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View Full Version : How quickly do you outgrow hair toys?



Elodea
October 27th, 2019, 07:16 PM
I have some sticks that I've only had since January of this year and I think I've already outgrown them. I only started using sticks last winter, so I don't have much reference to how long it usually takes for that to happen.

When I got them, they fit well and securely (although there wasn't a super large amount of extra stick length sticking out), and now, not even a year later, I've outgrown them. I kinda thought/hoped I might've been able to use them for a bit longer. In fact, I may have outgrown them by sometime in the summer because that was when I started gravitating to using other sticks instead.

I was at maybe hip/tailbone length last winter (35 inches) and I'm now nearing classic (40 inches). So after 5 inches of hair growth, I outgrew sticks I was able to use before.

How quickly have you outgrown your hair toys? (in terms of time and/or length of growth)

Entangled
October 27th, 2019, 07:55 PM
I think I'm in the minority on this, but I've never outgrown a hairstick or fork. The sticks I had access to when I first started growing my hair were more mainstream and were pretty long--6.5"-7.5" Now I've downsized on the length of my sticks, but with the taper of my hair my buns haven't really gotten much bigger in the growing out process. Now I doubt any increase in length will affect my bun size because of taper.

HaMalka
October 27th, 2019, 08:18 PM
I've not grown out of any hairtoys. Until I hit around knee length all I had were chopsticks and its hard to grow out of 9" long chopsticks.

I have grown out of ponytails as my ends have gotten thinner and more fairy-tailed with length. Used to wear the large thick fabric covered ones, then my ends got thin enough i switched to the thin large ones, than the itty bitty ones, and know ribbons because they don't make ponytail holders small enough to stay on my ends anymore.

Wildcat Diva
October 27th, 2019, 09:14 PM
I’ve never outgrown any. I can vary my buns to where I can use a 4 inch stick or 9 inch ones. I’ve been buying huge statement piece forks since about APL, and I’m SO glad I did. I don’t worry over size at all, but I have always preferred things on the larger or longer side.

Chromis
October 27th, 2019, 09:28 PM
The one in your avatar picture looks quite long. What is the usable length on your current hairtoys? I have outgrown many, but I was only barely at BSL when I first joined the forums! It took me a while to outgrow them.

Some styles use up more hairstick than others and doing buns loosely also uses up more stick length. Sticks that are too short for other styles will often work in centre-hold things like a nautilus bun on my hair.

Kalamazoo
October 27th, 2019, 09:35 PM
I have the opposite problem. In my optimism, I bought hair toys that are too big & I can't figure out how to get them to stay in for more than 5 seconds, or they feel so heavy that they're uncomfortable (like those scrunchies). So I'm still hoping to grow into them...:silly:

neko_kawaii
October 27th, 2019, 09:40 PM
Some of my sticks and forks have become too short for the buns I use most often, but there are still many buns that still work with them. Like Chromis said, this is often the case for center held buns, but there are others. Most of my experience with outgrowing things was due to increased thickness through the length rather than length itself. My hair is past knee and I can still use 4 inch sticks in some styles, such as the Spirit Bun, but the Spidermom's Bun holds best at at least 6 inches.

AmaryllisRed
October 27th, 2019, 09:56 PM
The only thing I have outgrown so far is my large flexi. I bought it at the end of 2017 when I first joined here and my hair was about waist length. I outgrew it 12-15 months later.
I can still use all the sticks and forks I've got.
But I've only been buying hair toys for about two years... I could see myself outgrowing a couple of my forks and maybe one of my short sticks in the next year to year and a half.

Stray_mind
October 28th, 2019, 12:13 AM
I don't think i have outgrown any yet and since my hair compresses a lot, i doubt i will outgrow my forks. I think i might outgrow my small size flexis soon though...

Reyn127
October 28th, 2019, 07:23 AM
Once I started using hair sticks, it took about a year for me to get near outgrowing a few of them. That being said, I still am able to use most of those shorter sticks, I just need to wear a different bun that’s less wide, if that makes sense. Out of the most common buns I wear, the nautilus bun accepts shorter sticks than a L-infinity bun does. I’ll bet that just finding some new buns to do will open up how long you are able to wear certain sticks.

Sora Rose
October 28th, 2019, 07:38 AM
I've only ever had one hairstick, and I've never outgrown it. Although I suspect if my thickness and length travelled to, say, around knee length I would lose it in my bun. That wouldn't happen for a few years anyway.

Milady_DeWinter
October 28th, 2019, 07:53 AM
I outgrew a lot of the hairtoys I bought at first, because I started purchased regular sizes while growing out layers and dyes. My hair is very thick, and without the tapper caused by layers and dyes my shorter hairtoys soon were too small (from mbl to hip). This year I'm TBL and have outgrew another lot of hairtoys... It is a pain actually.

Cg
October 28th, 2019, 09:02 AM
There have come times when my smaller flimsier hairtoys no longer worked alone. Much depends on your hair, the bun style, and the size and type of hairtoy. I never wear half-ups and when I occasionally still try the littler pretties I need to add several Amish pins -- which defeats my purpose of quick fix and go.

bokeh
October 28th, 2019, 09:47 AM
I've been purchasing my hairtoys larger than needed in the hopes that they will be just right when I get to my goal of waist length. I started buying them when my hair was just past armpit length and I'm about BLS now. They are definitely too long for my preference now but in a year they might be just right!

MusicalSpoons
October 28th, 2019, 11:18 AM
Slowly ... I started using hair sticks around TBL/classic length, and with my taper any extra length only makes a relatively small difference to bun size. I've mainly 'outgrown' things because my buns had to be too tight and compacted to still be able to wear them, like large flexis or shorter forks. My first sticks were 5" long and are just a bit short to use by themselves, but I can pair them with a stickless flexi to eke out a bit more use for now.

I do have hope that some thickness is travelling down since my neglect became benign, so I may yet outgrow the toys that are currently on the verge of too small; I'm also on the verge of growing into my largest fork which I didn't think was possible! But on the whole, with taper and very compressible hair, any outgrowing is very slow for me.

[It may have been very different at shorter lengths, so my finances are very pleased I've never needed to experience that! :lol:]

Elodea
October 28th, 2019, 01:07 PM
Thanks for all the input everyone!


I think I'm in the minority on this, but I've never outgrown a hairstick or fork. The sticks I had access to when I first started growing my hair were more mainstream and were pretty long--6.5"-7.5" Now I've downsized on the length of my sticks, but with the taper of my hair my buns haven't really gotten much bigger in the growing out process. Now I doubt any increase in length will affect my bun size because of taper.
I haven't gotten a ton of taper in thickness yet, although I definitely noticed a difference between having blunt ends right after my last trim this spring and a couple months later when things had grown out a bit. Right after the trim, I realized it was harder to tuck in my ends in buns and that was enough for me to decide to let my hemline grow as it pleases without any full trims from now on.


I’ve never outgrown any. I can vary my buns to where I can use a 4 inch stick or 9 inch ones. I’ve been buying huge statement piece forks since about APL, and I’m SO glad I did. I don’t worry over size at all, but I have always preferred things on the larger or longer side.
Yeah, I don't mind rather large/showy sticks that stick out a lot from the bun itself. I'll have to take a look at what options there are for those kinds of huge statement forks or sticks and hopefully if I get any like that, I can use them for longer.


The one in your avatar picture looks quite long. What is the usable length on your current hairtoys? I have outgrown many, but I was only barely at BSL when I first joined the forums! It took me a while to outgrow them.

Some styles use up more hairstick than others and doing buns loosely also uses up more stick length. Sticks that are too short for other styles will often work in centre-hold things like a nautilus bun on my hair.
The one in my picture is about 5 or 5.5 inches in functional length. I can still technically use it and it'll hold a nautilus bun (which I wear 95% of the time), but it doesn't feel as secure now at my current length as it did in the past, which is why I've gravitated towards using other sticks now instead. I think that now I prefer a 6 inch functional length at minimum for sticks.


Some of my sticks and forks have become too short for the buns I use most often, but there are still many buns that still work with them. Like Chromis said, this is often the case for center held buns, but there are others. Most of my experience with outgrowing things was due to increased thickness through the length rather than length itself. My hair is past knee and I can still use 4 inch sticks in some styles, such as the Spirit Bun, but the Spidermom's Bun holds best at at least 6 inches.



Once I started using hair sticks, it took about a year for me to get near outgrowing a few of them. That being said, I still am able to use most of those shorter sticks, I just need to wear a different bun that’s less wide, if that makes sense. Out of the most common buns I wear, the nautilus bun accepts shorter sticks than a L-infinity bun does. I’ll bet that just finding some new buns to do will open up how long you are able to wear certain sticks.
Hmm, I'll have to see if I can find some new buns that'll still work with these sticks. Although I do currently wear the nautilus bun most often and that's the bun I noticed this potential stick-outgrowing thing with. I like the orchid bun but I need an even longer stick for that, so it's not going to help with the sticks I'm outgrowing... a 7-inch double-pointed knitting needle just barely fits for holding an orchid bun for me!


There have come times when my smaller flimsier hairtoys no longer worked alone. Much depends on your hair, the bun style, and the size and type of hairtoy. I never wear half-ups and when I occasionally still try the littler pretties I need to add several Amish pins -- which defeats my purpose of quick fix and go.
Yes, I see that there are a number of factors that go into whether or not a given hair toy will work in one's hair. I also generally prefer to wear buns/hairstyles I can do quickly and not have to use lots of pins for, and/or have to constantly adjust/redo during the day.


I outgrew a lot of the hairtoys I bought at first, because I started purchased regular sizes while growing out layers and dyes. My hair is very thick, and without the tapper caused by layers and dyes my shorter hairtoys soon were too small (from mbl to hip). This year I'm TBL and have outgrew another lot of hairtoys... It is a pain actually.


Slowly ... I started using hair sticks around TBL/classic length, and with my taper any extra length only makes a relatively small difference to bun size. I've mainly 'outgrown' things because my buns had to be too tight and compacted to still be able to wear them, like large flexis or shorter forks. My first sticks were 5" long and are just a bit short to use by themselves, but I can pair them with a stickless flexi to eke out a bit more use for now.

I do have hope that some thickness is travelling down since my neglect became benign, so I may yet outgrow the toys that are currently on the verge of too small; I'm also on the verge of growing into my largest fork which I didn't think was possible! But on the whole, with taper and very compressible hair, any outgrowing is very slow for me.

[It may have been very different at shorter lengths, so my finances are very pleased I've never needed to experience that! :lol:]
Yeah, I still haven't developed that much taper, so the 5 inches of additional length at the end of my hair is still rather thick. I'm curious about the extent my hemline might taper as my hair gets longer, growing from a blunt cut.

I have done a similar thing like you mentioned you do with stickless flexis, although instead of a flexi I use a scrunchie. I might have to try and do that more often and see if I can still make the sticks I've sort of outgrown continue to work. I'd say I've outgrown some of my sticks in the sense that they're no longer as secure as they used to be, even though I can still technically use them. But I'd have to adjust them/rebun rather often in the day as the bun loosens, plus worrying they might just slip out if I haven't adjusted them soon enough.

It seems like the conclusion here is minimal taper + a decent amount of additional length = buns getting bigger and outgrowing hair toys. I'm not going to intervene and do something like get a v-cut so I could have more taper, I'll just let my hemline go and taper naturally. Anyways, it's a nice excuse to shop for new hair toys!