Ficcare for III??

[kissedbyfyre]

I seem to have lost my hair stick talents so I'm looking into buying a large Ficcare. I love the fact that you can do nice, loose buns with those toys. I'm rather bored with my tight buns and they simply don't seem to be working right now. I'm hoping slightly looser buns with help me cope with the weight. And yes I've done figure 8's and infinity buns. ;)

What experiences has anyone had with long (beyond tail bone) III+ hair?? Are there any tips or tricks I need to be aware of?? If I remember correctly Nordstrom carries these correct?? I really want to play with one before I spend $35 on it. I simply don't see how they could hold up the hair without a lot of pulling but people seem to adore them here so I figured I'd give them a try.

Thanks!!!!

[dancingmegs]

I have no problem holding my mid-thigh, iii hair with a ficcare, but I know it's a very personalized thing. Some people love them, so people hate them. I use them to hold a loose cinnamon bun. I just make sure the ends are tucked into the middle of the bun, and then insert the clip through the center of the bun, so the clip isn't holding the outer couple coils at all. It holds very, very firmly and comfortably for me.

Nordstroms does carry them, and you should be able to go in and try them before making a commitment. They are expensive, but I consider them really worth the money.

[snowbear]

I'll be reading this thread with interest. I've been wanting a Ficcare for years, and I have a gift card to Nordstroms. Alas, I have iii hair that eats small children. However, at the last SoCal meet, Rain let me try her Ficcare, and Shell was able to get my hair into a frenchg twisty thing. So, hey, I think I'm sold. It'll be interesting to read this thread, though.

[capelli lunghi]

I fit into that category.. I'm able to securely and comfortably hold a cinnamon bun all day with a large Ficcare.. My clip only goes to the center of the bun though.. still it holds well. It holds anything I can throw at it.. I haven't come across anything that doesn't work, yet. When I first got my Ficcare.. I GENTLY bent the underneath part of the clip a little bit to make more room inside for my hair.. You can't even tell I did it.. but it stopped the momentary pulling I did have.. Now I can't even feel it! HTH!

[Vicky Veiss]

My hair is too bulky for my large Ficcare to hold well with a cinnamon bun -- it ends up very one-sided. I eventually figured out a style that's something like one that Jennifer Eve has demonstrated in pictures -- it's sort of a figure 8 bun, vertically oriented, that has the first coil turned up and the length of the hair wrapped around and around the base of the bun. I don't use an elastic to start my buns, I just twist and hold, but you certainly can use a tie of some kind if you prefer that.

If that makes any sense! I'm not sure at the moment where to link to any pictures or demo threads, since I haven't been back too often since the board crash.

One trick I had to work out: I have very tapered ends, so I make sure to pull the last few inches of the tail up under the top coil so that the clip will catch and hold it. Then I clip the top coil horizontally. Works much better than the cinnamon bun, since most of the hair bulk is in that bottom section and all the Ficcare has to grab is the top coil. It does slip sometimes -- you know how there are firm-hold-bun days and fall-down-every-five-minutes days! But it's quick to redo under almost any conditions.

[AprilElf]

I haven't used a Ficcare yet, but hope to acquire one in the not-too-distant future. Thanks to those who have replied positively about them with regard to iii-type hair :) --gives me something to look forward to!

[kissedbyfyre]

Ookay now I really want to give the large clips a try. I'm mostly interested in looser buns myself. They have a more artistic feel that I'm going for in the professional world. I'm bored with my constant braids and I rather like being able to hide the length. Nice to know that long, III hair types deal with them pretty well. I still don't believe it. ;) I'll believe it when I get to play with one.

Sounds as though they're worth the $35 though. I have my hair up on a 95% basis, so even if I use it once a week it will more than pay for itself. I'm not a hair toy fiend, I honestly only have 1 pair of hair sticks... and my constant supply of hair ties that the cats turn into toys. I guess the occasional spending is allowed.

[Delilah]

I have no clue, but the 'jade' maxima would look stunning on you.

[kissedbyfyre]

Alas, I have iii hair that eats small children.

I relate to this statement ALL too well. This is why I'm always iffy about buying hair toys unless I can test them out first. The only hair sticks I've found that my hair doesn't eat are my Crafty Celts thicker sticks. Everything else that I've ever bought my hair eats in close to no time.

[snowbear]

I relate to this statement ALL too well. This is why I'm always iffy about buying hair toys unless I can test them out first. The only hair sticks I've found that my hair doesn't eat are my Crafty Celts thicker sticks. Everything else that I've ever bought my hair eats in close to no time.
I remember comparing hair appetites with you at the Pasadena meet! I really want the Blue Lotus Brite, so I'm going to see if Nordstroms can do custom orders.

[Shell]

Nordstrom's will probably take it back if you end up not liking it.

I have classic iii hair and I love my ficcares. There is a learning curve (not a bad one) and everybody does different things. I don't do cinnabuns, but rather folds, french twisty things, and the occasional knot with them. I find that the pulling can be alleviated by first lifting the bun up a bit, clipping, then releasing. For some reason this seems to solve the pulling problem.

I also recommend the Maxima for those with very thick hair (like snowbear) or very long hair (like KBF or AprilElf) because they open wider than the Ficcarissimo.

[eadwine]

I would definitely suggest trying one indeed before you buy it. I know someone on the Dutch forum (iii, also member here) who has tried a large, and it simply won't work for her. I tried it myself, nada nope.

Of course when you buy one and it won't work for you, they are easily sold here on the swap board, so you can gamble ;)

Definitely try :) Good luck hunting!!

[ysmalan]

I've got tailbone length, iii hair and I own three large Maximas Ficcares. I like them a lot, the hold is great and I love the elegant look of them. But I do have problems with the weight of my hair... I have that problems with Flexis, too, and occasionally even with hairsticks, if I don't get the weight balanced well enough. After some time my scalp will start to hurt, and hurt severely. For some time I even thought I won't be able to really wear my pretty Maximases... :/

Recently I discovered that the Ficcare braid works very well with the Maximas, especially when I start off with Dianyla's English Braid Technique for my braid. Then, when the Maximas is anchored on the middle strand of the braid, the whole weight of the updo is held by a relativley "broad" section of hair, and I can acutally wear that style for a whole day. :)
I've thought on starting with a half-up for other, non-braided styles. I guess this would work similarly. But I have yet to try that...

[Xandergrammy]

My buns look like they want to eat my HEAD sometimes, and I love my large Ficcares. They are definitely my "go to" hair toy. Expensive, yes, but worth every penny because they hold well and you'll wear them many, many times.

[akka naeda]

My hair is about knee-length, approx 53" and my large Maxes can just about hold a log roll. Nothing else now, although there was a time about a year ago when they'd hold pretty much anything including cinnabuns.
I'm not selling/swaping them though as I love them too much:).
Ursula will telll you the Max doesn't work or her, I can't remember who else with iii hair has had this problem.

[physicschick]

Ursula will telll you the Max doesn't work or her, I can't remember who else with iii hair has had this problem.

*raises hand* They are high quality clips, and the springs are very strong. However, I can't get them seated properly to hold an updo. Something is always pulling uncomfortably. I much prefer sticks. However, as others mentioned, the swap board is a great way to get rid of unwanted Ficcares.

[Lady Godiva]

The Maximas is my go-to tool, too. Keep in mind that they are NOT supposed to close completely when in use, as leaving the tips separated is what creates the necessary tension in the spring for them to work.

I'd never be able to hold up any sort of regular bun or Infinity/Fig 8 bun with them. They wouldn't work. They're awesome for Log Rolls (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=14), though. What I do is wrap my hair in an upward direction, tuck the hair ends behind the roll or lay them down alongside/under the roll, and use the Maximas at the very top of it, at the crown area. I have to flatten the Log Roll first up there to narrow it so the clip can fit over, then include some scalp hair, and release the spring. It sometimes takes a couple/few tries to not pull, but it's a quick reinsertion until I get it right.

[Leisha]

I have iii hair (recently cut back to waist length, it was tailbone before, I haven't used my Ficcares since cutting so my experience is about iii tailbone hair).

I have a L maximas and I can use it for a log roll (holds very well), but I've never really used it for any other style. I am a bit updo-challenged though, it has to be said. So I haven't tried that many other styles yet, I'm sure there will be more that would work, because the spring on the max is good and strong.

Sometimes I can get a messy, quite loose bun to stay up with my Ficcare too, but there's no exact way of doing that bun, I just sort of scrunch and twist up my hair and hope it will be secure :lol:

If I use it on a cinnabun, I don't really like the look of it, because the Ficcare only goes to about the middle of the bun. It does hold it up though, but I never really use the Ficcare for that.

[zift]

Hello iii here with mid-thigh length:D I could wear a ficcare maximas with a log-roll and stickless bun a week or so ago. So do try them. Not comfortable for everyone though,I suddenly mysteriously couldn't wear them anymore:mad:

[cobblersmaid]

I have iii hair (barely) that is tailbone. With my first maxima, I thought it just wasn't working. Then I realized that I was pushing it too far toward the spring. It is better to have it near the middle. I also could only manage figure eights with it. Still it was worth it because of the hold. Later I bought a ficarissimo, which I like much, much better. Sadly, I managed to lose both in a move, and can't afford more.

[capelli lunghi]

Another tip I have is to move the placement of the clip around if a do is not working.. There are some 'dos that if I can get my L Maximas over it.. it will shoot out.. but if I move the clip to a thinner spot with less hair.. It will work just fine!

[Dianyla]

You'd better get your stick mojo back. You're gonna need it. :)

[tsc]

I just got my first Ficcares...Love 'em! Hold like iron, can barely tell they're there.

A bit dressy too-- which is nice for when you want to look put together with little effort.