Hairstick material (plastic, wood, resin) - does it matter?

[CrazyPlantLady]

I've been deep conditioning weekly, which has made my hair feel AMAZING :p BUT now I'm having trouble keeping hair sticks in my hair. I'm barely APL so the only updo I can do with a hairstick is a french twist, but after deep conditioning my hair sticks just fall out :wail: I only have some cheap plastic ones I got from Sally's and they've done just fine, should I maybe switch to wood? Does the material matter?

[-Fern]

Yes. Acrylic and wood and metal will all hold better than plastic. Thickness and shape matters, too.

[littlestarface]

I love acrylic,it stays all day and I can take it in the shower with me and it wont get damaged.

[CrazyPlantLady]

Thanks ladies! I just ordered a couple of acrylic sticks off Etsy, so hopefully they'll work!

[eresh]

Twisted sticks also stay better in my hair than straight sticks

[lapushka]

APL is still a bit short, and if you're making the hair more slippery, chances are the other sticks might not hold either.

I myself swear by 2-prong forks as sticks just offer less hold, IMO. But as a iii I definitely needed to wait until waist/hip to do a proper bun.

It might be better to try a peacock twist with a regular claw clip until the hair is longer. :flower:

[CrazyPlantLady]

APL is still a bit short, and if you're making the hair more slippery, chances are the other sticks might not hold either.

I myself swear by 2-prong forks as sticks just offer less hold, IMO. But as a iii I definitely needed to wait until waist/hip to do a proper bun.

It might be better to try a peacock twist with a regular claw clip until the hair is longer. :flower:

This is one of my go-to's, I had been managing to get a french twist to stay for the past couple of months with a stick, but the past two weeks I'm lucky if it stays put 5 minutes. I'll definitely wait to get some hair forks, they look great in everyone's hair.

[lithostoic]

I have a wood fork and a few wood sticks that I hardly wear because they slide out within minutes! Only thing I can rely on holding all day are my 3 prong forks, one plastic and one metal.

[lapushka]

This is one of my go-to's, I had been managing to get a french twist to stay for the past couple of months with a stick, but the past two weeks I'm lucky if it stays put 5 minutes. I'll definitely wait to get some hair forks, they look great in everyone's hair.

Yeah, you can never go wrong with a peacock twist. That was a staple of mine (later log roll) as I grew to waist/hip.

I'm so sad to hear that your French twist no longer holds. But your hair will go through phases as it grows and the only thing is to adapt. :flower:

[Kalamazoo]

My hair forks really don't stay in my hair. I'm relying on either bobby pins or an EZ Comb.

ETA: Some of my hairsticks will stay in, if I put up the bun first with bobby pins, and then, after it's secure, put the hairstick in only as decoration. But I have to think about gravity & which end of the hairfork's the heaviest, and about which direction I'm likely to be bending, because the hairtoy might slide out if I bend the wrong direction...

Bobby pins & EZ Combs are divine!

[CrazyPlantLady]

My hair forks really don't stay in my hair. I'm relying on either bobby pins or an EZ Comb.

ETA: Some of my hairsticks will stay in, if I put up the bun first with bobby pins, and then, after it's secure, put the hairstick in only as decoration. But I have to think about gravity & which end of the hairfork's the heaviest, and about which direction I'm likely to be bending, because the hairtoy might slide out if I bend the wrong direction...

Bobby pins & EZ Combs are divine!

Bobby pins are lifesavers, I know some say they can cause damage, but with my length hair its impossible to get anything to stay without them. I haven't tried EZ combs they look interesting..

[Kalamazoo]

The trick with the EZ Combs: 1. Make sure the teeth are twisted wire. I accidentally got some made of plastic & refused to even try to put them in my hair. (I just had a bad feeling.) 2. Longer teeth are better. 3. Push the two combs together 'til the teeth interlock. That's the step that REALLY holds it all together! (Sometimes it's a wee bit frustrating taking an EZ Comb out of my hair, because my hair can get wrapped around it funny, & I have to be a bit patient to untangle it out of there; but it's not bad, considering that my hair stayed put all day & didn't Houdini out of there.)

On the bobby pins, I think that, the fewer bumps they have, the less damage they do to the hair. I have some 1-bump bobby pins that I really like.

[CrazyPlantLady]

I'll be sure and add them to my list for on my next hair shopping spree. :D

[czech it out]

I think acrylic was the right choice! I’ve found wood to be too finicky - any little bit of moisture in my hair can mess with the finish on the sticks and I’ve even had a few start to splinter/snag on my hair.

[The-Young-Maid]

I just ordered a metal hair fork. I wanted something super durable I could wear to work and not worry about busting. I have one acrylic hair stick and I'm afraid it'll slip out and break on the floor lol

[CrazyPlantLady]

I think acrylic was the right choice! I’ve found wood to be too finicky - any little bit of moisture in my hair can mess with the finish on the sticks and I’ve even had a few start to splinter/snag on my hair.

Czech it out Yes that's what I was afraid of, btw your hair is literally goals! :love:


I just ordered a metal hair fork. I wanted something super durable I could wear to work and not worry about busting. I have one acrylic hair stick and I'm afraid it'll slip out and break on the floor lol

I have metal forks, but I have a feeling they'll be collecting dust for another year until my hair is long enough.

[czech it out]

Czech it out Yes that's what I was afraid of, btw your hair is literally goals! :love:

Thank you, you are too kind!

[milosmomma]

I have felt toys made of wood, acrylic and metal all feel slippy and move about in my hair. When my hair is very slippy I find that the tightness of the bun and having some pressure holding the bun together helps keep a toy from sliding about. I have also found forks to give a tighter hold, especially at shorter lengths. A 2 prong aluminum OTHM fork was my first good fork growing out this round, around shoulder/apl it began to work reliably. I would suggest amish pins too, they can hold more hair than bobbies and get your bun a little more snug.

[Panthera]

I love thick acrylic sticks, too bad they're so expensive, I only have two.

[lapushka]

I think aluminum (Quattro's) are definitely up there in price, but the material is totally worth it. I also have some Ravenslair aluminum and that is equally as nice. Both sellers were in a war a while ago. I just like them both and have things from both. And use them a lot!

[bparnell75]

This will all depend on hair type and length. I have trouble with metals unless I make a super tight bun because my hair is slippy. Wood holds best for me most times. I am very thin, slippy, almost classic. Of course forks are better than sticks unless i use two.

[MusicalSpoons]

Material and shape make a difference for hairtoys. Ketylo (dymondwood) are very smooth yet hold wonderfully in the right bun because of the shape. But any bun or style needs enough tension/pressure to hold; I imagine a French twist on short-ish slippery hair would be difficult to hold with sticks so I'm impressed you managed it at all!

[My personal favourites are Jeter forks, but I can make do with all sorts of forks/sticks/materials as long as I choose an appropriate style. Jeter forks allow me to lay down without fear of breaking them though, and to have the loosest buns of any hairtoy. For me they're beautiful workhorses.]