Hair stick questions

[Darkhorse1]

Hey folks!
I've recently gotten into using hair sticks and have quite a few questions about them. I hope you don't mind me picking your brains about them?

Acrylic vs wood---is there any benefits/pluses to one vs the other? (strengthen, good for wet hair etc)

Twisted vs straight---does one hold better than another?

Thin vs thick---I've got a few thinner sticks and I am finding they don't hold my buns as strongly as I'd like---are thicker sticks likely to have a more secure hold or less?

Thanks in advance! :)

[dfotw]

For me, personally:

-Acrylics can be used in wet/oiled hair. Wooden hair-sticks can only be used in wet/damp hair if they have a protective coating (say, Elymwood or TT) or they are dymondwood. That's what I've gotten rid of most of my natural wood toys, because my hair is always damp and I'm afraid to ruin them.

-Twisted sticks you can corkscrew into your hair, so they are more unlikely to slip out of your bun if you put them in correctly, *but* this also depends on hair texture and on the tightness of the spiral and the material it's made of.

-Thicker sticks can hold better in certain styles (because they take up more space, which makes the bun tighter), but usually it's a matter of how you position the stick rather than its width. Properly positioned, a thin ketylo should hold as well as a chunky TT.

Sticks are a matter of trial and error, and there's not an universal rule. My hair spits out acrylic ketylos but loves dyamondwood ones, I can't use TTs comfortably though my Elymwoods of similar girth are great, natural wood doesn't work because of perma-dampness, and I own stuff varying from 5 to 8+ inches which works in different types of buns...

(also, don't forget metal sticks!)

[EdG]

Wood sticks are a little less likely to slip out of one's hair than acrylic, but both hold quite well.

The best stick depends on the type of bun. My cinnabun works best with a pair of thin sticks. A bun with a loop (nautilus) could accommodate thick or curly sticks.
Ed

[pailin]

There's a lot of trial and error. They are all fine, but it depends what is most comfortable for you. For me, I mostly prefer thinner sticks for my go-to buns, because thick sticks make it too tight. On the other hand, for a lazy wrap bun (center held) I'm finding thicker sticks are really nice. I suspect it will also vary as your hair gets longer and you do different styles. The sticks you don't care for now might be fantastic in a few more inches.
As to acrylic or wood, a lot of people love wood, but I prefer acrylic (or dymondwood) because of being able to get it wet.

[Darkhorse1]

Thanks so much! I've got a TT on it's way and I like the fact it's thicker and I"m looking to use for styles that are more versitile at the barn. (ie--can bun my braid or loose hair and then put a helmet on if I take stick out). I like TTs because they are a blunter end and look to me as if they will hold my hair better--my biggest issue is finding the right way to use them. I've looked at a million tutorials on youtube and still struggle with styles. But I'm not using a TT yet so I'm hoping once it gets here, I can have better success with styles (I like my buns to be snug)

Thanks for your input everyone! :D

[mindwiped]

I hope the link works: https://www.etsy.com/listing/205748878/hair-fork-now-in-titanium-the-moirai-the?ref=hp_mod_rf

I have a fork in aluminum, by this person, RavensLair, makes aluminum forks, which are amazing for shorter, wavy-curly iii thin hair. I was able to do an updo at barley longer than shoulder length.

I know that this won't work for your hair, but wanted to toss this out for others who, like me, are watching this for ideas.

Thanks, btw