How long hair do you need to use a hair stick ?!

[Lélie]

Hi :)
I was wondering ... what is the minimal lenght you need to be able to use a hair stick ?
I saw for the fist time of my life a man with long hair AND a hairstick today, (and he got a gorgeous handmade hairstick, kind of a manly hairstick, i loved it !! :D) ... and his hair seems not very long to me (maybe APL ?), so ... is that possible to keep all your APL hair with an hairstick ? Or did i see wrong and his hair was longer ?!
Is there any post on LHC where i can learn to use a hairstick ?

And by the way, do you say "A hairstick" or "AN hairstick" ?!!!

Thanks in (by ?) advance :cheese:

[Nymphie]

I don't know about the length, but I know the grammar :D

"a" is always in front of words that starts with a consonant (b, c, d etc.) and "an" is when the word starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, y). So it would be "a hairstick" ^^

[Iylivarae]

I know that I used hairsticks when my hair was about apl. I just have no idea how I did it :D

[Uinda]

when my hair was a little shorter then APL I just put the stick in my loose hair and twisted it around, pinning the whole mess on the back of my head. Did make for a very fancy messy bun. You could also make a pony tail and twist it around before you insert the hairstick. Once you got it right the first time, you'll know what to do :)

[anrems]

It's "a hair stick" :)

My shortest layers are at APL while my longest layers are at BSL and I can use hair sticks just fine. However, I am limited to certain styles because my hair is kind of short, but my favorites that I can do are the chopstick bun and also the lazy wrap bun (you can YouTube them). They're easy, and all my hair stays in.

[Underlig]

I've been wearing what seems to be a chopstick bun except with the chopstick slid through the middle of your ponytail rather than just under it since I had shoulder length hair, probably even a bit shorter.

[Euphony]

Hi :)
I was wondering ... what is the minimal lenght you need to be able to use a hair stick ?

That's a loaded question :D

The reason is, a person with i thickness can use a hair stick much sooner than a person with iii thickness. I couldn't use a hair stick until my hair was a tad past bsl - and at that the bun had to be super tight (we're talking headache inducing/wrinkle reducing tight). But I know some members can use a hair stick in an updo at apl.

As for how to use a hair stick, have you checked out the articles section of the forum? There's some wonderful updos in that section.

[Henrietta]

I believe it's possible to use hairsticks even when you're at APL. You won't be able to create a nautilus bun but just do a cinnamon bun with two sticks, it should work. Anyway it worked for me when I was at APL.

[jeanniet]

I'm at APL and I can do a bun with a hairstick, although I usually put in two to make sure it holds. I adapted the chopstick bun so that I start with the stick on top of the ponytail, wrap the pony around the stick, and then rotate the stick around about 180 degrees and secure it. This holds most of the day for me. I can't vouch for other buns because I'm a bun dolt and this is the only one I can do well. :D

[klcqtee]

I could use hairsticks at collar bone length, but I needed to use 2, otherwise my hair would just fall out in buns.

ETA: I could do the chopstick bun with one stick at collar bone, no problem!

[Lélie]

Thanks everyone :D

My hair is "iii" so, i suppose i'd be fine soon (I still have some layers slightly too short) !
I just have to find a hairstick now (maybe 2 ...) !!! Yeeehaw !!

I still have a lot to learn about buns ! To be honest, before LHC, i didn't know there were soooo many buns !

[Rowanne]

The reason is, a person with i thickness can use a hair stick much sooner than a person with iii thickness. I couldn't use a hair stick until my hair was a tad past bsl - and at that the bun had to be super tight (we're talking headache inducing/wrinkle reducing tight).

Thank you for this information, Euphony! You've described my situation perfectly: I'm slightly past BSL and the only way I can make a hair stick bun that lasts longer than 30 minutes is to make it so tight that my scalp hurts. I have only ii thickness but I guess my hair is slippery.

Well, I can wear hair stick buns if I'm willing to forget some of my boring daily routines - like walking... :bigtongue:

[Rowanne]

I was reading the fairytale ends thread and something crossed my mind: aren't hair stick buns a little easier to do when your ends aren't cut blunt?

In 2003 my hair was at the same length than now and I could wear hair sticks just fine. If I compare the hair I now have and the hair I had in 2003 I can only name two differences:
- in 2003 there was more damage and my hair tapered more towards the ends
- I'm now using cones and I think they make my hair a little more slippery.

[CrisDee]

I don't know about the length, but I know the grammar :D

"a" is always in front of words that starts with a consonant (b, c, d etc.) and "an" is when the word starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, y). So it would be "a hairstick" ^^

That's not true of the letter "h" - very "proper" speakers (i.e., my mother the grammar nazi) always use "an" before a word starting with h. http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/a.html

I think it sounds stilted and unnatural, but it's gramatically correct :-P

As far as when one can be used, it depends on the updo. I'd lose my MIND if I had to wait til APL to use a stick - if my hair is all one length, I can use a stick (usually ends up being a pen) in a French twist when it's barely at shoulder. When the thermometer is above 75 degrees, if I don't get my hair up and off me, it drives me nuts! :wigtongue

ETA: hit "send" before I was done, need more coffee!

[chloeishere]

I could do French twists starting at about an inch or two past shoulder, but I think I was at or past APL before I could do any bun with a hairstick. My staples at "can bun now" length were the equilibrium bun and the basic cinnabun. I can't do French twists anymore, but they don't suit me anyway. :p

[XcaliburGirl]

My hair is between shoulder and APL with layers that are at shoulder. I can do some things with it as long as I start with an elastic-held ponytail to keep the shorter layers in.

Sometimes I do a Gibson Tuck and then put the hairstick through the sides, twist and push through. (Example in my album). That's mostly because I like my updos to be tight and regular Gibson Tuck feels too loose to me.

Also, the cheater's hairstick bun.

I can get a French twist with a ponytail base, but I am bad at making it look good so I don't do that often.

[Silver & Gold]

I depends on how thick your hair is and/or if it is layered.

My hair is medium thick and I was growing out layers when I first started using hairsticks. I could use them when my hair was only about 17" long (about neck-length) but my daughter in law had hair that was extremely thick and blunt and couldn't use hairsticks until she was about APL-BSL using the same technique that I used.

[Pumpkin]

The back of my hair is armpit length and the front is about an inch past my chin, and this week, I was able to use a chopstick. I was excited!! Woo hoo! More hair toys!! :cheese:

[klcqtee]

Thank you for this information, Euphony! You've described my situation perfectly: I'm slightly past BSL and the only way I can make a hair stick bun that lasts longer than 30 minutes is to make it so tight that my scalp hurts. I have only ii thickness but I guess my hair is slippery.

Well, I can wear hair stick buns if I'm willing to forget some of my boring daily routines - like walking... :bigtongue:

Well, you really should be able to do it with your length and thickness. I have layered (though not heavily) hair with a 5" circumference and I've been able to do a cinnabun with two sticks, and have it last most the day since just past collar bone length. I think you may just need more practice, or to find a bun that works with your hair slipperiness. My hair isn't slippery at all, so that could be what's causing your problems more than thickness.

[rags]

I have super, super slippery hair, but I'm a i in thickness. I could do a teeny little cinnabun with a stick at just at or slightly below shoulder. One advantage of thinner hair!

[Upside Down]

I was past shoulders with ii thickness, but it wasn't really a bun... I would twist my hair in one direction like for a french twist then flip it making a loop, and put the hairstick through the hair (not the hole made by the loop but through the hair). My ends were free but it was a very secure updo for short hair. At about APL it won't work anymore because it is not in balance and there is too much of ends showing so it doesn't look like much.

[Nae]

I was finally able to get it up with 2 hairsticks at 18. I have suitably thick hair too. It is some sort of french twist thing. I twist the hair up then push a hairstick in from the bottom then push it back down. I need a second hairstick to make it stable but right now it is my go to style because I love my hair sticks.

By the way, I have better luck with Ketylo hair sticks than the straight ones. Something about the way they corkscrew into the hair gives me better hold. I am also able to use hair forks as well with the same technique. I was suprised at how short I could use these things.

[Rowanne]

Well, you really should be able to do it with your length and thickness. I have layered (though not heavily) hair with a 5" circumference and I've been able to do a cinnabun with two sticks, and have it last most the day since just past collar bone length. I think you may just need more practice, or to find a bun that works with your hair slipperiness. My hair isn't slippery at all, so that could be what's causing your problems more than thickness.

You were right, I can do it! :D It was just a matter of finding a bun and a pair of hair sticks that work with my hair. I don't really like the sticks that I use because they're too reddish to make my hair look good but they're better balanced and not as slippery as my favourite ones.