Using Hairsticks on stubbornly fine hair?

[Lady Danger]

I tried searching this topic but couldn't really come up with the right combo of words to find results. I love the look of hairsticks. I've longed for years to wear them. However, my hair is (as you can see from my stats) just soft, baby-fine, stick-straight and really stubborn with being held by anything. The only thing I can get to successfully secure it is a plastic drugstore-style ficcare, and that's because they don't weigh a lot. Even beautiful regular ficcares fall out of the hair.

Am I doomed to never being able to wear hairsticks? And if not, any guidance would be welcome!

[Tinose]

Something you might consider is some of Quattro's work on etsy. I haven't received mine yet (ordered one as a birthday present for me after drooling over them for weeks :cheese:), but I've found that very narrow sticks tend to stay a lot better than the thicker ones, and he makes very lightweight titanium and aluminum ones with microgrooves that are supposed to make them stick better. (I highly suspect those microgrooves are the result of going over the stick very lightly with a file, but hey, if it works it works.) Unfortunately, his stuff's on the expensive side.

In the realm of things that might help your hair stay up that aren't sticks, I tend to wear my Zannclip daily because its hold is just absolutely secure and it's very lightweight and comfortable, but I'm also enough of a dork that I find the spring aspect neat. I just got in my order of Flexi-8s, and those seem like they'll do the same thing. The thing about them is that they have a stick, and then something holding the stick on the outside, which compresses the hair it's holding and generally makes it stick better, while still being very lightweight.

Good luck!

[Redheaded Raven]

I have baby fine hair and hair that likes to spit out hair accessories and toys at a whim. I would recommend using thin wood hair sticks.
My hair doesn't really do well with most metal ones they slide out too easily. I find that the grain of the wood seems to help hold them in. I haven't used Quattros sticks and I do know that others swear by them, but I just don't like most very thin ones as they seem to pull too much in one spot for me.

Plastic ones don't work either. I do like bone ones but not everyone is comfortable with bone.

When my hair was shorter I used a hair elastic or "rubber band" to ponytail my hair then put it in a style and then insert the hairstick. That enabled me so that I could wear hair sticks.

Good luck. :D

[marikamt]

Okay- my suggestion may be incredibly simplistic but.... what about a sock bun w/ the hair sticks as "decoration" ???
I think it would look like a humongous bun held by sticks.......

[katana]

Hi -

I have no idea if this will help or not, but in the reviews, there's one for this site: http://www.theloversknot.com/ - the reviewer mentions that this is a good option for someone who wants something like Quattro's sticks but is leery of the price. (review link: http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/152/cat/10 )

(er, also. My very first post. If something is screwy, please let me know.)

[Delila]

When I was first learning how to persuade my hair to behave itself in an updo, I had most success with a Goody clip/comb thing. It had teeth you'd slide into/under the updo, and a clampy bit that fit over it. I wore those for a LONG time.

Stick-wise, I had to find sticks I could cut down to shorter lengths, the extra length made the longer ones too heavy for my hair to support.

I'd suggest getting some double ended knitting needles, bending them to make large hair pins, and using several of those to secure your updos. I have/use some Quattro ones, but they're hugely over priced, IMO, even if they do seem determined to last forever.

[Lady Danger]

I have baby fine hair and hair that likes to spit out hair accessories and toys at a whim.


This made me laugh out loud...it's exactly what my hair does! I swear sometimes it projectiles hair accessories.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm going to look into them. :)

[Jeni]

I have a hard time wearing hair sticks for the same reason, they just slide out of my hair. I pretty much live in my wooden forks though (they hold great!). The sticks I have that hold the best are wood and not straight/totally round (bumpy or spiraled or more dagger shaped). Also I'm a freak I guess and find that thicker sticks hold better then thin ones for me.

Some styles work better with sticks then other do. I can hold a (tight) cinnamon bun with a stick and of course I can use one in a chinese bun. I can not get one to hold a lazy wrap bun (slides right out since I cant get it tight enough) or an infinity/figure eight (slides down and ends up crooked).

You could try just using the stick as decoration and use hair pins to actually hold the bun in place.

[rags]

I'm the same as Jeni - I can only use sticks for certain styles. For lazy wrap buns, for example, I need a fork. Sticks just come right out.

I second the Quattro notion - his sticks do hold for me, but if I get too big of a topper they will overbalance. My hair can't hold the weight of it.

What I've actually had the best luck with of anything is Ketylos. The hardwood ones work better for me. Something about that shape just works so much better than a straight stick.

[Redheaded Raven]

This made me laugh out loud...it's exactly what my hair does! I swear sometimes it projectiles hair accessories.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm going to look into them. :)
Yes my mom used to tease me that she could find me by the trail of hairpins. lol :D

You also might try a hair stick that has a bump in the middle of it. Some folks swear by it as a "lock" in their locks. Hehehe. ;)

[ShaSha]

I have fine and thin hair. I've learned to use sticks, after a time, but I've found that a wider stick holds best.

This one http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26072442
is very smooth and holds well. I've had a day when I did a bun with it in the morning, did a full day of working, came home, changed my clothes, went to ride my horse, came home and it was still there holding the bun.

And as Redheaded Raven said, not everyone is comfortable with bone.

(And just to mention, I usually wear some protection for my head when riding a horse... just not that day :o )

[Tabitha]

I have no idea if this will help or not, but in the reviews, there's one for this site: http://www.theloversknot.com/ - the reviewer mentions that this is a good option for someone who wants something like Quattro's sticks but is leery of the price. (review link: http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/152/cat/10 )

I would just say that my personal experience with both Lover's Knot and Quattro metal sticks was that there is a big difference between them.

I found Lover's Knot sticks too shiny and they slid out of my fine and slippery hair. I put mine on the Swap Board. My Quattro Starlites and Steelstix on the other hand do have this satiny, halfway-to-matte texture and hold much better in my hair. I consider them to be worth the extra.

[heidihug]

When my hair was much shorter I found that, if I dampened it a bit before putting it into a bun, it was much easier to get the hairsticks to stay in. My hair was much thinner then, too, due to breakage from heat and perming. I also use wooden and plastic hair sticks exclusively, and find that the wooden ones seem to stay in more securely.

Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you.

[sapphire-o]

I guess I don't quite understand. Why would fine hair make sticks not work? Fine hair just means they got small diameters, right? My DH has very fine hair and almost anything would hold it up. But if "fine hair" means super smooth slippery hair then I got lots of tips. :D

My recommendation would be wood hair sticks with no clear coating, sanded and oiled, but not too smooth. They're lightweight and the friction keep them secure. You might find wood hair forks work better. I myself quit using any oils or conditioner in order to reduce the slip. I understand you might not want to do that as fine hair might be fragile. Oh and make sure your sticks are short enough. Long sticks would make your bun look smaller. Appropriately size sticks on neat little bun simply look very elegant.

[katana]

Thank you! I will take that into consideration; I bought some Lover's Knot sticks because of the price, and I needed some sticks that I could more easily put a shower cap over...

[Raederle]

Seconding the advice to have hair on the shy side of damp when you put it up. If you're using wood, it would probably be better to have you hands lightly oiled instead, as the dampness can warp the wood. My hair is very fine, too, and I started out with forks. They seem a bit more forgiving than sticks, at least for me. After I got confident with forks, it was easy to switch to Ketylos, and the wavy shape really does seem to give them additional hold.

I don't see hair length in your stats, so it's hard to make specific style recommendations. If you've got the length, I highly recommend a style like the KarenLynn knot, or double looped knot. A cinnabun can easily just slip out of fine, slippy hair. But any style that incorporates looping or knots usually makes for a more stable updo with slippy hair. You can check my photo links for lots of KL Knot variations.

[Lady Danger]

Seconding the advice to have hair on the shy side of damp when you put it up. If you're using wood, it would probably be better to have you hands lightly oiled instead, as the dampness can warp the wood. My hair is very fine, too, and I started out with forks. They seem a bit more forgiving than sticks, at least for me. After I got confident with forks, it was easy to switch to Ketylos, and the wavy shape really does seem to give them additional hold.

I don't see hair length in your stats, so it's hard to make specific style recommendations. If you've got the length, I highly recommend a style like the KarenLynn knot, or double looped knot. A cinnabun can easily just slip out of fine, slippy hair. But any style that incorporates looping or knots usually makes for a more stable updo with slippy hair. You can check my photo links for lots of KL Knot variations.

What a great batch of replies; thank you all! Raederle, my hair is bra strap length.

The idea to put it up while still damp is a good one. I'd never considered that.

And yes, maybe it's also that my hair is slippery. Could be. I always assumed it was just so limp/fine that accessories weighed it down and fell out. Maybe it's a combination of all these things!

[Marika]

My hair is really slippery when freshly washed and I also recommend putting hair up when it's slightly damp (misting hair with water or liquid leave-in conditioner before bunning). Wooden sticks are best choice, plastic and most lacquered ones are too slippery for me. I use Ketylo dymondwood sticks if my hair is damp and they work great even though they are really smooth. I like forks too... When hair sticks fail me, I just stick a fork in my hair and I'm a happy girl!:)

[Flynn]

I guess I don't quite understand. Why would fine hair make sticks not work? Fine hair just means they got small diameters, right? My DH has very fine hair and almost anything would hold it up. But if "fine hair" means super smooth slippery hair then I got lots of tips. :D


I think fine hair might be meant to imply that it is slippery and prone to escaping. Mine certainly escapes an awful lot! XD Fine+thin+straight would have to be the killer combo for escape-artist hair, I think!

[Jeni]

I think fine hair might be meant to imply that it is slippery and prone to escaping. Mine certainly escapes an awful lot! XD Fine+thin+straight would have to be the killer combo for escape-artist hair, I think!

It really is!

[rags]

XD Fine+thin+straight would have to be the killer combo for escape-artist hair, I think!

Yes, this is very true! I call mine "houdini hair". It can escape anything!

[Kris Dove]

I use the smallest hairstick from Claire's which seems to hold. I've seen a few people posting that Claire's sticks break easily, but on very fine hair like ours they can take the weight!

[embee]

When I began to use hairsticks, I had to make a ponytail first, with elastic. Then the stick had something to "work against". As I became more adept I was able to leave off the elastic except for some styles. My hair is straight and slick. Most things, including curls, fall right out!

[Raederle]

Good point about trying hair friendly elastics first, until you get more confident. Depending on your personal choice, a little wispy escapee tendril here and there might be okay. For me, at work, it wasn't, because I work in a candy store, an nobody wants to think of hair in their candy, yes?

At BSL, you've got a fair amount of styling choices. I think most of the time I did my little twisted up knotty thing, held mostly with pins. And carefully used claw clips were also my friend. But you could also try braided updos. They eat up length a bit, but, depending upon your hair, they might hold better.