Etsy one would just feel the same and be more expensive. What are your thoughts/ experiences?

ETA:

PS sorry for any spelling/ grammar mistakes. My keyboard is fine for replies but is giving me problems with starting new threads.

picklepie
July 11th, 2015, 01:58 AM
When you say they give, do you mean they break? My experience is that real hair sticks are pretty impossible to break-- especially the acrylic ones. Mine were about $10, so not crazy. "Uncomfortable" could just mean too tight. It takes time to get the right tension. But there really isn't a faster or more secure way to put up long hair, provided you have enough length, which for me just barely started to be the case when I was at waist. You might just not have enough length relative to thickness to do buns comfortably yet.

ETA:

Also wondering what spin pins do in your hair? It seems like there are people around here making them work for every variation of length and thickness, so maybe there's a way. :)

Arctic
July 11th, 2015, 02:49 AM
hair forks with head curve are very comfortable feeling to me. Can't even compare to stick.

Aderyn
July 11th, 2015, 03:19 AM
Hair sticks and forks definitely have a bit of a learning curve, so you might still be in that phase.

Hair fork, in my opinion, have a bit of a better hold, but they had a bit more of a learning curve than hairsticks.

Nique1202
July 11th, 2015, 05:56 AM
Spin pins take a bit of practice, but they should work on nearly any length or thickness of hair. The biggest trick is not to cross them over too much, either put them in at different angles (think, two corners of a triangle, or one straight down and one straight across) or put them parallel to each other from opposite sides but not touching inside the bun, and to make sure you catch scalp hair with at least one of them.

As for uncomfortable buns, there are a lot of possibilities. It's possible that you're pulling your buns too tight. You haven't specified your hair type, but especially if your hair is near iii thickness (ponytail circumference 4" or higher) then even midback-to-waist may be too short to wear and secure most buns comfortably with just one or even two sticks. The disc bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5sSEBy7HQ) is the bun I most recommend because it's been extremely secure and comfortable for me since between apl and midback, it's pretty, it's easy to do, and it only requires one stick.

You may be able to do other buns as sectioned buns, doing the basic bun with a small portion of your hair and wrapping the rest around one small section at a time then pinning the end under to secure it. This makes buns a lot more comfortable for most people, because the tension gets spread out more.

EdG
July 11th, 2015, 07:47 AM
Chopsticks are too long for hair. Hair sticks will be properly-sized.

I suspect that you will have better results with buns as your hair gets longer (tailbone to classic).
Ed

alexis917
July 11th, 2015, 08:33 AM
I can't get a comfy bun going until I'm at least waist, and then, I could only use Spin Pins (iii). Are you using acrylic or metal chopsticks? If you're just using the cheap pull-apart takeout ones, they're probably grabbing at your hair a lot.

Nesoi
July 11th, 2015, 08:33 AM
Forks are your friend!

AnnaBell
July 11th, 2015, 08:49 AM
I'm going to second (third?) the suggestion to try spin pins. They're quite comfortable, and I've never had any hold issues with them.

restless
July 11th, 2015, 09:15 AM
Have you tried different types of buns? Ive tried several ones, but not all of them work (like, cinnamon buns dont work at all, but lazy wrap and nautilus do). Maybe you need to check out the alternatives and experiment a little more?

I also second the comments about hair forks, theyre really great. If you want to try them out but dont want to waste a lot of money on etsy stuff and cant find them in a shop nearby, get yourself a simple knitting needle and bend it in half. They dont cost a lot and you can easily pimp it up a little by painting it with nail polish.

chen bao jun
July 11th, 2015, 11:55 AM
If you are set on a stick try Ketylo.com
Try his wooden ones first, just in case your problem is slippery hair.
If you do try a fork, try jeterforks on etsy

Larki
July 11th, 2015, 11:57 AM
Acrylic hairsticks on Etsy are only like 8 bucks - buy one and try it out!

meteor
July 11th, 2015, 12:14 PM
Granger Mane, I think a lot depends on your hair. So it's hard for me to recommend something without knowing your thickness/length/texture. If your hair is too thick or slippery to be comfortably bunnable at this length, then hairsticks possibly aren't a great option yet.

If your hair hates chopsticks and pencils, honestly, I think hairsticks are very similar to that, so maybe experimenting with other hair toys can help:
- forks (probably with multiple prongs - they should give tighter hold),
- strong big-barrelled claw-clips,
- Avian clips / Ficcare / Fakkare type clips,
- U-pins,
- spin pins...

I find that the longer the hair gets, the better hold just one hairstick can provide. Shorter hair needs more prongs/tines/teeth or something with more grip or that "clipping" action (e.g. Ficcare/Fakkare?).

Also, you mentioned that buns are neither comfortable, not flattering. Maybe milkmaid/maiden braids, crown braids can provide a good bun alternative? :)

spidermom
July 11th, 2015, 12:42 PM
In thick hair, two buns are more comfortable than one. Nice hair sticks are more of a pleasure to use and might inspire more practice. There is definitely a learning curve to securing buns with hair sticks. My favorites are Nautilus, Gibralter, and equilibrium. You can google for how-to instruction.

TrapperCreekD
July 11th, 2015, 01:17 PM
What about braided buns? They're quite stable for escape artist hair and usually can be secured with less substantial implements.

Lauraes
July 11th, 2015, 05:10 PM
I don't have any advice, because I have the same problem. :/
My hair is waist length and buns held with a pencil/pen/colored pencil always fall down because the last 5 or 6 inches or so of hair won't stay in place and make the entire bun fall down. I did have layers cut into my hair a year or two ago, so that and the slipperiness and fineness of my hair is probably what causes the problem. I have no problem getting buns to stay up by using just a bunch of u-pins (no elastic), or a few claw clips, though even those tend to give me "exploding buns" sometimes, so I guess I'm out of luck until my hair gets longer/the layers are cut off?

-Fern
July 11th, 2015, 06:43 PM
I love forks, especially Good Village Woodcraft since they have thin, sharp tines and a good head curve to them. Suuuper comfortable. :D

I was about to swear off sticks altogether, since my hair keeps breaking them, but just around that time I was enabled to get some Eads acrylic sticks, and I love them! Especially when it is raining or I want to put my hair up real quickly to take a shower without getting my hair wet, Eads are awesome. And I can't imagine them breaking. ONN's are also quite popular (another acrylic stick maker).

Granger Mane
July 11th, 2015, 07:19 PM
My hair is 2a/2b// f/ iii. Not quite sure about slipperiness - it slips out of buns easily but stays braided pretty well if the elastic comes off.

Meant to say sticks and pencils give me headaches. Spin pins just fall out despite months of try different techniques and hair styles. Even when other people do it they come out quickly if they stay in at all. I've had up to five in my hair for a basic bun, which gave me a headache before they came out.

I've heard forks are more secure, but I wonder about them being too tight.

I'll have a look at some of the shops and alternatives mentioned.

schnibbles
July 11th, 2015, 08:35 PM
I agree with everyone who mentioned you could be bunning too tightly. It's easy to do, especially if your thick hair is not very "compactable"
I would recommend a Quattro Basics (https://www.etsy.com/listing/161205590/quattro-accessories-flexfork-basics?ref=shop_home_active_23) fork for you.
Slight head curve, perfectly comfy tips, micro-grooved finish to help grip, thin enough to not displace the hairs too much (which is what causes that tight, uncomfy feeling)
When I was new to buns, I really wish I would have started with something like this.

This 2 fork set (https://www.etsy.com/listing/60398978/quattro-hair-accessories-bronze-combo?ref=related-4)is really nice also. Same idea, but one fork nests inside the other, so you can use them stacked in a bun, parallel, crossed, or separately.

You might also just be especially tender-headed. Some people are... when your follicles are not used to being coaxed in a different direction it can be uncomfortable, sometimes. I have heard of people around here who've had this problem and worked through it over time, "training" their sensitive roots by bunning for short periods, often throughout the day. And then let follicles "rest" at night.

Good luck, hope you find something that works for you

Deborah
July 11th, 2015, 08:41 PM
I used to like sticks and forks, but really I find six tiny claw clips hold a bun up much more comfortably, and are very secure. They are also quite cheap.

Good luck with finding what works comfortably in your hair!