I keep snapping my hair sticks!

[vanity_acefake]

I don't know what i am doing wrong but whenever i try to put my hair up in a bun i keep breaking my hair sticks when i try to weave them in. What am i doing wrong? So far i have broken 5!

[Longlocks3]

Well, first off, what kind of hairsticks are you using? When I first bought hairsticks, they were cheap plastic ones that I could find locally. They snapped under the weight of my hair.

Good quality hairsticks can withstand a fair amount of pressure. I have pressed some of my Ketylos pretty far and have yet to snap one.

[vanity_acefake]

They are cheap wooden ones i found in the £1 shop. But they were cute. Don't think its the weight of my hair though, its only bsl. I think that its maybe my technique (or lack of).

[Yozhik]

Maybe you should give thicker sticks or metal sticks a try? They should prove to be more durable.

My technique is such:
1) hold stick perpendicular to bun
2) stick the end straight down on one edge of the bun until it is touching your scalp
3) use the stick as a lever and bring your stick so it is parallel to the bun with the tip facing inward toward the bun (this should pull some hair from close to your scalp or from the underneath of the bun upwards toward the middle/top of the bun)
4) push the stick through the center of the bun and out the other side (sometimes you have to wiggle the stick at this juncture).

I'm sorry if these instructions are too basic or not what you're looking for, but maybe if you could describe your technique in a similar manner it would help try to diagnose if your technique differs :flower:

[jasper]

I've broken a couple of plastic sticks and a wooden fork. I think it was partly operator error because I was trying to put them through too tight of a twist or reversing the directon too sharply for the strength of the stick. However, those broken toys were thinner and flimsier than other toys I regularly use with no problems.

[Cholera]

I broke one of my ketylos yesterday. My bun was way too tight and I didn't realize. :( I'd say try to make looser buns if possible.

[Juneii]

you are probably making your buns too tight, if done right the hair stick should slide in without much pressure. That and invest in stronger hair toys, once your hair gets longer cheap hairsticks just won't work as well.

[GlassEyes]

You have iii hair. The sticks might not be sturdy enough to hold it back.

[wonhwa]

I've broken the plastic sticks, but not my Ketylo's, but do try the slightly looser buns and good quality hairsticks. You probably just have marvelously thick, luscious hair.

[Nightshade]

90% of the time when people break hairsticks it's because they're either

1- using too much leverage for the stick. Yes you want to flip it like a lever, but you can push a stick too far with too much pressure. Go gentle, if you feel like there's too much tension there probably is.

2- the updo is too tight

3- both 1 and 2


I can get my classic length ii hair up with a single thin plastic stick if needed. Quality hair toys are a huge plus, but the vast majority of it is technique :twocents:

[Jessica Trapp]

**hijack alert**

Longlocks3, I love your updo in your siggy.

[squiggyflop]

my hair snaps things all the time.. the trick is to not overtwist the buns if you are going to use cheap hairsticks.. the twist puts too much tension on them and they can only bend so much before they break..

eta: ive never broken one ive made myself.. perhaps you might want to wander over to the self made hairtoys thread.. the best part about self made stuff is that its designed for YOUR hair.. i know just how strong one of my sticks need to be and can make them to my own specifications.. if you need help click on my name and click visit squiggyflops homepage where you will find a few tutorials for easy ways to make prettys (and cheaply too i might add since i started making them because i couldnt afford the prettys alot of other people here have)

[HairColoredHair]

My hair eats toys. "little" and "cute" are what I tend to be drawn to, but "solid" and "functional" is what I need. I do my buns tightly. Period. And my hair is verging on thick. Hence, I need sticks that can stand up to it.

[Loreley]

I agree, you probably make your bun too tight.

[lapushka]

Tight buns are a problem; I've experienced this with my Quattro Basics sticks. If it feels like they could bend, I don't push the sticks through.

I have iii hair and I'm about an inch past BSL. It's *still* a problem to make a decent bun. I can only manage a cinnamon bun and a pencil bun and they're messy due to layers.

If you're in the process of growing out to a specific length, bunning itself can be an issue. Most times there's either a tight bun or no bun. The key, for me, is to loosen my grip on the bun somewhat, then to reinsert the stick from a different, wider angle.

[GoddesJourney]

I once used two, all-cotton Q-Tips to hold my bun while I was doing stuff. It lasted at least 20 minutes. I put them in really carefully. You can't hold the end of the sticks and try to leverage them in. That only works with thick or metal sticks. Anything soft or breakable needs to be put in with care so that it will not damage the hair sticks and also stay in all day without needing adjustment. Hold closer to the part you're inserting into your hair. Also, the buns being too tight thing can also be a factor.

[slythwolf]

I know with my iii hair at hip length it can be hard to keep the ends inside the bun, I can't imagine how tight I would have to twist it at BSL to keep them in. Maybe it is the tightness of your buns that is the problem.

[Heavenly Locks]

I know with my iii hair at hip length it can be hard to keep the ends inside the bun, I can't imagine how tight I would have to twist it at BSL to keep them in. Maybe it is the tightness of your buns that is the problem.

Only on LHC could 'tight buns' ever be a problem! :rolling:

[LithiaBlack]

I also have iii hair and mine is hip length. I have to twist my buns quite tight to keep my hair up and even though I haven't snapped any toys yet I can easily see it happen if I'm not careful.
For me the solution seems to be sturdy toys and making sure that the ends are really pointy.

/L

[slythwolf]

Only on LHC could 'tight buns' ever be a problem! :rolling:

LOL! "That's what she said"?:eyebrows:

[*Aoife*]

I don't think I was able to manage a looser bun at your length. And most buns are still out of my reach as most of my layers are at APL. What type of bun are you doing?

[ButterCream]

Only on LHC could 'tight buns' ever be a problem! :rolling:

LOL!!:bounce::rollin:

[FrannyG]

I would suggest at your length and with your thickness that you try two buns instead of just one. You won't have to twist your hair as tightly to compact it into a bun. Double buns, one on top of the other, can still look elegant, but can be managed without the tight, tight twisting that you must require with your thickness.

Also, twisting really tightly can be damaging to your hair. The damage may not show up right away, but it may show down the line.

If you don't like the idea of double buns, then perhaps you could try some different styles like a French Twist or a Gibson Tuck. Or use clips instead of hair sticks for the updos that you're doing now.

Leave the styles that require hair sticks until your hair is longer, maybe.