Anyone else for discreet hair toys?

[Natalia]

Ive been thinking this for a while just now getting around to posting. I enjoy admiring peoples toys and window shopping places like esty but the majority of what i look at though lovely and artistic are much to grand or fancy to imagine myself wearing to anything but formal wedding/prom type occasions. Anyone else feel this way?

My number 1 hairtoy is a bent aluminum knitting needle made into a u-pin, that all but dissapears into my hair. other than that i like things like spin pins, plain brown/black sticks, descreet small hair forks/pins, ect... The flasiest thing i own are two flexi's i got on the swap board and even they are rather demure.

I have nothing against fancy or sparkly toys but they dont fit me.

[Milui Elenath]

I like both. For everyday or for professionalism I wear a plain wooden hairstick that is short and so doesn't really even protrude. Sometimes if I am wearing a complicated bun I will also choose plain sticks so that the bun is the focus. I will wear flashy, formal, accessories when in the mood or going out. I'm a bit eclectic in my style however and will happily wear glittery, flashy items with jeans when gardening if I feel like it. :)

I certainly think though that hair can be all the adornment one needs.

[juliaxena]

No, not really. I consider most of the hair toys I see to be everyday toys and only rarely do I see something for abwedding etc...

[IvanaGil]

Yes, I'm with you. The only hair toys I have are dark brown plain wooden hair sticks that match my hair. I'm not one for fancy things either.

[Arashi]

As much as I love pretty and fancy things, I would lean more towards less-flashy hairthings as I would like them to be versatile and not clash with my clothing. Right now I'm looking in to investing in my first real hair toy and considering a plain, wooden fork for that reason.

[PolarCathy]

I don't think any of my current hairtoys are "fancy", apart from the "hair weaponry" (like my signature). Neverheless, they are colorful (red--rusty brown is the range I like the most, which stands out inmy black hair). The traditionally "fancy" things like sticks with huge crystal or glass beads//teddy bears//whatnot on top of them I never buy. Also, glittery things, never. Plain wood can hardly be "fancy" in my opinion. And Etsy is full of wooden hairtoys. :rolling:

[HumanBean]

It depends on my mood. I wore a top knot today with nothing but spin pins, but I have lots of flashy stuff too. I literally will plan an outfit around a hair toy sometimes.

[Jing]

I love sparklies, but I also love restrained beauty like that of a well-shaped wooden hair fork. I seldomly wear sparkly things, but I don't reserve them for special occasions, either.

[hafattack]

i love crazy hair toys.. sticks with dragons on them, fancy designs, ect. However, I have a plain wooden hairfork from jeterforks on etsy (has GREAT products) and that is my current favorite for the strong hold and because it is versatile

[LadyLongLocks]

I like less flashy. I like things that are similar color to my hair so they don't stand out.
I save the flashy hair stuff for photo's but in daily life I am plain. IMO The hair should be the main focus, not the hair toy.

[Tota]

I prefer invisible hair toys. Spin pins are my no. 1 thing. I use them every single day to bun my hair. I don't even know why. I have a considerable collection of beautiful and sparkly hair toys but soon after I use them I put them away and use spin pins again.

[spidermom]

I like subtle hair securing devices, too. If somebody is going to compliment me, I would prefer that they compliment my hair. I'm responsible for this hair; it's mine in every sense of the word, so my "thank you" is sincere. But if somebody compliments my hair fork, of course I say "thank you" because that's what polite people do, but I feel I should pass the compliment on to the maker.

[neko_kawaii]

I agree. I have a head band I quite like because the colors are more muted (dusty pinks and browns) so though it is a hand made textile floral affair I don't think it screams, "Look at me, I have a thing in my hair!" I know I've seen items on Etsy that are less flamboyant, perhaps try looking for "wooden hair toys" I think that is the search phrase I used when I wanted to show my wood shop mama some examples of what I would really love for her to make for me (and herself). Some of the polymer clay toys I've browsed were beautiful and understated, so look for those too.

[Madora]

I believe your hair should be the focus of attention, not what's holding it up. Flexi 8's are about as elaborate as I get. "Less is more" also applies to what you put in your hair. Why create a beautiful updo, only to have it look like it's being stabbed to death by a hairtoy?

[LaFlor]

I only have 3 hair toys and they are all very simple. 1 simple hairstick, 1 simple hairfork, and 1 simple hair slide. They are all muted colors and don't draw much attention to themselves.

I think that elaborate/special hairtoys are beautiful, I don't know if I could really wear them in real life.

Although I do love to accent my bun with a flower :blossom:

[embee]

Most of my hair toys are subdued, matching well the color of my hair. My first and go-to hairsticks are a pair of MeiFa black wooden sticks with short brown/black pattern bead toppers. Had them nearly 20 years, not tired of them yet. :D

Do not like my spin pins - the bun they make ends up so loose that it hangs on a few hairs, dragging down. It does not come down, but it doesn't feel comfortable at all. :(

My Larks Squiggly is very subtle, almost the color of my hair and the ends curl in/down. Holds like a rock.

Two forks, one from swap board, very plain brown, and one from DD with a fancy curly design. A "dress fork", but again, dark brown.

However - I have two fancy colorful sticks. One was a gift, a silvery metal stick with a curled design topper, all the same metal. Wear it every once in a while, feels like "party time". The other is an old ballpoint pen in green plastic, a snake. I love that one and use it when I wear green. But I'm a herper, so it makes sense.

I look and look at the MeiFa sticks with the fancy toppers, how pretty they are, like jewelry, but I don't buy them. I have limited use for sticks with, say, turquoise cloisonne bead tops... Would be nice to have some with gold tops or pearl tops, but not nice enough to spend $30!

.... cheep cheep cheep.... ;)

[jacqueline101]

You would be a good one for chop sticks plain wood no sparkle things.

[caadam]

I like very discreet hair toys, too. Probably the one reason why I only have my one wooden hair fork. lol It's simple, plain, heavy-duty, and that's all I need. That, and I really love these Goody gentle fit bands I got. They're perfect for people with thick hair, and they don't pull on the hair.

I would get myself some sticks, but I never have the extra money to get any at the moment. :( Maybe one day. Or I can always make my own.

[Lostsoule77]

I tend to like both discreet hair toys and flashy ones. For work and just everyday use my favorite hair toy is a bone stick that is brown and short so that it secures my buns, but doesn't extend much past them.

Generally I'm more of a tom boy, but on those days when I feel like being a bit girly I love to have flashier toys in my hair. I want to dress up my hair as much as I'm dressing up the rest of me. ;)

It is just as easy to find discreet hair toys as it is flashy ones. Wooden forks or sticks are great for this. Wood comes in all colors and you just find one that is in a shade close to your hair color and you'll be set. Someone mentioned searching etsy for wood hair toys and that is the best place I can think to start. :D

[Bianca]

I prefer descreet hair toys yes. I do have a blingy ficcare, and some big grahtoe pieces, but I rarely reach for them.

Dont like dangly chains, giant hair forks or antlers.

Do like colors though, but I want to start getting some neutral colors too. Something that blends in with my hair color.

[ratgirldjh]

I love my hair fork dpns too. I am one of those people who really get off on having multiple uses from anything and I was totally thrilled when the aluminium dpns that I hated for knitting and was going to return ended up being some of my favorite hair toys! My mom even wants me to make her some!

I go through phases. I have a few very colorful shiny toys and pull them out when I am in the mood. However my go to is usually a braid these days or something that doesn't show up as much in my hair and I am starting to prefer wooden toys since my hair is so slippery with MO drops that acrylic things are getting harder to use these days...

[bumblebums]

I like spin pins and bent dpns because they fit under a hat, so I wear them often on sunny or freezing days.

[Othala]

I prefer understated and discreet hair accessories for myself. I have a total of 3 wavy hairsticks, 2 of which are plain wood and one is a Ketylo Dymondwood. They are all I use. I don't like to draw attention to myself and really don't like to wear things that dangle or sparkle.

Having said that, I really enjoy seeing people, PolarCathy for instance, wearing really dramatic and artistic hair accessories. I can appreciate the artistry/craftsmanship especially where the person's hair/personality/presence is strong enough to carry it off.

[Arden]

I don't think any of my current hairtoys are "fancy", apart from the "hair weaponry" (like my signature). Neverheless, they are colorful (red--rusty brown is the range I like the most, which stands out inmy black hair). The traditionally "fancy" things like sticks with huge crystal or glass beads//teddy bears//whatnot on top of them I never buy. Also, glittery things, never. Plain wood can hardly be "fancy" in my opinion. And Etsy is full of wooden hairtoys. :rolling:

I would just like to point out, I LOVE your "hair weaponry" ....where did you get those??


...in keeping with topic, I'm a simple girl myself... but I may change my mind when my hair starts getting longer.....

[PolarCathy]

I would just like to point out, I LOVE your "hair weaponry" ....where did you get those??


...in keeping with topic, I'm a simple girl myself... but I may change my mind when my hair starts getting longer.....

I tell you for $25 :)

Okay. Dealextreme.com. Search for letter openers. :cool:

[Nae]

Well, I probably need a few more discrete hair toys. The ones I have are mostly bright colors because I am a bright color kinda girl but sometimes the toys seem kinda bulky and I wish I had some really basic things (maybe from Quattro.)

Maybe I should go and shop lol.

[TheMechaGinger]

As far as hairtoys that I actually wear out, I tend to stick with the less flashy ones. Mostly because with the flashy ones I get a million billion questions about them. So I wear those at home or when I'm just with close friends or family and then when I go out I have a plain black fork or plain wood sticks. I love just having the pretty ones if that makes sense though, just seeing them in my bathroom every morning makes me feel all princess-y!

[embee]

Oh yes, I hear you! :) I smile when I see my fancy silvery hairstick, my green snake stick, and my curly top wooden hairfork from DD.

[ladylowtide]

Me me! I only really wear two forks. I very small two prong purple heart. So the only thing flashy about it is the muted purple. And the other that's in my head right now it very simple two prong red heart. I think the red blend nicely in with my hennaed hair.

I like simple hair toys because I feel like I can wear my glasses, eating and other things with them. Otherwise I feel like my head is too accessorized. :p

[Natalia]

whoa reply explosion! thank you everyone for jumping in :) and also for the reccomendations but i am too hard on my toys and i damp bun far to often to use wood toys. they would be a beautiful deccoration to a hair toy holder but thats about it. i am a wake up put it up and not touch it again till showering kind of girl and it stays damp often.

[sparrowswing]

For me it mostly depends on where I am and what I'm doing. Most of the time I stick with my knitting needle u-pins (those things are amazing!). I have a collection of fairly simple hairsticks, but I don't really use them all that often because they catch on the top of the car when I get in and it knocks the updo loose. But then I have special hairtoys for events: a few flashy circlets for ren faires, some crazy hairsticks for anime conventions, some barettes for when I do the gothic lolita thing, some sparkly accent pieces I use for weddings and such... the collection has been growing most of my life.

[BlazingHeart]

I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, I don't wear sparklies in my hair. On the other, I have a horn calla lily and I enjoy the really unusually colored woods (natural ones, I don't like dymondwood). I'm all about purple heart and pink ivory and redheart, but I also enjoy a good piece of cocobolo or ebony. I really love the variety of colors and grain patterns that naturally occur in wood. I also have a simple but pretty steel piece that my future father-in-law (a blacksmith) made for me.

~Blaze

[Lostsoule77]

whoa reply explosion! thank you everyone for jumping in :) and also for the reccomendations but i am too hard on my toys and i damp bun far to often to use wood toys. they would be a beautiful deccoration to a hair toy holder but thats about it. i am a wake up put it up and not touch it again till showering kind of girl and it stays damp often.

You could try a brown bone stick then. Mine is horn or bone, can't quite recall because hubby bought it for me. It blends in though and would be fine on wet or damp hair all the time. ;)

[Zesty]

I agree with the OP. I prefer hair toys in plain wood. The one acrylic stick I have is black/gray/white, and therefore not flashy either. I think the fanciest thing I have and wear frequently is my hacksaw007 stick which has a teardrop topper, and even that is pretty plain compared to some of the things I see. While I think they're pretty, I know they don't fit my (life)style very well.

[Paranda Belle]

I swing both ways :)

I love my strong indian u pins, as I can do almost any hairstyle with them and they are so strong. They also vanish into my hair. Anything black gets lost due to my dark hair and I have a few clips and sticks for every day use.

However, I also have a huge collection of sparkly and more elaborate stuff that comes out on special occasions or just when I am feeling fancy!

[FrannyG]

I'm another who enjoys both discreet hair toys and some really pretty ones that you might call flashy.

I have a 4 inch u-shaped hair pin from Quattro that I use a lot, and it really does disappear into my hair for the most part.

There are some days though, when I like a flash of colour and that's when I'll use my hair sticks and Ficcares.

I never think of my hair accessories as being too grand for any occasion, however.

[mrs_coffee]

I mostly wear Amish hair pins, and the flashiest I get in terms of hair toys is chopsticks. I do, however, have a purple octopus hair stick from Emergent Glass that I absolutely love. I have a thing for octopodes.

[Natalia]

You could try a brown bone stick then. Mine is horn or bone, can't quite recall because hubby bought it for me. It blends in though and would be fine on wet or damp hair all the time. ;)

thank you for the reccomendation i shall go browse!

[Lostsoule77]

You're welcome. :D

[spirals]

With the exception of scarves, I don't use accessories because my hair itself is the accessory. I use pins when necessary, and they are hidden.

[Long_hair_bear]

I dunno. I personally love loud, screaming, "Here I am!!!" type hair toys.

For example, I'd buy this if I had the money:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95346304/high-fashion-phoenix-hair-fork

And I just bought this:

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/85723959

Count me with the flashy hair toy lovers!

[Tisiloves]

I like restrained and invisible hair toys, but my friends don't call me magpie for nothing.

[SerinaDaith]

I go both ways, general every day use my hair things are subdued and match my hair color or disappear into my hair. If there is something special going on or I need to feel a little more dressed up then I go for some color or sparkle or both.

[AutumnLocks]

Yes, I'm with you. Most all of my hair accessories are dark brown, black, or tortie.

[one_fine_lady]

Could more people post pictures of what they are using? I would love to get some ideas :)

[jeanniet]

I have both, and wear both. I look at hair toys as functional art, so I buy and wear what pleases my eye. I think you can have a flashy stick or fork that compliments hair just as much, or more, than something subdued.

[Dovetail]

Im kind of both, if the shape is a subtle shape, Ill go out with colors and such, but if its a more statment kind of piece (like the ravencroft moon i just snagged) then I try to go with more natural colors that way I can wear everything to work or whereever. I guess Im a fence sitter! I try to think if something costs so much, will I be able to wear it in the future working at a corporate job or something like that. That way if I ever DO work at a place like that, Ill still have all my hair toys :3

[FrannyG]

I have both, and I wear both. The more elaborate my updo, the more discreet the hair accessory. If I'm wearing a simple style, I sometimes put the emphasis on the hair jewelry.

I don't wear any other jewelry, with the exception of earrings, so it's nice to wear pretty hair toys sometimes. My absolute favourite for a simple updo is my Ficarre Maximas with Aurora Borealis crystals. I often wear it to hold a low ponytail. I think it's extremely beautiful.

I have to admit that most of the time, I stick to my simple 4 inch Quattro Starlites fork, that all but disappears in my hair.

[soniqui]

I'm with you on the simple stuff. I'm not one for pointing people to my updo which screams "look at me!" because of the stick/fork in it. The only thing is I like the quirky things. Something a little different, but still simple. As in, I'm tossing up buying a lighthouse topped hairstick at the moment which I think is just the cleverest thing I've ever seen. And someone on page 1 mentioned sticks with dragons on them and I've seen some cute ones on etsy, but I feel like I'd buy them because I think they're cool but wouldn't wear them. I like simple, interesting, different, quirky, but simple.

[xoxophelia]

I also generally stick to simple stuff. Actually, I only have one that could be considered anything but simple and my collection is very small. In the past I just bunned my hair with a pencil before I ever knew what a hair stick was..