Should I be buying longer sticks? Did you grow out of yours?

[VersLaLumière]

Hi everyone, I have a question about your experience with growing out of hair sticks. My hair is 27" long and my goal length is somewhere in the range of 12"-14" longer than what it is now. Thickness about 3.5". My hair sticks are 6 1/2 " long and there is a little bit of growing room at that length. I have some 7" sticks too but they feel and look a little dramatically long for my head size as well as my amount of hair. 6" is the shortest I will go for sticks as anything less is almost too short for my hair and I also like a little bit for show on either side of the stick.

I always wear lazy wrap buns with two sticks which is the style I like to do best and also the one that looks the best on me. Other buns I've tried like cinnamon buns don't seem to eat as much stick, but I prefer not to wear those buns (at least, not with sticks).

At my current hair growth rate, it would take me something like 20 months (rough estimate) to approach my goal if I don't trim. To me that really seems like not that long of a time, even if I do end up doing some microtrims that set me back a month or so.

Do you think I should opt for 7" sticks instead of 6 1/2"? How much growing room is really necessary? What is your experience of growing into or growing out of sticks at longer lengths? Please share! Thank you :o

[pailin]

I have a thickness of 3.5 inches as well, and I'm currently at 38.5 inches. I'm not buying sticks shorter than 6", but I have a 5" I can still just use. Mostly I do LWB's. Although it's possible my hair might compact more than yours since my hair is fine, and might be less resistant to manipulation.
Your bun size may not increase as quickly as you think it might. I wouldn't start buying bigger sticks now in anticipation - buy things you can and will actually use now since you don't know where you'll be in a year or two. .

[lapushka]

Hi everyone, I have a question about your experience with growing out of hair sticks. My hair is 27" long and my goal length is somewhere in the range of 12"-14" longer than what it is now. Thickness about 3.5". My hair sticks are 6 1/2 " long and there is a little bit of growing room at that length. I have some 7" sticks too but they feel and look a little dramatically long for my head size as well as my amount of hair. 6" is the shortest I will go for sticks as anything less is almost too short for my hair and I also like a little bit for show on either side of the stick.

I always wear lazy wrap buns with two sticks which is the style I like to do best and also the one that looks the best on me. Other buns I've tried like cinnamon buns don't seem to eat as much stick, but I prefer not to wear those buns (at least, not with sticks).

At my current hair growth rate, it would take me something like 20 months (rough estimate) to approach my goal if I don't trim. To me that really seems like not that long of a time, even if I do end up doing some microtrims that set me back a month or so.

Do you think I should opt for 7" sticks instead of 6 1/2"? How much growing room is really necessary? What is your experience of growing into or growing out of sticks at longer lengths? Please share! Thank you :o

Admitted, my hair compacts a great deal, but I have 5 inch forks for a LWB, as it is a center held bun, and I am hip+ and iii (4.25 inches). The forks still (barely) worked at classic. Now for a cinnamon, I need 6 inches. I don't know where you put the length of your sticks? It's so odd how that can be different person to person. I'm not doubting you, just that it's so odd...

I think I would wear the sticks you have until you can't anymore, and that might be a long while still, then you can always still see what length you might need. I recommend cheap chopsticks as they are usually 7/8 inches or so. Or get children's chopsticks. This way you can try without making a big commitment to a more expensive stick or fork.

[Simsy]

I'm at tailbone with fine and thick hair, (lots of strands, all fine and thin). I started on 5 inch sticks and they do still work providing I give the bun a fair bit of structural support. I upgraded to a 7 inch stick because I like the colour and felt I could use for a few different buns that the shorter sticks couldn't handle. As it turns out, 7 inch was a better length for most of my buns and I now use them more often than not.

My advice would be to stick with the short length for now. If you happen to find a longer stick that you like, grab it and how it goes. Seconding the chopstick idea as well, a good cheap of trialling longer sticks without the price

[Anje]

My 5" sticks were getting a bit short for me with tapering hair at about 3" circumference, at fingertip length, but my hair has also gradually gained about 0.75" of thickness over the course of several years, which I hadn't expected or planned on. 6" sticks were still great.

I'm inclined to say that if you have iii hair, a tendency not to taper, and plans to grow to lengths like classic or beyond, you might want to invest in 7" sticks. For people with ii hair, taper, or shorter goals, 6" is usually adequate and tends to not dwarf buns or stick out like antennae when your buns are still smaller.

[MidnightMoon]

I wouldn't buy any for now. 6 inches sounds good for the length you want to achieve, and your stats. I have fine hair, tailbone length, I can use both 5 and 6 inch ones. It also depends on what updos you do, but for most, I don't think you need longer ones.

[akurah]

For LWB, I have ii-ish hair that used to be iii-ish hair. It's very close to your goal length. If I don't use 7" for it, my loops come off the stick, but it still usually holds. So yes, ultimately, you will probably need 7" sticks, but please keep reading.

Unless you're planning to never get new stuff for as long as you live, though, buy for the length you have unless you see something you absolutely must have as there are styles for other length. While LWB is my go-to, I need significantly shorter sticks for, say, a cinnabun.

If 6" is too short, go to 6.5". When 6.5 becomes too short, go to 7".

I suggest buying for the length you need over buying 7" now because you may find at your goal 6.5 does the trick, and now you have abunch of 7" you won't use.

[melesine]

This is exactly why I stuck with buying large flexi's, even though I'm still growing out my chop. I know that when my hair was tailbone that my preferred French twist style required me to do a double fold over roll. Large fits me now with room for growth, where if I'd gone with medium I would not be able to double roll later and I didn't want to buy both sizes of flexi.

So IMO, yes I'd buy larger sticks as you can wear them now and later.

[Arete]

I can use 6" sticks still for some buns and I'm 4.5" iii and Classic. I doubt you'll completely out grow your 6". I have many sticks in 6.5" +, but I didn't need the length until I was past hip. I definitely need my 6.75+ sticks for infinity buns and figure 8's and anything else that's "wide" like that. For disc, cinnabun, stuff of that ilk, 6" is fine. I can even eke by with 5.5" in a nautilus.

[VersLaLumière]

Wow thanks so much everyone for your experience! It's helpful to know that 6 1/2" is already a good size for a stick at longer lengths, and that an extra half-inch may not even make that much of a difference later. I think I'll mostly stay with the 6 1/2" rather than sizing up, when possible :)

[truepeacenik]

I have hair that's just hitting the top of the back of my knee.
My go-to is a flipped cinnabun. I can use 6, 6 1/2, 6 3/4 and 7 inch total length sticks.
Depends on how much I want showing.
At classic, seven inches gave me propeller head.

My hair compacts well, and while I have many simple acrylic sticks on the thin side (Eaduard, ONN) I find thicker sticks can work at shorter lengths.
Ficcares, by contrast, are almost useless to me.

I suspect I have yet to master the center hold.