Flexi-8 worries confirmed...argh!!

[shannonsun]

I've been wearing my Flexi-8s with great enthusiasm since I got them a few weeks ago. I LOVE them--they look great, they make me feel pretty, they're really easy to use! BUT...

My concern when I was picking them out was that my hair would get snagged on all those pretty beads or between joints. Sure enough, over the last few days I've ripped out or broken a bunch of strands during everyday activities like leaning my head against a car head rest or bending my head or neck too far.

Does anyone else have a problem with this? I've been trying to set the Flexis loosely so that they don't tug, but even still some strands get stuck between the beads. I would love to permanently replace my big dated scrunchies and ugly claw clips with Flexi-8s, but not if it's going to mean a line of damage where I put them in.

[Amber_Maiden]

Agh! I've never had that problem- I always chose the ones limited in danglies or dangly beads.

Sorry you're going through that! :(

[GeoJ]

I've only gotten hairs stuck occasionally on the dangling parts of a Flexi-8, not on the regular kind. If I take them out carefully, my hairs that are stuck will come out without breaking. But maybe that's a difference in hair type?

[Apriori]

I have only used my flexi-8's maybe 10 times but I have yet never experinced that they have ripped my hair and my hair is very fine. I even got one with dangly beads which I feared would tangle in my hair but that has never happened either :)

[pinupdancer]

That's such a shame. This was one of the things that always dettered me from deterred me from purchasing one. Hopefully you can find a solution that allows you to continue using them without the breakage. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for tips.

[shannonsun]

I've only gotten hairs stuck occasionally on the dangling parts of a Flexi-8, not on the regular kind. If I take them out carefully, my hairs that are stuck will come out without breaking. But maybe that's a difference in hair type?

That has to be it. I have fine-ish very fickle hair that loves to snap in half. Still trying to get the right balance between moisture and protein. I've been using the plain Flexis with no dangly pieces. I might just have to be a lot more careful.

[pepperminttea]

I also avoid ones with any dangly bead detailing. That'd be a recipe for disaster with my hair; great shame though, they're so pretty. But even so, I do sometimes get the odd hair tangling in between the beads on the figure 8 itself. The only thing I can recommend is using it with braided styles more than loose styles, that way the hair's more restrained when you begin with, so there's less chance for hairs to get caught (not that it can't happen, that is, but it happens less often).

[krissykins]

I'm so sorry that your Flexi-8 caused breakage :(

I haven't ever had my hair ripped out by a Flexi-8, but if we're being completely honest, I don't really wear mine anymore...

[Alvrodul]

It has happened to me, but really not enough for me to worry about.

[dulce]

VERY occasionally I have a few hairs caught,I always take the flexis off very slowly and carefully and if a few hairs are caught work them out very gently with my fingers to avoid damage.

[SpinDance]

I wear a Flexi to sleep in every night, as well as other times as I decide goes with whatever I'm wearing, and I don't get the catching you're describing. I even have a couple with danglies that I was worried about catching, and I have only had a one or two hairs ever get caught on them. Not sure how, my hair usually catches on anything it can reach!

What kind of bun are you making? You mention making it loose, is it loose enough to slide and thus get things caught?

[torrilin]

I'm not saying the Flexi-8 is totally innocent...

But IME, a lot of the warnings about which sort of hair toys are "dangerous" are pretty extreme. Hair elastics with a metal bit do sometimes come out with hair caught in them for me. But it's pretty rare for it to be a broken hair. It almost always has the bulb attached, like a normal shed strand. Same thing with claw clips. If there's a strand tangled in the clasp, odds are good the bulb is attached.

I do have hairs break. I'm a finie, and what fine haired person has no broken hairs ever? But in general rough handling is far more guilty than anything I do to restrain my hair.

[shannonsun]

What kind of bun are you making? You mention making it loose, is it loose enough to slide and thus get things caught?

I've been wearing it half-up or in a low pony. I bought a small and a medium. My hair is APL right now. I thought I would be able to do a bun with the medium, but though my hair is fine-ish there is a ton of it, so it's hard to get the medium around a bun without totally smooshing the hair and pulling the flexi super tight.

Thanks to all for the input. I'm going to be a LOT more careful about taking them off now.

I wish I could do something about my hair's tendency to "crease." Some hairs have gotten caught and I've been able to remove them, but it leaves me with a kink/dent in my hair. This happens with hair ties, my engagement ring, anything else that gets near my hair...

[spidermom]

Whew; glad I never got a Flexi-8. I figured this would happen to me. I can't even wear a Ficarre without ripping out hairs, which apparently just love to wander into the spring and the hinges.

[jeanniet]

I think it's a hair type issue more than anything. I can't wear toys with any kind of dangles, beads on wires, or twisted wire because my hair is a mix of fine and medium/coarse and the fine hairs tangle in everything. I do wear Ficcares but I have to take them out very carefully to make sure no hair is caught in the hinge. I had to give up on Flexis because I yanked out hair every time I wore one--and I know they weren't shed hairs because they were still attached to my head. ;)

[WaterMusic]

This is exactly why I'm avoiding hair toys that aren't perfectly smooth.

[heidihug]

I thought for sure I would have a problem when I recently gave in and bought two Flexis. But, honestly, I haven't had a single hair get caught in them yet. And both of them have swoopy chain and bead dangles. However, I bought them a bit bigger than I needed - they're the mega size, and I am sure that I could squeeze an X-large around most of my updos. Perhaps having a bit of "give" makes it less grabby on my thin and fine hair.

[Panth]

*shrug* I have fine, delicate hair and I've never had a problem with mine. I don't have one with danglies, but other than that... For me, they're very hair friendly.

I thought you were going to rant about nickel allergies, which is one of my main problems with them. I have to paint the horizontal stick with clear nail polish otherwise I get an allergic response in a stripe across my scalp.

[kaitmil]

Would it be possible to put clear nail polish or the like over the beads to form a smooth surface with no area for the hair to get between beads? I am not familiar with the flexi 8.

[long&blonde]

Fine hair: exactly why I've never tried them. My hair can even occasionally catch & tangle in a claw clip. I know what you mean: you tire of scrunchies! My safest bet is the simple pretty hair sticks. I would never even risk a hair stick with the pretty "topper" dangly beads they show;guaranteed the "topper"? Would tangle itself somehow in rest of my hair. Guaranteed. Lol.