hair toys that are easy to "operate"

[mommy2one05]

are there any hair toys that anybody would recommend that are easy to learn to use? I got a pair of hair sticks about a month ago and thought I could just do an updo and slide it in and voila but oh quite the opposite, I still cannot get them to cooperate. My hair is waist length and thick.

[eadwine]

The u-shaped bent knitting needle works wonders for me, NEVER goes wrong and hair stays up always.

But instead of getting new toys, what kind of do are you trying that won't work?

[Phalaenopsis]

A flexi-8, I found that very easy to use! When I'm tired or a bit moody and nothing works, a flexi will. I just do a half-up and slide my small flexi over it. Done! :)

[aisling]

About sticks, there's a big difference between shapes and material. I can't really get plastic ones to work, the cheap wood ones aren't that great either.

A Ficcare is my toy of choice when I want a stable updo. I have slippery hair and Ficcares are always reliable.

[CurlyNinja]

Check out this link in the articles section: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=20

I found it very useful when I was figuring out how to use hairsticks.

[Rae~]

Until about 28" length, Maximas; since then, a fork (usually metal), such as Quattro U-fork or similar.

[UrbanEast]

The forks are a lot easier than sticks, but I don't like them as much aesthetically. Ficcares are the easiest for twists and such.

[Cinnamon Hair]

For me, the easiest hold-anything toy is the ficcare maximas. My easy/stable/fast go-to toy is a pair of papadonh dymondwood sticks.

[Masara]

My "don't even have to think about what I'm doing" hair toys are Ficcare maximas, flexi-8's and ketylos (in order of ease) I agree with UrbanEast, I find forks a lot easier than sticks (other than ketylos)

My first tries with hairsticks were complete disasters, because I thought all I had to do was push them through my hair. With thin, fine hair, they just kept on going and slid straight out again. Then I read the instructions here correctly and saw I had to push them the wrong way first (logical I had been doing it with hairpins forever but had never thought to do it with sticks.) Even knowing how to do it, sticks are still the hairtoy that feels the least secure.

[Juliet's Silk]

I just wanted to stress the fact that the quality of the hairsticks matters so much. I think it took me about more than a year to get hairsticks working - I knew how to use them but they wouldn't hold my hair at all, updos came down right away. I was using cheap plastic hairsticks, later cheap wooden hairsticks. Then trollkjerring gifted me generously a pair of Ketylos, and voila, it suddenly worked. The more smooth the hairstick is, the easier it glides into the hair. You can catch more scalp hair with it without pulling your hair out, which helps to stabilize the updo.
Same goes for other wooden hairtoys as well. I won't use any wooden hairtoy which surface isn't smooth as glass anymore...

To the original question, my most fail safe hairtoy is probably my long Baerreis hair fork, it has a very functional design and is long enough for every updo I want. In addition to that, the quality is great.
Ficcare Maximas tend to work most of the time as well, although on some days they tend to pull uncomfortably.

[Nini]

Hairforks, sticks and Ficcare Maximas.

It took me a little while to figure out how to work the sticks, but as soon as I did they became my new favourites.

I'd suggest practising while you're doing something like watching TV or reading (if you can place the book so that it works).

As for getting anything to stay in my hair the updo needs to be fairly firm. I love the look of messy buns, but they just won't work for me! And you need to get the weaving motion down. That's what is anchoring the updo to your head. Done right I have a rock solid bun all through the day:)

Nini

[nomadhome]

Another fan of forks for ease here, although I often flip/twist them a bit like with sticks. Still, I find them far more stable and forgiving.

[Katze]

Ficcares are the easiest for me. My hair has lots of layers and wispy, wild new growth, so I need something that can contain all of my hair and still look good with the messiness.

Also, I am pretty low maintenance - I like to be able to have a hairdo 'ready' in less than 5 min, so complicated forks and stuff that take practice aren't really worth buying them just to find out if they work. I have some chopsticks as hairsticks, but they are so long that they tend to get caught on stuff - not very practical!

[Anje]

Honestly, sticks are one of the easiest things, once you've figured out what to do with them. Even Ficcares and jaw clips need to be picked up, opened the right amount, and so on, and sometimes you don't have a hand free enough for that. Sometimes I still have an off day with sticks, though, and can't get them not to pull. Using them more or less horizontally helps minimize pulling, though.

Other easy stuff: bent knitting needles, Ficcares/fakkares, and scrunchies/elastics. If it gets more complicated than that, I probably won't use it.

[memee1978]

Check out this link in the articles section: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=20

I found it very useful when I was figuring out how to use hairsticks.
i love your hair style.its absolutelly stuning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

[happylynngilmer]

Flexi8s are easiest for me. I've never tried a genuine ficcare but I have used fakkares in the past and liked them, so I imagine ficcares would be easy, too.
I own some sticks, but don't use them often. Yea, they are pretty easy, but more time consuming than a flexi8. And they don't hold my hair well-for a while they do, but if I want an all day hairdo (for work, as an example) sticks don't cut it.

[squiggyflop]

how about a regular beak clip? just stick it through the middle of your updo and go about your day