Amish pins!

[illicitlizard]

It's so hard to find information in the old threads, would love to hear everyone's opinions on amish pins!
Am thinking of investing so I have some sturdier pins that don't tug on my hair strands as much

So, if you use amish pins,

What is the best length for you?
Do crinkly or straight ones work best on your hair texture?
Do they give you headaches? I find spin pins and normal bobby pins give me headaches but hair sticks don't.

Ta in advance

[Shell]

I have used Amish pins, and since your hair is BSL and I assume you're growing longer--I'd go with 3" pins. However, I much prefer Bunhead Pins (https://www.discountdance.com/dancewear/style_BH440.html) to Amish pins. They come in colors--I use the red ones--and the shape holds better in my opinion. Also, I find that they are easier to get.

[Cg]

I've used Amish pins since forever, always the 3", and have both straight and crinkly. I've used them alone and also with sticks or other hairtoys that wouldn't hold by themselves. I use 8-12 per bun and evenly distribute them such that I don't ever feel them. No headaches, no pulling. For me they are way better than any other type of hair pin.

[illicitlizard]

I have used Amish pins, and since your hair is BSL and I assume you're growing longer--I'd go with 3" pins. However, I much prefer Bunhead Pins (https://www.discountdance.com/dancewear/style_BH440.html) to Amish pins. They come in colors--I use the red ones--and the shape holds better in my opinion. Also, I find that they are easier to get.
Thank you for your reply! Yep, am planning to get longer than BSL, looks like I can get the bunheads pins quite easily, had not heard of them. If the amish ones don't work I'll know what to try next :)


I've used Amish pins since forever, always the 3", and have both straight and crinkly. I've used them alone and also with sticks or other hairtoys that wouldn't hold by themselves. I use 8-12 per bun and evenly distribute them such that I don't ever feel them. No headaches, no pulling. For me they are way better than any other type of hair pin.
That's great news! I'm hoping that because they're sturdy they won't give me problems. Looks like I'll try some 3" ones, had assumed they would be too long as my spin pins are just over 2" and regular bobby pins ~1.5"

[Kibrah]

I just today got a variety selection from Etsy in the mail. One pack each of 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 inch. My hair is a bit longer than bsl (29.5 inches last measure). I have only had a chance to try 2 buns so far just a boring cinnamon bun and an infinity bun. For the cinnamon bun just 3 of the 3 inch worked great. I found with the infinity bun that long one on the folded out side and 2 inch on the base side worked best. The only use so far for the little 1.5 inchers is to hold the little tail of hair in so it doesn't pop out. I think if you wanted to do a vortex bun or similar that maybe the shorter one might also work as they wouldn't be stacking up to much.

[Arciela]

I have so many and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to use them :( I've watched so many videos but no luck!

[Imaginaera]

I have so many and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to use them :( I've watched so many videos but no luck!

I like to think of them as tiny hair forks. You stick the pin into the hair vertically (perpendicular to the scalp) and then turn it horizontally and push it into the hair as you would a hair stick or hair fork, making sure to pick up some scalp hair.
I have no idea if that makes any sense at all. Here you go anyway.

[Arciela]

I like to think of them as tiny hair forks. You stick the pin into the hair vertically (perpendicular to the scalp) and then turn it horizontally and push it into the hair as you would a hair stick or hair fork, making sure to pick up some scalp hair.
I have no idea if that makes any sense at all. Here you go anyway.

Ohh this does make a bit more sense! Thank you :flower: I'll see if I can give them a try again today haha

[Kibrah]

I like to think of them as tiny hair forks. You stick the pin into the hair vertically (perpendicular to the scalp) and then turn it horizontally and push it into the hair as you would a hair stick or hair fork, making sure to pick up some scalp hair.
I have no idea if that makes any sense at all. Here you go anyway.

Yes, exactly how I use them too.

[Kat]

I have so many and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to use them :( I've watched so many videos but no luck!

You kind of have to pretend it's like a mini hair fork, which can take some practice and messing around with to get the hang of.

I have some of the Bunheads pins and I tend to still prefer my Good Hair Days pins. I am not that fond of the fact that they're plastic and easier to break (especially since they seem to have changed the plastic they use and it seems more brittle), but they tend to "grip" my hair better because the "tines" are wide and come together in the middle.

[Alexandrina]

It's so hard to find information in the old threads, would love to hear everyone's opinions on amish pins!
Am thinking of investing so I have some sturdier pins that don't tug on my hair strands as much

So, if you use amish pins,

What is the best length for you?
Do crinkly or straight ones work best on your hair texture?
Do they give you headaches? I find spin pins and normal bobby pins give me headaches but hair sticks don't.

Ta in advance

The crinkly ones hold a bit better than the straight kind for me.
I've never had a headache with them, maybe if I wasn't careful inserting them and the end is poking my scalp, I have to redo it, but once they are in a good position I can't even tell I'm wearing them.
Then again spin pins don't give me headaches either, do you mean after wearing them for a while, or right away?

[Alexandrina]

I have so many and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to use them :( I've watched so many videos but no luck!


I like to think of them as tiny hair forks. You stick the pin into the hair vertically (perpendicular to the scalp) and then turn it horizontally and push it into the hair as you would a hair stick or hair fork, making sure to pick up some scalp hair.
I have no idea if that makes any sense at all. Here you go anyway.


Yes, exactly how I use them too.


You kind of have to pretend it's like a mini hair fork, which can take some practice and messing around with to get the hang of.


Yep, same as the others, I don't stick them straight in, but use it like I would a fork, with inserting it and then flipping it the other direction, and some weaving

[Kat]

The crinkly ones hold a bit better than the straight kind for me.
I've never had a headache with them, maybe if I wasn't careful inserting them and the end is poking my scalp, I have to redo it, but once they are in a good position I can't even tell I'm wearing them.
Then again spin pins don't give me headaches either, do you mean after wearing them for a while, or right away?

For me, I find if I get headaches from hairpins (as opposed to just a headache from the weight of my hair being up), it's because they're pressing against my scalp. Either I insert one in the "wrong" way from the get-go, or as the bun or braids or other hairdo sags/shifts with gravity and movement, then the pins are in a position where they're pressed against my head. (That would be one advantage of the Amish pins over my Good Hair Days pins, as the tines are thinner and less likely to press. It's also why I prefer thin hairsticks.) But I know other people get headaches from specific hair toys for other reasons.

[illicitlizard]

The crinkly ones hold a bit better than the straight kind for me.
I've never had a headache with them, maybe if I wasn't careful inserting them and the end is poking my scalp, I have to redo it, but once they are in a good position I can't even tell I'm wearing them.
Then again spin pins don't give me headaches either, do you mean after wearing them for a while, or right away?
Not straight away, about an hour later, weird tension I presume that I can't seem to diminish. I get them with pony tails (with regular hairties), regular bobby pins, and spin pins - but I also find spin pins really annoying to insert as they tend to pull my hair immediately and have to be redone.


For me, I find if I get headaches from hairpins (as opposed to just a headache from the weight of my hair being up), it's because they're pressing against my scalp. Either I insert one in the "wrong" way from the get-go, or as the bun or braids or other hairdo sags/shifts with gravity and movement, then the pins are in a position where they're pressed against my head. (That would be one advantage of the Amish pins over my Good Hair Days pins, as the tines are thinner and less likely to press. It's also why I prefer thin hairsticks.) But I know other people get headaches from specific hair toys for other reasons.

Yeah for bobby pins it's often just uncomfortable to have them pressing against my head even if they don't give me a proper headache. Uncomfy bobby pins also just take me back to uncomfortable dance classes as a kid, not great.

[Cg]

For me, I find if I get headaches from hairpins (as opposed to just a headache from the weight of my hair being up), it's because they're pressing against my scalp. Either I insert one in the "wrong" way from the get-go, or as the bun or braids or other hairdo sags/shifts with gravity and movement, then the pins are in a position where they're pressed against my head. (That would be one advantage of the Amish pins over my Good Hair Days pins, as the tines are thinner and less likely to press. It's also why I prefer thin hairsticks.) But I know other people get headaches from specific hair toys for other reasons.

For me headaches are always a result of bun droop, thus uneven tension. I can guarantee instant droop/headache with spin pins, sticks and regular acrylics.

[Kat]

For me headaches are always a result of bun droop, thus uneven tension. I can guarantee instant droop/headache with spin pins, sticks and regular acrylics.

Yup. It can feel fine, then gravity sets in and it starts hurting. If I grab it and push it back up to where it was, no more problem...

[illicitlizard]

Update on this!
Thanks to everyone for all the tips. I ended up getting a variety pack of straight pins in all 4 lengths (3", 2 1/2", 2", and 1 5/8").

I had thought that 3" would be too long for my hair, but the 3" pins are perfect! I can secure a bun quite reliably with 4-5 pins. They also don't pull or give me headaches, and I love how minimal it makes my buns look (as opposed to a stick for example)
The key to use them as you would a hair stick or fork as mentioned above, can highly recommend if you're struggling with tension in buns and haven't tried these :)

Today's disc bun secured with pins:
https://i.imgur.com/3XBqYDCm.jpg