Ficcare opinions needed.

[Curly Crone]

I need some advice. I would like to buy a Ficcare “IF” it will do what I hope. I have very slippery hair as I know a lot of you do too. I can’t use barrettes, clips, bobby pins or really anything and I have bought and tried them all. Anytime I have ever told people my hair is too slippery for clips/barrettes they always thought I was nutty.

I have used pony holders and scuncis for years and I would like to try something new. I bought two pretty claw clips like this one that I really like but I have to use a pony tail holder first or they won’t stay in.

http://i.imgur.com/R19gJ.jpg

I like to do half-ups and I have a 2.5 inch circ ponytail so I would only have maybe ¾ inch in the half up. Do you think a small Ficcare would stay put in my hair? I don’t want to just buy it and see since they are expensive and I would hate to have buyers remorse again. If I have to continue with the ponytail holder in addition to the Ficcare I would not buy it, they are pretty but not worth it to me at that point.

Any ideas? Thanks!

[Chromis]

I find that they hold great, no matter how slippery my hair is feeling that day. They are my fallback when nothing else is working. (And I used to have scrunchies always try and slide out/down my hair back when I wore ponytails)

I'd try and make a trek out to Nordstroms and give them a go! That way you can test one in person, though I will say there is a bit of learning curve.

[MeganE]

I didn't like mine at all. I keep it around only because I figure every year I'll try it again and see if it works yet. If you buy it from Nordstrom's, you should be able to return it. Or maybe even just try it out in store? I think the website has a good return policy. I debated about returning mine but decided not to, just in case.

[Theobroma]

I have a slightly larger circ than you and my hair isn't slippery at all, but I found that a small Ficcare was too big to stay put in a half up. I could sort of make it work by bending the bottom jaw a bit more to narrow the gap, but it was awkward to insert and pulled on my scalp.

As an alternative I'd suggest a Flexi-8 in extra small. They're far less pricey and hold fantastically.

[Curly Crone]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Maybe I will wait....I live in a miniscule town and haven't been to a Norstrom in 20 years so I would have to order one. I will give the Flexi-8 a look see. Thanks again!

[Theobroma]

Wrt the flexis, you might also want to consider a mini. Those are seriously tiny, but might be good for you depending on how much hair you put in your half up!

If you get an extra small and find it a shade too loose, one thing you can do is wrap a ponytail elastic around the pin. That makes for a tighter fit!

[Wildcat Diva]

I think you would like a flexi 8. I use those when I am going to be doing something relatively active (but let's not get crazy now, not THAT active) and I NEED my hair to stay put. Also, they worked great for me today, because I had oiled my hair slightly but needed to put it up to do to work. It stayed solid in my oiled hair.

AND, it's great, because if you start to outgrow your flexi 8 clip size in one hairstyle (like a twist), you can do something like I did, used it for something different (a Lazy Wrap Bun).

[rags]

I have less hair than you, but it's super slippery! I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to use it for a half-up. They work the best when the jaw is open - which it wouldn't be at that circ I don't think.

My hair so slippy elastics have been known to slide right off the ends of my braids or out of ponys! :p But I can use mini Flexis for half ups - they're great! Mainly because they ARE a bit small for a half-up for me, so stuffing more hair into them makes them hold better. If I use an x-small it slides right out (even though it technically should be the correct size)

[akilina]

I have nothing much to offer that I love that clip in the picture. Its so pretty! I saw one (if not the same one) just like it at Cosmo Prof a while back. I should have just GOT it when I saw it! :]

It may have been mentioned...but why don't hair forks or hair sticks work for you.
I never had success with them until I actually learned how to properly use them. I had given up on them totally, then I learned the proper way and LOVE them :]

[Theobroma]

Akilina, good point, and perhaps this is the moment to point out that small sticks and forks will in fact work rather well for half-ups. Making a mini-nautilus or pencil bun out of the section of hair pulled back for the half-up is quick and easy and looks pretty, and depending on the size of the resultant bun even a decorated Amish pin would be big enough to hold it securely. Curly Crone, would that be an option for you?

[Curly Crone]

Thank you everyone for your replies, I appreciate all of them. Everyone is so helpful. I have a VERY hard time manipulating my hair. Not only am I a klutz (I can't seem to do anything without looking at my hands) my hair is difficult. I have had several people try to french braid my hair over the years and all of them have given up. I do a half up with a pony because it is something I can do without looking and my hair doesn't resist much. LOL.

I know these are excuses but when I manipulate my hair too much it gets more and more tangled and in the end I get frustrated and end up with tons and tons of frizz. So I never practice anything. The less I touch my hair the happier it is. When I get out of the shower I detangle my hair and thats the only time I comb it until I wash it again.

Akilina---the claw clip came from my local grocery store.

If I find a Flexi-8 I may try one of those. My hair is very fine and thin, the curls do hide some of the thinning but if I put up the half-up in a bun I would have an empty space down my back.

Here is a pic of my hair so you can see the thinning:

http://i.imgur.com/NU9lm.jpg

[busnutmedic]

I had a small ficcare that someone gave me that was tragically left in a rental vehicle :( . I used it for buns only. It was way too big for a half-up! It was very handy for buns, though. Just stick it in and go.

I feel like these days I need something that distributes the weight of my hair better. I think doing buns with sticks and the like helped break off hairs for me. I use two of three bobby pins strategically now and I feel like it's gentler on my hair. It's probably just me, though, since lots and lots of people love things like ficcares and hairsticks.

[Immera]

Have you tried Goody spin pins? They are available at most places, like Target, Walmart or CVS pharmacy, come in two sizes.
My hair is a bit like yours; I find bobby pins to be uncomfortable. The spin pins screw into a bun and hold rock solid.
I also like flexi-8s. I'm too cheap to buy a ficcare.
Just don't leave the flexi-8 in a pants pocket and then run it through the washing machine. I've ruined a few that way.

[Bunnysaur]

I agree with Wildcat, you should go with a Flexi for a half up.
On the other hand, I just got myself a large Ficcare (I'm a ii/iii) and it holds like a dream, even with my super slippery hair.

[Lady Neeva]

Then there's the conundrum of trying to find a desirable Ficcare only to find it out of stock.

[Tea Lady]

I have straight, slippery hair. I found that the Ficcares hold my hair a lot better than Flexi's. YMMV.

Tea Lady