New to updos

[Mrs.Witherup]

The title is kind of misleading as I have been putting my hair up for awhile now but I usually just twist it into a bun and go, with four kids it's hard to spend a lot of time on my hair =) But after joining this wonderful community, I realize there are some updos that don't requir a lot of time or effort.

So my question is what is your favorite hair toy? I've never been able to get sticks to work (yet!) and I'm loving these wooden forks I've been seeing!
Where is the best place to get one at a decent price?? And your favorite quick and easy updo with them??

[WaterMusic]

I love love love Grahtoe Studio's forks, but they are not exactly cheap. I will let someone else recommend cheap forks for you.

My favourite easy updo for forks is the Lazy Wrap Bun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTt771qkO24). Watch the video to see how she makes the bun, but then go to 1:00 and pause it. You see the first loop on the right hand side of the bun? I twist the bun so that loop is pointing upwards. Then I take my fork and insert the tines partway down that loop, and through the stem part of the bun (where the hair comes up from your scalp). I then try to catch a little bit of the end of the second loop on the way down, and I hide the tines in the hair on my scalp below the bun. It takes about 15 seconds once you've got it figured out, from gathering the hair into a pony, creating the bun, and inserting the fork. It is very stable, I've been wearing this all day while gardening.

[Mrs.Witherup]

I love love love Grahtoe Studio's forks, but they are not exactly cheap.

Are they worth the money? I just figured since I hadn't tried them I didn't want to spend money on them if they wouldn't work for me :)

[Amber_Maiden]

I love using sticks- they are my go-to toys! I also send Grahtoe studios forks, but again- they are not exactly cheap.

[Mrs.Witherup]

Is there a trick to the sticks that I don't know about?? Lol!

Also what about Ficcare? Never heard of them until I started reading posts on here, it seems like everyone has them!

[Teazel]

My go-to, everyday hair toy - actually, it's more of a hair tool :D - is a short stick my DH made for me. I prefer not to have long sticks poking out of my buns, and this one is just the right length. Here's a picture:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=1420&pictureid=130509

[WaterMusic]

Are they worth the money? I just figured since I hadn't tried them I didn't want to spend money on them if they wouldn't work for me :)

I love them so much. They are sturdier than sticks for me, and they hold really well. The thing that really stands out to me about Grahtoes is that they are incredibly three dimensional. Most forks seem to be flat, or curved to the head, but basically flat along that plane. There are no straight lines on my Grahtoes, they are all curvy and organically shaped. I just really like them.

However there is kind of an art to figuring out one's taste in hair tools. It sounds like you've not had a lot of success with sticks, but what I would suggest for someone who hasn't tried them at all is to try some sanded down chopsticks. There are a few trouble shooting things you can do before ruling out sticks altogether, like trying different styles, and making sure that your hair isn't too short. If you've done those things, then you have to decide whether you want to abandon sticks and move on to forks, or whether you want to try other sticks like Ketylos or Quattros.

If you have your heart set on forks, then I would try to buy cheaply, from the swap board for example, until you are sure you actually like something. I would go with a 3 prong to start, it's a pretty safe option. What is the diameter of your bun? The easiest way to figure this out is to make a bun, poke a stick through it until one end of the stick is lined up with the edge of your bun, and then pinch the other end with your finger. Pull it out and measure. This will give you information about what kind of functional prong length (FPL) you are looking for. Most people add 1/2" -1" to their diameter to get a FPL, but you also have to think about how much you want the tines to be sticking out the other side.

Another option for you is a squiggly (http://www.etsy.com/shop/LarksHairSticks), which I love. They kind of curl into your bun, and they don't stick out and poke people, which is awesome. She suggests adding about an inch to your bun diameter to get your squiggly size, but I've had more success with only adding 1/2".

Whew, that was a lot of info. Hope some of it helps! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. :)

[Anje]

Ficcares are great for quick updos with lots of hair, but expensive. I have one of these and found it to be an effective fake with a strong spring. (http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=VP10435)

Sticks and forks are great, but they do have a learning curve. I'd recommend starting with a colored pencil or a smoothed chopstick and trying a few Lazy Wrap buns. Once you feel comfortable with that, get yourself some real hairsticks or forks.

[QMacrocarpa]

[...] I've never been able to get sticks to work (yet!) and I'm loving these wooden forks I've been seeing!
Where is the best place to get one at a decent price?? And your favorite quick and easy updo with them??
Likely my first fork purchase will be from Jeterforks (http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeterforks). There's a thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=77242) about them.

I also like the (fork-y) Goody modern updo pin for orchid buns. I haven't had a lot of success with it for other updos though.