Use a hair toy in self-defense?

[Dr. Girlfriend]

A few weeks ago I was playing D&D with the guys and one of my friends commented on a pair of my yak bone hair sticks and said they looked like two prison shanks. Another friend said 'Yeah, don't surprise D.G. after dark with those in her hair, they look like they would be painful.' Now every Friday on game day I get cracks on my lethal hair accessories, and everyone was disappointed that I wore a Ficcare last week.

So this made me think. If, and god forbid this were ever to happen, you were accosted by someone with obvious ill intent towards you would you use your hair sticks as a weapon in self defense?

ETA

Oh, here are the uber scary pair that started it all.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/272/photoon20110718at1235.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/photoon20110718at1235.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Chetanlaiho]

If I hand them to DBF while I'm putting my hair up so he can hand them to me, he always puts them between his fingers with the pointy ends up (both on one hand) and pretends they're a weapon xD

Now, slightly more on topic, it wouldn't be my first choice (belt maybe?) but if I had nothing else, then yes.

[vanillabones]

I would, especially if it is a more pointed fork hair stick which I really like but don't have any yet since my hair is so short O_O

[Alaia]

Yes. Yes I would.

Actually as soon as I saw hairsticks I thought "Hmm those would be handy in a tight corner!"

[MasCat]

They're useful... Oh, and those hair daggers! Wonderful! and then stilettoes!

But seriously pepper gas is a girls best friend (if it's legal in your country). also Running or get-the-****-out-of-here jitsu is the best there is :)

[1953Diygal]

There was a thread on TLHC regarding using hair swords for self-defense awhile back but I think it got locked down.

Does anybody remember the movie "The Happening"? Remember when the young woman stabbed herself in the neck with a steel hairstick? Yikes!

[Dr. Girlfriend]

Uh oh. Hope I didn't break any rules posting this thread. :(
I'm not advocating running out with your latest pretty from Crystal Mood and holding up an Arby's or anything. I just thought my friends were being silly like they always are, but then I realized that some sticks are rather formidable.

[chahuahuas]

That doesn't seem like a good idea for me. Once my hair falls down, that would give the attacker something to grab onto! I would be in deep trouble if someone had be by my hair!!! :(

Plus, I think of pointy & sharp things as something more of a harm to myself than a help, because they can be easily ripped out of my hands and used on me.

ETA: (That's why I've had people advocate against me carrying pepperspray, a gun, or even a knife: I've been told it would be too easy to just rip any sort of self defense weapon out of my hand and used against me.)

[Zesty]

Realistically, I feel like I wouldn't be quick-thinking enough to use a hair toy for self-defense. If running was completely out of the question, I'd probably punch and kick on instinct. But if anything like that ever happens -- and I hope it never does -- I hope I do think to use a hair stick to the face. These things are quite pointy. And maybe it would at least be startling enough that I could buy some time to go back to Plan A and run away.

[1953Diygal]

Uh oh. Hope I didn't break any rules posting this thread. :(
I'm not advocating running out with your latest pretty from Crystal Mood and holding up an Arby's or anything. I just thought my friends were being silly like they always are, but then I realized that some sticks are rather formidable.

No no...the reason it got locked down was because a hairtoy manufacturer started trying to tout his wares within the thread, which is against the rules.

[SpinDance]

Would I use a hairstick in self defense, you bet! In fact, one of the things I love about this (http://www.etsy.com/transaction/16003942)one, other than how pretty it is in my hair, and how well it holds, is how nicely it fits into my hand as a weapon! My kids always try to take it if I get it out. Most of my other one sticks they don't seem to notice, but that one fits perfectly into the palm, with the pointy part sticking up between the middle and ring fingers, like we're told to do with car keys, only much longer. :D

[Dr. Girlfriend]

Wow, Spindance, that does look pretty scary! I'd hate to be on the other end of it! Unless it were in my hair of course. ;)

[Spacescape]

I absolutely would use a hair toy in self-defense. In fact, that's one of the reasons I'm currently contemplating purchasing a slender aluminum or titanium hair fork or sticks, because a place that I'm going to be spending a lot of time at alone has pretty strict weapons rules... basically anything that's created for the express purpose of defending oneself is prohibited. I'd rather have a hair ornament that I can use in a tight spot than nothing at all.

A few of my friends like to make the "twin daggers" jokes too, although not so often since I broke all my tiny horn hairsticks and started wearing chunkier plastic ones. I'm dying (pun intended ;) )to get a set of the hairsticks that actually look like little swords to show them!

[1953Diygal]

You guys have inspired me. I have an antique Art Noveau letter opener that I might try using as a hair dagger. I may have to wait until my new growth catches up to my length. My hair might need more girth to hold it up.

ETA: That letter opener is really really heavy. The blade is also quite sharp. I think even if I had classic length hair, this letter opener would weigh too much to use as a hair stick. Getting it out DID inspire me to polish it, though. It's all shiny and pretty again.

[WritingPrincess]

I seem to recall there being some kind of double steel hairstick talked about a long time ago--it had a sheath that would keep your hair up, and then a dagger (?) that you could pull out and use. Does anyone else remember this?

[chahuahuas]

I want to reiterate how much of a bad idea I feel using hairsticks as weapons would be! Please don't let your hair down & give your attacker an easy handle with which to drag you away or jerk you to the ground!

[timotej]

Hairsticks as weapons is a common theme in many movies. Anyone seen "Love Matadors" by Almodovar? (I don't know if the film is called that, it's called that in my language)

[1953Diygal]

I seem to recall there being some kind of double steel hairstick talked about a long time ago--it had a sheath that would keep your hair up, and then a dagger (?) that you could pull out and use. Does anyone else remember this?

I seem to remember that, too. I think it might have been the thread that got locked and I think it might have been on the "old" LHC site, which means it's probably archived.

[Zesty]

I want to reiterate how much of a bad idea I feel using hairsticks as weapons would be! Please don't let your hair down & give your attacker an easy handle with which to drag you away or jerk you to the ground!
That is a good point, and something to think about. As many LHCers know, long hair worn loose can be a hazard in a lot of different ways. There is aso usually a downside to self-defense items (mostly that your attacker could take it away and use it against you). But some people use pins to hold the hair up, and the stick is mostly decoration, or they have two sticks and the updo could be held with just one, etc. So in some situations, using a hair stick might not mean letting your hair down at all. That would probably be the best situation -- maybe if you were going to a bad area of town or something, you could plan accordingly and make sure the stick isn't the only think holding up the do? Just some thoughts, I'm far from an expert, and as I've said, I doubt I would ever use a stick to defend myself in real life.

[chahuahuas]

That is a good point, and something to think about. As many LHCers know, long hair worn loose can be a hazard in a lot of different ways. There is aso usually a downside to self-defense items (mostly that your attacker could take it away and use it against you). But some people use pins to hold the hair up, and the stick is mostly decoration, or they have two sticks and the updo could be held with just one, etc. So in some situations, using a hair stick might not mean letting your hair down at all. That would probably be the best situation -- maybe if you were going to a bad area of town or something, you could plan accordingly and make sure the stick isn't the only think holding up the do? Just some thoughts, I'm far from an expert, and as I've said, I doubt I would ever use a stick to defend myself in real life.

Good point. I agree that if you know ahead of time that your hair won't fall out when you take out the hair stick, the hair stick could make a suitable weapon.

That is, ONLY if you know ahead of time... I know if I just pulled out one of a pair of hairsticks at random, that stick might be the one supporting my updo, and it could come falling down if I picked the wrong one.

Also, I think if the updo merely loosens from taking out a a hairstick (maybe it's *partially* supported by pins or a second stick), this could still be a problem... a loose updo on you waist length/tailbone/knee length-plus ladies could be bad as well, possibly worse if the attacker can grab onto a knotted/braided part that they could really get their fingers into.

[Islandgrrl]

I suppose I could use a hairtoy as a weapon, if need be. I wouldn't hesitate if it were necessary. But why would I bother when I carry real weaponry?

[bettylibertine]

I think I might use hairsticks if they were the only thing at hand..



Does anybody remember the movie "The Happening"? Remember when the young woman stabbed herself in the neck with a steel hairstick? Yikes!

Ugh! Yes! That movie will stick with me forever shudder:

[AshleyTheRed]

I remember watching a movie where a woman had dipped her hairsticks in poison and used them to kill someone.. It was a Japanese movie, and it was amazing. :D

[swetiepeti]

I'd have no problem using a hair stick as a weapon. I used to work with some friends who laughed when I said that I'd use my stethoscope from work as a weapon.... until I demonstrated on a pumpkin. Nice solid steel head attached to long rubber tubes with metal ear tubes perfect for holding on to. Same thing with my spike heels. After all, you have to take them off to run anyway. And, if they are close enough to grab your hair, they are likely close enough to grab your shirt, bun, arm, etc. Plus I imagine it would be hard to hold on to my hair with a stick through his hand, or someplace else less pleasant

[PrincessBob]

The thought isn't new to me. My spouse considers them all potential weapons. I even own two hair accessories that were recommended by their creators as emergency weaponry. A Ravenscroft moon, and my Redwolf bronze fork.
If it's my hair toy or me, I'm gonna pick me. To quote White Mage of 8-Bit Theater, "A living Red Mage minus one Cure spell is more versatile than a dead Red Mage." Meaning if you have it and it can save you, use it.

[paintedhorse]

well i personally always carry a knife on me but yea i would use them as a weapon!!

[pixi_stix]

I live in good ol' United 'Criminals have more rights' Kingdom. If you are attacked, you are only allowed to use reasonable force to defend yourself. Many people have been arrsested and some jailed for protecting themselves and/or thier loved ones from an attack.
Many years ago I read about an old woman who stabbed a mugger with her hat pin. She was arrested after the mugger reported her to the police. Luckily she was released without charge. I could go on and on about how ill treated victims of crime have been, but it would take me for ever.
Saying all that. If I was attacked, then yes I would use anything to hand as a weapon and deal with the conciquences later. My first weapon of choice would be my walking stick. The second would be a hair toy if I am wearing one.

[slz]

I don't go around thinking about ways to harm other living beings - so I have no idea .

[MychelleC]

I recently sat on my purse and impaled my hip with the pointy end of an ebony hair stick DH got me for my birthday. Seriously, I had to pull it out and thought I needed stitches! My thought was how effective this thing would be as a weapon. Then I was watching an old episode of Buffy , the Vampire Slayer and she stakes a vampire with her hair stick - weapon effectiveness confirmed. A few years ago I flew to Hawaii and back with a hair stick in my hair the whole time. After my recent self-stabbing incident I remember thinking they should have caught that at security!

[Hiriel]

Well, my hair axe really is a weapon, it's quite big, sturdy and sharp. But I don't think I'd think of it in the heat of the moment, and as mentioned, letting my hair down probably wouldn't be a good idea. I think I'd be far more effective with bare hands and my hair out of the way too, I think kickboxing probably is more efficient self defence than hairsticks :)

[celebriangel]

Oh, yeah. One day my sensei advised us to carry a heavy metal pen, because it's prety darn useful and because it has plausible deniability. We had a whole session on how ti modify our taijutsu to using such a weapon.

I would never carry a knife because we assume that opponents will be stronger than we are, and you never, ever want to get into a knife fight if you have any other option. The moment a knife enters the fight you know your life expectancy takes a dive.

To be honest, though, I am most effective without weapons.

[ladonna]

Could you imagine the attcker's face after a woman whip's her hairtoys out and does a ninja pose? Hilarious!

[tigereye]

I would, but then I don't exactly have a normal view on these things. I feel safer out at night in places without streetlamps, because they help the guys who wish you harm to see, whilst you can't always see into the places they may be. On the other hand, you can see fine by the light of the moon, if it wasn't for the artificial light blocking it out, and moonlight can filter into more places, as it's higher up. Also, I can run faster in a pair of 8.5 cm heels than I can in trainers or flat shoes, and they're also rather useful for kicking someone in the shins if you're attacked. A lot of the time, when I pull out a hairstick my bun stays unless I vigorously shake my head, which means it wouldn't immediately get in my way. None of my sticks are especially sharp so wouldn't seriously harm anyone, but might shock someone enough for me to get away. The only one I have that is sharp is my ravenscroft moon.

But like I said, my sense of self defence is a little warped. I walk home in pitch black reasonably often, and I don't carry a knife or anything, because it's illegal, so I make do with things that an attacker might no otherwise notice...like hairtoys.

[Scarlet_Heart]

No way.

"Do what you want with me, but don't harm my hair sticks!!" :scared:

[florenonite]

I live in good ol' United 'Criminals have more rights' Kingdom. If you are attacked, you are only allowed to use reasonable force to defend yourself. Many people have been arrsested and some jailed for protecting themselves and/or thier loved ones from an attack.
Many years ago I read about an old woman who stabbed a mugger with her hat pin. She was arrested after the mugger reported her to the police. Luckily she was released without charge. I could go on and on about how ill treated victims of crime have been, but it would take me for ever.
Saying all that. If I was attacked, then yes I would use anything to hand as a weapon and deal with the conciquences later. My first weapon of choice would be my walking stick. The second would be a hair toy if I am wearing one.

Yeah, it's ridiculous, isn't it? And the people deciding what constitutes 'reasonable force' (which they don't even define in law, so you don't know if what you're doing is illegal until you get arrested for it!) don't have any comprehension of the situation, really. I've been told that because I practise karate if I were to throw an attacker to the ground I am not allowed to then kick the person but should instead risk them grabbing my leg and tripping me up, because kicking someone on the ground is 'unreasonable force'. Riight. If someone's attacking me, I'm not going to beat the person senseless, but I'm going to make sure that they can't follow me! I don't think it's unreasonable to give a light kick to the solar plexus or groin to achieve that, either.

That said, no, I wouldn't use a hairstick in self defence. The time it would take to remove it from my hair and aim it at a suitable part of my attacker's body could instead be spent getting away.

[redwoman]

I would whip out my hairstick and put it right through thier eye into their brain. And I wouldn't feel sorry for doing it either.

[Turtle]

I've had a lot of people remark that my hairsticks look like weapons. Haha always men that say it.

[Venefica]

Norway is extremely restrictive when it comes to weapons, you are not even allowed to have a knife on you longer than 5 cm unless it is part of a traditional costume or you are on your way to or from the woods and so on. I have a few hair toys that definitely would do as stabbing weapons, especially a few hair weapons in Lignum Vitae a form of ironwood which is both sharp and very strong, in a pitch yes I would use them to defend myself, however I think that since I have no training in such weaponry I would be better of using my sheer size and strength, for better or for worse I am massive.

[Rusticular]

If it came down to it, I think that'd be a pretty good idea. I'd definitely keep it in mind when wearing them. Though, this is coming from someone who used to walk around with sharpened chopsticks in her pocket due to having to walk home through an extremely dodgy neighborhood late at night after work(I'd only ever have them as a comfort and last resort, but there'd been enough times being stalked/flanked/followed home I felt I was better off having something there).

This reminds me of those lethal metal-tipped fans, actually. Beautiful and deadly!

[lastnite]

I've thought about it, but I think a wood stick might break before it stabs someone enough to hurt them (unless I'm really lucky to stab them in the eye or something)! maybe my acrylic sticks, but again I can't see it really hurting someone unless you stab a good spot. I actually think I wouldn't take the chance of getting that close to an attacker, and using a hairstick would be a last resort.


I have been considering carrying pepper spray. From what I read a good pepper spray can spray from a good few feet away, and you can practice aiming it at a tree. I wanted to take a self defense course on how to use it but can't find any around my town. Only worry is keeping the pepper spray where I wouldn't have to worry about it accidentally spraying but yet having it close enough that I'm not digging into my purse to get it in an emergency

[QueenJoey]

Probably not. I can throw a punch pretty well. ;)

My best friend and my brother both take my hair sticks on the days I wear them and poke people (or in my brother's case, the dog) with them. Boys will be boys, I suppose.

[Milui Elenath]

My DH has commented that they are a weapon, I have regularly poked him :( accidentally of course and not seriously. One of my hair forks reminds me of the borg assimulation tubules (star trek) it would probably be the best weapon in my arsenal. :D Some of the others I fear would be either too pretty or too fragile to risk.

I also thought of another movie with a hair weapon. The three muskateers 1993, Milady de Winter has a knife/stick or hair comb that she attempts to stab D’Artagnan with.

[Elistariel]

I have two metal hair sticks with fleur de lis designs as toppers. I bought them separately as I wanted a pair, but they were sold as one. I hadn't really thought about it before a family friend who is a doctor btw, looked at one and remarked that I could easily stab someone with it.
Yeah, let's just say one of the sticks has a bit of a manufacturing error on the end.

If I remember to I'll post pix later, I gotta finish getting ready for work right now.

So, in a pinch, in certain circumstances, yes I would use my hair stick as a weapon.