Hairtoys and the modern world

[marshwoman]

Someone at work today referred to my ebony Baerreis Finny as "that fish-tail thingy in your hair." :rolleyes:

I've gotten a complement on a France Luxe skinny barrette. Other than that, odd looks or silence.

I love my sticks and forks and am proud to wear them for their beauty and how professional and polished they make my hair look. But I'm all alone.:confused:

I wish more people like those on this board were around in my day-to-day life wearing hairtoys, because I don't see any! Ever! Do you?

[BellaB]

I would love to be able to wear them but my hair is layered right now and I can't even achieve a basic bun. I wish more people put more time into their hair, but it seems that most people think short when they want style, instead of learning how to do styles with your long hair. Keep rockin' those hair toys!

[steph in tx]

Well, I tend to like being unusual, so I would take looks like that as a compliment and just feel sorry for their lack of enlightenment. :D

[AJoifulNoise]

Other than those I've introduced to hair sticks, no, I don't see them in public. But, I do see them on TV and in movies. So, they shouldn't be such foreign things to people. I've seen them on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Psych, and Harry Potter (among other places).

I find sticks (as I have yet to figure out forks) cause silence, awe, or evil in other people. Silence: They don't notice, don't care, or think it is weird. Awe: Is it only kept up with sticks? Evil: They want to yank them out and laugh. Though, no one has the audacity to do that to me. :lol: They probably figure I'd bite them.

ETA: And, honestly, I don't want to see more people with sticks. I like being the only one. :D

[Carolyn]

Now and then I'll see some Claire's hair sticks. I see scrunchies and claw clips all the time but not much else. I think I saw a teenager with a bump-it in her hair a couple days ago. I'm the only one who wears quality sophisticated hair toys. It's a rare day when someone notices and says something. There used to be a girl who worked at a Claire's around here who had long hair and was interested in hair toys but I haven't seen her in ages.

I get compliments on my nails, shoes, and bags all the time but never on the hair toys.

[Silver & Gold]

I enjoy being unique however, there are more and more women who are sporting hairsticks and similar hairtoys in my area because I give them as gifts and teach the women how to wear them.

[Opal25]

I love the variety of hairtoys I have acquired since LHC - hair forks, hair sticks, & other unique accessories - but I also understand that not everyone is going to see them the way I do & I do get quite a few stares, especially when I wear my hair forks.

Am not sure most people know what to think when they see unique hair accessories since they are use to only what is put out in most stores. Sometimes I wish I would see one or two people with hair forks or some kind of a custom made hair stick, but I have yet to see any, in fact I haven't even seen another person wearing Ficcare in public.

Oh well, maybe someday the rest of the world will catch up with the beautifully unique hair accessorizing trends set by LHC, who knows.... ;)

[MotherConfessor]

Come to think of it, I really dont. I cant recall a single instance of seeing a single hairtoy of our quality... I had never thought about it before :confused:

I have just officially become a woman on a mission - spread the good word of the hairtoys. If people can wave bibles at me on the street I can wave a hairstick.

...

hmm... this could lead to misunderstandings ...

[Mercury]

One of my female friends recently plaited my hair, and put it up using hair sticks to secure it into place. Having considered the effect in a mirror, and being given several second opinions, I decided that I liked the effect.

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(

[Calanthe]

No, I never see anybody wearing hairtoys like ours. Most folks would freak out like "you paid what....for a wooden stick?!"

And I know that people never comment mine but then I don't wear them for other people, I wear them for myself.

[lizzyjo]

The only hair toys I see on other people are big jaw clips and (rarely) barettes. It's true that you have to have your hair a certain length before you start using sticks and forks, so not everyone can use them. However, there are so many people who do have long hair that I wish more people would use them. I'd forever be craning my head around to see the back of everyone's head!

Another thought: before LHC, if I saw a stick or a fork in a store, I wouldn't know what to do with it! Jaw clips and barettes are much more self-explanitory and explains why people wear them more often.

[sneakybea]

I actually have a fair number of friends with hair that is bsl or longer, and many of them wear hair sticks. But as far as the general public, I don't see them too often.
A couple months ago, one of my students complimented me on the sticks I was wearing---they were a Nightblooming design!

[Heavenly Locks]

I think part of it is that hair toys are either something people think of as 'old fashioned' like their great grandmothers tortoiseshell hair combs...or for little girls. Bright plastic snap barrettes...

There just aren't many women who decorate their hair/heads. I mean, hats used to be a part of daily life, now if you wear one...you're a weirdo.

[Noctifer]

Over here its very uncomen white here toys other then claws and clips. If you want to find anything else you have to order online. And the stuff that you can find in stores is usully to girly for me.
And it might be a fear of not knowing how to use them that keeps people away from buying those item (i would never in the world worked out how a hair fork work if i had not seen the action pictures here).
But i rarely get any coments about my stick and stuf rather then how do you get it to hold

[Jessaka]

Most of the people here use claw clips. I used to, and still have a few. They break way too easily for me. But then again, I'm not especially careful with those. I swear I lose them fast too. But yeah, there are auite a few people who use hairsticks here. I think everyday I see a few. I need to pay more attention though. We see alot of people go in and out of our building though since it's a court house...so yeah I guess there would be alot of different types of people w/ different types of hair hahahah.

[Loviatar]

I see a few people here and there in London wearing Ficcares. But there is a Selfridges' store here and they are sold there. So I guess people just go "oh it's an expensive hairclip" and buy them, rather than knowing what they are.

Hairsticks wise, nope I dont know anyone who wears them. (other than my friend R, who wears a corkscrew stick I bought her, from time to time.) But I like being the only one in my friends-circle who does.

[Naava]

I very rarely see people wearing better quality hair toys in here, but I have to admit I almost like it like that, I like to feel unique :)

[Nini]

One of my female friends recently plaited my hair, and put it up using hair sticks to secure it into place. Having considered the effect in a mirror, and being given several second opinions, I decided that I liked the effect.

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(

When you've had time to look around the boards I'm sure you'll discover sticks that will work for you. I think shorter sticks in natural woods look ok, no matter what style you're going for!

There's a thread for the men somewhere around too, but I haven't stopped by it yet...

Nini

[Anje]

I see a few hair slides around campus, and there are even a couple other hairstick wearers around, though I've never seen any decorated sticks. (I don't count pens and pencils in hair as hairsticks, though you see that all over campus, stuffed in the standard MessyBun.)

Oh well. It's not often that I get to be a trend-setter.

[Kerynna]

I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing a hairstick around here. There is one older woman who comes to choir practice with her hair in a low bun held with a fork; but I can't tell what kind of forks she uses. They don't seem very good quality.

I'm just starting to wear hairsticks now and I admit I feel a bit self-conscious being the only one. And I'm usually one who likes being defferent! :p Also, I'm scared that I'll poke one of my children's eyes out with my stick when we're goofing around. (Has that ever happened to anyone? :o )

[Carolyn]

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(Both Claire's and Sally's has plain, undecorated plastic sticks in black and in tortoise. They often have rough seams but you can file that off with a metal nail file and you're good to go.

[Johanna64]

I'm the only one who wears hairsticks around here,most women have short hair.
And some children asked me:"when are you wearing your sticks again?" They like them :)

[Masara]

The only hairtoys I really see here are either claw clips or barrettes holding up variations of the peacock twist. I sometimes see pupils using pencils as hairsticks, but they spend most of their time taking them out and putting them back in rather than just using them to keep their hair up.

I've never had any negative comments on my hair toys. Mostly no-one says anything at all. I don't think it's negative, it's just that they don't really notice them. Any comments (positive) that I've had have been when I use flexi-8's on tucked French braids.

[LaurelSpring]

Just the standard Walmart, Claires stuff around here. I saw either a ficcare or fakeare in Borders once. I have seen a couple of hairzing type toys.

When I first started here I looked and looked but didnt fine anything like I saw here so online I went. I occasionally get a comment but basically no one says anything.

I like being unique!

[AJoifulNoise]

One of my female friends recently plaited my hair, and put it up using hair sticks to secure it into place. Having considered the effect in a mirror, and being given several second opinions, I decided that I liked the effect.

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(

Have you looked online for sticks? There are many options. I've seen several Night Blooming (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5131346) sticks that would look good on either men or women. Some examples include:

dragons (http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=14410227)

This simple (http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=12273130) stick.

This simple pair (http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10847625).

Granted, two of those are customs so without the express permission of the original customer you can't have the exact same thing. But, they are good for getting ideas. Night Blooming is a wonderful seller to work with and I'm convinced she can do just about anything with sticks and beads. I'm sure she can make you some lovely sticks that aren't too feminine.

[SHELIAANN1969]

Since the time that I joined TLHC, almost 2 years, I have seen *one* yes *one* real life person with a hairstick.

I have seen simple barettes, ponytails, and updo's (mostly a group of women getting ready for a wedding) but other than that, zip!

No one except a bald man was even remotely interested in my sticks or forks! (of course he was a woodworker and made me 2 sticks) :D But no one acts impressed, curious, interested, appaled, horrified...nothing. :shrug:

I always look to see what people have in their hair. :D

Oh well, maybe it will catch on some day.

[HairColoredHair]

One of my female friends recently plaited my hair, and put it up using hair sticks to secure it into place. Having considered the effect in a mirror, and being given several second opinions, I decided that I liked the effect.

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(

I find plenty of plainer stick (which I prefer) Plain wood is usually my fave. And that means not frilly, not fancy, not effeminate.

[tinabcurly]

I never see cool hair toys on other people in my travels- mostly just claw clips, never sticks or forks or Ficcares. I love looking at the pics of everyone's collections here & wish some of you lived near me so I could oogle them in person!

[AmandaPanda]

I saw someone once with a large bun & a hairstick. I wondered if she was an LHC-er. Another time I saw someone else with a hairstick. I rarely see them though.

One day I was at work wearing a bun and fork and another employee said she liked my "barrette"

[KatKeRo]

I'm the only one with fancy hairtoys in my neighbourhood. Once in a blue moon I can meet somebody with a hairstick, never a fork.
Usually I see clawclips and barettes.

[marshwoman]

One of my female friends recently plaited my hair, and put it up using hair sticks to secure it into place. Having considered the effect in a mirror, and being given several second opinions, I decided that I liked the effect.

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(


I think the sticks on this site are really awesome but also not effeminate:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5341744&section_id=5338585


I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who doesn't see hairtoys in daily life, but sometimes I wish I did.

[rags]

I never see hairsticks or forks or Ficcares around here. Some of the older women do wear bun cages though. Other than that, it's the standard jaw clips and an occasional barrette. I certainly get looks for my sticks. I just don't care.

[physicschick]

One of my female friends recently plaited my hair, and put it up using hair sticks to secure it into place. Having considered the effect in a mirror, and being given several second opinions, I decided that I liked the effect.

I'm now discovering, to my dismay, that it's almost impossibe to find hair sticks which aren't overtly effeminate. I want to experiment, but I seem to be losing :(

A couple more non-effeminate ideas...
Uncle Ronnie (http://www.uncleronniepensandneedles.com/hair.html)
VK Designs (http://www.vkdesignsandfindings.com/gemsticks.htm) (No, seriously. I have some stainless steel sticks with hematite beads, and they look dangerous!)

On the topic of this thread, I never see anyone in real life wearing quality hair toys, but a coworker wears a bun cage that probably came from Claire's. She seems to like it a lot, so I keep wondering if I should refer her to Bronze Jewelers so she could find a higher quality one.

People almost never comment on my hairtoys, which sometimes makes me sad because I put some effort into buying them and matching them to my clothes/jewelry. I did get a couple comments about the steel and hematite sticks I mentioned above, mainly about how I should make sure not to wear them through airport security! :)

[Yedda]

Yeah, I never see anyone wearing any hair toys either.

I would have never known about them if I hadn't joined LHC, so I understand why no one wears them.

A lot of people have shorter hair.
A lot of people who have longer hair like the look of it being down, and also have layers.
Out of the people who do put it up, the usually do it because it is easy, so they don't want to put forth the effort to do any particular style with or without a hair toy.

If you think about it, not many people wear buns or other styles outside of special occasions, at least not that I notice. People just wear their hair down or put it in a poneytail.

[Elbereth]

I have never seen another person wearing quality hairtoys IRL. Seeing undecorated buns is also very rare.

I have received compliments from strangers or coworkers of my Longlocks hairsticks, but not of any other toys. But then, in this country, people don't start talking to strangers easily, much less compliment anyone's appearance.

I don't mind being unique, not as long as it makes me uniquely pretty.:p

[DecafJane]

I tend to get snobby when I see somebody with a lovely outfit on but with a cheap plastic clip in their hair. I'm glad to look different, because the old styles of plastic tortoiseshell just look so ugly to me now. ;)

[sapphire-o]

You know, before LHC I never even used a jaw clip or scrunchie. :D I made it to BSL with loose hair or elastics. (Tried to use french barrette but broke them too easily.) I had no idea how to make a bun or hold it down in any way. I imagine lots of people are just like that, even though they have longish hair. I tried teaching my mom, so far she only managed slide and Ficcare.

*I did see some people here with hair clips and sticks sometimes, once I saw a woman wearing an African Butterfly. I think medium to long hair is pretty popular here.

[ravenreed]

I get compliments all the time on my hair toys. I have a 60th Street fork and a pair of Ketylos sticks, as well as some others that I have heard nice things about. The comments in general are so positive about my hair that it keeps me from hacking back to chin length when I start getting annoyed with it. I will think it looks horrible and one of my girlfriends will tell me how healthy and shiny it looks. In fact, it seems the times I am least happy with it is when I get the most compliments.

Perhaps I just have really supportive, positive friends? =D

[wendyg]

Only a few times. The women in the local shop I'm in every day liked one of the bright gold Flexi8s and the Ficcare glittery tortoise primavera (my guess: they're attracted by shiny gold things). And last September, at a theater in north London, an usher complimented the cobalt Ficcarissimo I was wearing. She doesn't count - she was an LHC member. :)

wg

[Akiko]

I have seen a nice flexi-8, ficcare, some hair sticks and quite a few hair blings (shiny objects). I would like to see more wood forks. It is rare, though. Most women of my age don't have long hair. Wish there were a lot more people who appreciate long hair and toys to go with...

[physicschick]

You know, before LHC I never even used a jaw clip or scrunchie. :D I made it to BSL with loose hair or elastics. (Tried to use french barrette but broke them too easily.) I had no idea how to make a bun or hold it down in any way. I imagine lots of people are just like that, even though they have longish hair. I tried teaching my mom, so far she only managed slide and Ficcare.

*I did see some people here with hair clips and sticks sometimes, once I saw a woman wearing an African Butterfly. I think medium to long hair is pretty popular here.

Oh yeah, I forgot that I've seen an African Butterfly a couple times on different people. I don't know where they're buying them.

I made it to waist length with minimal hairtoys because I didn't know anyone in real life who could teach me how to handle thick, unruly hair. Thank goodness for LHC and all the styles we can learn here!

[Carolyn]

Oh yeah, I forgot that I've seen an African Butterfly a couple times on different people. I don't know where they're buying them.
I saw them at Sally's yesterday and you can order them off TV.

[Periwinkle]

I don't know anyone else who wears them, but everyone I know is familiar with the idea of hairsticks :/ Strange considering that I'm the only one who ever uses them...then again, they do constantly refer to them as chopsticks. ;)

[Gladtobemom]

I wear my hair up pretty much all the time when I'm out or working. I get a variety of comments.

When I'm wearing a "Whale Tail" people do notice. It's a striking and really cool hair toy.

When I wear hair sticks, some times I get questions on how I do that, or whether they are the only thing holding up my hair.
I've pulled a hair stick or fork out and let it drop, people are always so surprised how just that stick is holding it up. Then they are even more surprised when it takes me 5 seconds to put it back up again.

I think some people are curious and some just can't help being critical . . . which says more about thier own character than your hair toys.

I have a Quattro hair spike that has a big scrimshaw knob on it. I think I get more comments on that one than any other. I usually wear it in a flipped up bun or a Chinese bun.

I do look different with my hair up. I kind of like being a member of the "tight bunned mean ladies club." And if you want to, pull out the hair toy and watch the reaction . . . it can be fun.

[vampodrama]

the only hair'toy' I have seen on other people is a hair tie. usually holding a ponytail, sometimes a braid. that's it. even barrettes and claw clips are a rarity around here, because most women have shorter hair and those with long-ish hair wear theirs loose.

hairsticks are a constant source of puzzlement, because nobody seems to believe it's possible to hold up a hairdo with just one or two sticks. I've had co-workers pulling out my sticks just to see that I'm not lying and having a bunch of bobbypins hidden somewhere in my hairdo.... *shakes head*

[Avalonna]

I only started paying attention to hair accessories a couple of months ago, when I joined LHC. Now I notice what women are wearing in their hair, and until yesterday all I saw was claw clips, a few barrettes, elastics, and scrunchies. Lots of women wear their hair in some type of updo or bun, but only with these toys. Then yesterday at work one of my co-workers was wearing a Flexi-8! I was quite excited to see it and complimented her on it. :)

I have gotten only one comment ("That looks pretty") about my wooden hair forks and sticks. Otherwise, total silence.

[Roseate]

It is much more remarkable for me to see nice hairtoys or styles than for me to see really long hair. I see a fair amount of waist-to-classic length hair around here, and tons of BSL to waist, but the longer it is the more likely it is to just be in an English braid.

Nothing wrong with a nice glossy braid, but I nearly followed a woman down the street the other day because I was so captivated by her orchid bun and carved red lacquer stick!

[willowcandra]

I see a few toys around. Not many sticks but a few stick barettes. Mostly though just barettes and bands.

But I don't really mind what people think of mine. My flexis are always complimented without fail.