Good length for hairsticks?

[FoxFire]

My DH has made me three hairsticks over the winter- they turned out really nice, but we can't seem to get the length right! I am a 1b/m/ii, just past hip length at 38 inches. It seems like the stick either sticks up too much or hits on my jacket hood or shoulder, thus getting pushed out of the do.
The lengths are (bottom to top) 8in, 8in and 7.5in:
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj31/goattrainer/3-14-08021.jpg

What lenth do you guys usually shoot for in a hairstick?

(Sorry for the gigantic pic- photobucket would close every time I tried to edit it!)

[Stagecoach]

Lovely sticks! Now let me see, we have similar hair types, and it wasn't too long ago that my hair was your length... so...

*goes and measure hairstick which was favorite at that time*

My favorite hairstick at that length was 6 inches total. Now, that was all usuable length, so I didn't have to worry about decorations on the end but I imagine 5.5 inches of usualbe length would have been sufficient because at 48 inches, I still love that hair stick and find it works for most things still.

[sapphire-o]

Those are very long sticks. (very nice, too) :) Mine are mostly 6 - 6.5" long. I'd say measure your bun's width, then add about two inches would be about the right length for hairsticks. My hair is 2a/M/ii at 37", similar to yours.

[Wavelength]

Those are longer lengths than I like. I have a variety of hairstick lengths, which I switch up depending on what sort of bun I'm wearing that day. If I'm wearing a small, compact bun, then I use a 4.5-inch stick or fork. If I'm wearing a wider bun, like an infinity/fig-8, I'll use a 6-inch stick. (Those are working lengths, not toppers.) I even have a couple of tiny sticks at 3.5 inches that I sometimes use.

I don't like a lot of stick poking out from my bun. Like you said, it tends to get caught in clothing and pushed out, or just generally feels unbalanced.

[Delila]

The basic 'standard' length I've seen for commercially produced hairsticks is about six inches.

Mei Fa sticks are considerably shorter and thinner than the average; their 'Long' is 4 3/8", their 'Short' is 3 1/8". My hair's on the thin side of normal, and I have no trouble using the shorter Mei Fa, but I do have to be careful to remember not to hold the decoration when I'm putting them in an updo. I've got both in my hairtoy collection, and use them easily.

I do think most people prefer hairsticks to be at least 5-5.5" in length.

[Nightshade]

Your hair is pretty similar to mine, only two inches longer.

I also like different sticks for different buns, but I find a usable length of about 5.25 to be pretty versatile, obviously you'd want to add onto that however much of the stick you want visible. For a Figure 8 I like nothing longer than 4.5in usable length, and for a Chinese bun you'll want something a little longer than your average cinnabun hairstick.

Most the sticks I make fall between 6.5 and 7.5 inches overall, and that seems to work well for most people with past waist hair.

[Elle]

Good advice, Sapphire-o. :smile:

The average hairstick seems to have an effective length of about 5". For people who have longer and/or thicker hair, it's usually a bit longer. I prefer a hairstick with an effective length of about 7". Also, the type of bun you're looking to secure may be a guiding factor in length. For example, when I put my hair up into a modified Chinese Bun (my sig), then I need as much length as I can get. The same goes for a Figure 8 bun because I insert the hairstick from the top right of the bun and it exits out of the bottom left. For a plain everyday type of bun, I can get away with a stick with an effective length of 6½". That's what I'm wearing at the moment, so I just measured the stick to make sure. :grin:

HTH! :flower:

[eadwine]

For me, I go for the 4" usables, they work just peachy in my standard bun :)

[icydove]

I like sticks around 6.5 inches long. Anything over 7 inches become cumbersome for me.

[Meli]

I have only one pair of hairsticks so far, so I don't have much to compare to. They have about 5.5" usable length, and that is good for most buns. However, I could use a little longer sticks for some braided buns.