How to make figure 8s more stable?

[Periwinkle]

I love the figure 8! My hair is long enough for it, it's easy and quick to do and even I can hold it with a stick. I also find it really comfortable.

However, I have a lot of problems getting it to stay.

I used to have problems with the ends twisting back out and then the bun unravelling that way, but I've had some new growth and now I pin my layers down with kirby grips to keep them flat and that's solved that problem.

However, my main problem is with the bottom bit of the bun coming loose (probably from the weight of it: my hair is very thick, but the end bits are layered and thinned out) and dragging the rest of the bun down with it. Even slow walking produces this effect, with the result that I am constantly taking it out again or walking staring at the floor so that it balances on top of my head, which gives me a sore neck and makes me look like a wally.

Does anyone have any ideas about what I could do? I normally only use one stick - would a second help? Where would I put it?

[Magdalene]

Have you tried doing it upside down? It's sometimes more stable for me that way.

[Altocumulus]

I find mine are much more stable if I pierce the top and bottom loops with the stick instead of inserting the stick in the holes in the middle of the loops.

[Curlsgirl]

Perhaps use a Good hair days pin or 2 at the bottom of the 8 to help secure it? I'd say with a little more length you will be rid of this problem. If you are at 26 inches and a iii your hair must just barely be long enough. I couldn't do one until mine was longer than that and get it to hold consistently.

Oh and mine also used to hold better with a fork than a stick. Now I can use either one.

[physicschick]

I always did two sticks in an X (piercing the loops as Altocumulus describes). It wouldn't stay up for me with a single stick. Two sticks works best with thinner sticks (like VK Designs, just a thin steel skewer) since otherwise the part where they cross can be too thick.

[katiana]

I have been using my Amish hair pins to keep everything in..I love them so much, I stopped using my pretty little sticks I recently got..I do not know why, but with the sticks I feel like the bun is tight and I get a headache by the end of the day, with the Amish pins, I do not..so I stopped using the sticks.. It works great for me since I have some layers and they come out some, so I use the pins to tuck them in as I go.

[Periwinkle]

Perhaps use a Good hair days pin or 2 at the bottom of the 8 to help secure it? I'd say with a little more length you will be rid of this problem. If you are at 26 inches and a iii your hair must just barely be long enough. I couldn't do one until mine was longer than that and get it to hold consistently.

Oh and mine also used to hold better with a fork than a stick. Now I can use either one.

Actually, I'm quite surprised because I seem to have more than enough...I normally have an inch or so sticking out the end, even with a loose bun. Fortunately, I can pin it down and that makes it more stable.

I tried doing it upside down, but I couldn't get my hands to do it :( I'll persevere with that one, though!

[soprano]

I'm surprised that you can do it at all at that length - you must have magic fingers!

When I was able to start doing figure-8s, I had to seriously pin the bottom with long hairpins. Even now that my hair is long enough that I can leave the tail hanging out in a ponytail, I still sometimes grab the tail and pull to tighten up the bottom of the bun.

I have the best luck getting figure-8s to stay up with a Ficcare. After that, long hairpins work well. Hairsticks work sometimes, but I have to put them very horizontal and use some pins.

One of my favorite ways to do my hair is to make a figure-8, secure the top, and then pull the bottom half out entirely. It makes a nice little ponytail that is very secure, doesn't pull and stays off of my neck in hot weather.

[Ohio Sky]

I have the best luck with figure 8s if I start with a pony, and put the stick under the pony tail holder. Keeps the stick from slipping down.

I'm sure using two sticks would be an improvement over just using the one, as well.

[aprilmay]

I think I have had some success with this style and I have to use a longer stick that goes through both ends of the 8 and then has some length remaining to stick in my hair to secure the 8.

[joyinc]

i've never had good luck with figure 8's staying put, for some reason, infinity buns work better on me. i think because of the direction of the scalp hair it's anchored in. i'm going to try some of these tips thou!

[Curlsgirl]

One of my favorite ways to do my hair is to make a figure-8, secure the top, and then pull the bottom half out entirely. It makes a nice little ponytail that is very secure, doesn't pull and stays off of my neck in hot weather.

Ooooooooooo good idea! I am going to try this! I cannot wear a ponytail because it always hurts at the scalp.

[Snowblood]

Have you tried "hair scroos": http://kupferzopf-flechtfrisuren.de/PICT3867small.JPG ? You screw them in your hair so that they are completely hidden. In my case 4-6 scroos hold a complete bun. ^^

[sahiba]

My method is to make a half updo with an extremely thin hair clip or pin first. Then making a cinnamon bun with ends nicely secured with hair pins again and then lifting the upper coil up, covering the clip. The hair stick goes from the upper coil, inside the clip and coming out from the bottom coil. It gives my bun and face a very soft and young look. Infact I do all my updos with half ups first.

[Sam-I-Am]

Periwinkle, I have iii hair too and couldn't hold up a figure 8 with sticks once my hair got past hip length. It was too heavy. But I bought a big ole fork at a renaissance festival meet and it holds WAY better than even two sticks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/othergirl4christ/Hair/newfork.jpg

[joyinc]

Sam I am, I LOVE that pic of yours! it's almost a cross between a fig 8 and an infinity bun. it looks so cool with your curls sticking out :)

[Sam-I-Am]

Thanks, joyinc! My updos tend to be on the casual side, plus I like diagonal hairtoys better than perfectly straight vertical or horizontal ones, so the crooked figure-8 suits me really well :)

[cindy58]

Sam I am, I LOVE that pic of yours! it's almost a cross between a fig 8 and an infinity bun. it looks so cool with your curls sticking out :)

Me too! That looks wonderful!

[unaspenser]

Wow, Sam-I-Am! That is beautiful! I can't get this style to work with sticks or pins no matter what I do, but maybe I'll try a mondo fork!

[frizzinator]

I agree with Sam-I-Am about the big fork anchoring the figure 8 from underneath being the most secure for me.


I suspect at your length with your thickness, that your hair is not quite long enough to expect it to hold securely. The reason I think this is that I have very thin hair, and my figure 8 did not hold well until my hair reached 30" in length.


Regarding doing it upside down, forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know, but maybe this will help: since your first coil is the thickest and heaviest hair, I think Magdalene was trying to tell you to flip that first coil down, if you are currently flipping it up. This tweek shouldn't make much difference to how you hold it with your hands.

[frizzinator]

Someone once mistakenly thought my avatar photo was a figure 8. It is the orchid bun, and it does sometimes look like a figure 8. You might consider trying it, or Eadwine's alternative version of the figure 8 that is in the Articles section.

[aprilmay]

I never know the names of buns I use. I just twist my hair and wrap it around. Sometimes, I end up with different results that I can feel with my hands, but I don't see them because I am uncoordinated with two mirrors. I was surprised by the size of my bun in my avatar pic that my husband took.

[missmanytoes]

I am so going to have to go to a renaissance festival! It seems like someone on this board is always saying "I got this great fork/stick/barrette/etc at a ren faire" But I don't have a clue how to find out where/when a ren faire will be near me...help?

[Sam-I-Am]

missmanytoes, try Googling "renaissance festival [your town name, FL]" and see if you get any results that way :)

[danacc]

I am so going to have to go to a renaissance festival! It seems like someone on this board is always saying "I got this great fork/stick/barrette/etc at a ren faire" But I don't have a clue how to find out where/when a ren faire will be near me...help?

For those in the US, this site has a listing of Renaissance Faires by state: http://www.renfaire.com/Sites/

[Fia]

For me the only way to get a figure 8 secure enough to hold throughout the day was to start the bun near the crown and flip the first coil down as described earlier in the thread.

[HappyEeyore]

I use 2 sticks like several gals on page 1 said, and that holds really well for me. My problem is often the sticks are so long that I end up poking people around me or catching on things that I walk by...

I also recently got a ficcare type clip and I love it! I got it for $8 at a CVS drugstore. I have to position it somewhat diagonal on my figure 8, but it holds really well.

Also, sometimes I use 4 small claw clips - 2 on each side of each half of the figure 8, if that makes sense. I recently saw some super pretty small claw clips so I may want to collect more.


I start my figure 8 lower and twist the hair up to make the upper part of the 8. I find if I do it the other way, it hurts my scalp.