Making do without hair-ties

[tigereye]

Hair-ties (or hair-bobbles, as I call them) have a tendancy to dissappear in my house. One week I'll have loads, the next week, I'll have lost them all. I don't know where they go, because I only really ever use them to tie off braids, and I haven't done a braid in a while. Or I use them for sock-buns, but I haven't done that in ages either.
So for the past month, I've been planning to go and buy some more, but I just havent got around to it. I've been trying to get creative in ways to wear my hair without them.
Most days, a bun with my 60th Street fork, or a stick is my best friend, but it can get boring at times when all you want is a nice ponytail that you can feel the weight of as you move :p
So I'm sitting here, playing with my hair to figure out a way to show off my length, without wearing it totally down (because it needs washed) I've been trying to tie my hair in a high pony, using a strand of hair wrapped around knot-bun style, and pinned down. Its a bit loose, but working so far.:D

I'm guessing I'm not the only person out there who has days when they can't find a bobble/tie/scrunchie for their braid or whatever. What do you do you make do?

[Madora]

I never wear my hair down. For my updos, I either simply braid 3/4ths of the way down then tuck the remainder under the braid (for double braided bun).

Same idea for twisted strand bun...just twist the strands together until the 3/4th point is reached then tuck and pin.

Also works well for lace crown braids.

[airmid]

My cat thinks hair elastics are the coolest toys in the world and steals them on me, so I understand having dozens one week and then none the next. ;) I usually put my hair up with a claw, or wear it loose. I don't have that many go-to styles, and I've never been able to get a decent hairstick that will stay in my thin hair. :)

[sazzie88]

My lovely cat steals all of mine! i then find them scattered in the most unusual places! they have a tendancy to end up under my lounge rug right in the centre!

[airmid]

I've found them under the litterbox, in my shoes, stuffed under the toaster oven, you name it. ;) She even plays fetch with them, and has her "own" special pink hair elastic that she's had since she was a kitten. :D
Not to hijack the thread or anything, hahaha!

[Carolyn]

I have a huge supply of elastics and scrunchies. I don't think I'll run out for at least a decade or even two. I lose them around the house all the time but the lost ones always show up again.

[bunzfan]

Recently i have been doing braided bun's without the hair tie idea behind that is i think it would be gentler on the ends.

[whitedove]

I now store my hair ties on my bed post, nice pretty arrangement. As theres 3 of us with long hair in 1 house it can become a warzone when they go missing. My nieces are big culprits when it comes to them being missing, they come arond with my ties in their hair! I cant really tell them to take them out :D

[lostchyld]

Hair-ties (or hair-bobbles, as I call them) have a tendancy to dissappear in my house. One week I'll have loads, the next week, I'll have lost them all. I don't know where they go, because I only really ever use them to tie off braids, and I haven't done a braid in a while. Or I use them for sock-buns, but I haven't done that in ages either.
So for the past month, I've been planning to go and buy some more, but I just havent got around to it. I've been trying to get creative in ways to wear my hair without them.
Most days, a bun with my 60th Street fork, or a stick is my best friend, but it can get boring at times when all you want is a nice ponytail that you can feel the weight of as you move :p
So I'm sitting here, playing with my hair to figure out a way to show off my length, without wearing it totally down (because it needs washed) I've been trying to tie my hair in a high pony, using a strand of hair wrapped around knot-bun style, and pinned down. Its a bit loose, but working so far.:D

I'm guessing I'm not the only person out there who has days when they can't find a bobble/tie/scrunchie for their braid or whatever. What do you do you make do?

I'm never without hairties and pins or a fork, I keep them in my purse, my desk, my bathroom bedroom, kitchen table, sewing machine cabinet, but I prefer my hair all the way up and generally just use a fork or a stick and no hairties.

If your hair is long enough, you could do something like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bTcmf9F5Nk It's pretty secure and with longer hair, you could leave a ponytail hang.

There's a kind of knot that I use to secure the leader on my spinning wheel that I think would work well for a ponytail secured with hair, but I don't remember what it's called, so I'll have to go look it up when I get home.

[Amber_Maiden]

I no loner use ties in my hair- just sticks and forks. My hair looks better for it!

[Kyla]

I make my own hair ties, which I also use to tie off braids. I take trouser socks (my grandmother thinks I love them and gives me loads. I never wear them) and cut them into strips horizontally. They are more gentle on the hair, and also whenever I run out I just make some more. :)

[sharicat]

I call them bobbles too! Scottish high-five :P

I use a doughnut to do a sock bun and I usually try and make it without a bobble at the base of my neck. I have varying results though, it's hard to make one without there being stress on one or 2 strands of my hair, ouch.

[Angel_099]

I make my own hair ties, which I also use to tie off braids. I take trouser socks (my grandmother thinks I love them and gives me loads. I never wear them) and cut them into strips horizontally. They are more gentle on the hair, and also whenever I run out I just make some more. :)

I was going to suggest this! :) You can use old tights or pantyhose too. They are easy to do, make a bunch, and they are very hair-friendly too!

[Shepherdess]

I have had the same trouble losing my hair things before, now I try to store them in my dresser in a box. I noticed your avatar has a picture of a cat, my cats love playing with my hair things and sometimes run off with them...maybe that's where they are going? :D

[PrairieRose]

I make my own hair ties, which I also use to tie off braids. I take trouser socks (my grandmother thinks I love them and gives me loads. I never wear them) and cut them into strips horizontally. They are more gentle on the hair, and also whenever I run out I just make some more. :)
I have recently done this too! It works great!

[spidermom]

I buy big packages of those poofy, colorful things they sell for children. I don't know what they're called, but they stretch out when you use then and look something like yarn at the ends of braids. Anyway - I mention them because they're cheap and you get 100s of them for just a few dollars. I have 2 places in my house that I put them when I see them laying around, and I haven't had to buy a new package for the past year. Oh ... there's a couple of them right next to me at the computer; I'll have to remember to take them into the bathroom next time I go.

[fridgee]

Yay for hair bobbles, its not just a Scottish thing! I'm always losing my bobbles and have no cats to blame, yet! If you have any ribbons you can use them instead to tie off plaits or even plait into the hair to add colour and volume.

[jacqueline101]

I'd see if your cat isn't taking them. My cat put them in her toy stash.

[Tisiloves]

Yay for hair bobbles, its not just a Scottish thing! I'm always losing my bobbles and have no cats to blame, yet! If you have any ribbons you can use them instead to tie off plaits or even plait into the hair to add colour and volume.

There is a bunning method where you only used ribbon plaitted into hair, unfortunatly I don't have enough hair to demonstrate :(

Basically you use a ribbon much longer than your hair and leave a 'tail' out at the top and bottom of you plait and bun by wrapping the bun then secure by tying the tails together.

[melusine963]

Back when my go-to style was a single braid I would lose a ton of hairbands. Eventually I realised that constantly swinging my bag or coat on and off was working the hairbands further and further down my hair until they just fell off. All that friction wasn't particularly good for my hair either, so now I always wear it pinned up.

[whitedove]

I was thinking aboout this thread earlier today and recalled a friend of mine used to use a pair of thongs (underwear not footwear) for making buns. She would get quite amazing messy buns and you couldnt tell what they were once tied up. I always thought they were scrunchies until one day after swimming she took her hair down and showed me.

[GaJunebug]

For years now, I've been twisting my elastics onto the handle of my brush in an attempt to keep up with them.

In a bind I've been known to use twist ties, rubber bands off of produce and snipping a ring off of a pantyhose leg.

If it is a kind, non harmful tie to hold up your tomato plants, then it must be ok to hold up my hair.

[tigereye]

I try to keep my bobbles away from my cats, because they do like to play with them, and its not good for them considering one of them has a tendancy to try to eat them.

I'm using the pantyhose trick for my braid at the moment. :)