ChurchStreetAndLove

[mwallingford]

I'm a little late to the party, but your latest helix is beautiful Crystawni! I've also noticed those price jumps; if memory serves, she's been doing that for a while now. At first I was fine with it since I thought she was searching for her consumers price point, but now that she's been open for over a year it's getting a bit old. You're absolutely right about the shipping prices too- she has made it free delivery to the United States which is definitely a plus!

It's a shame she hasn't gotten better about the finish on some of her pieces though! Do you notice a quality difference (finish wise) on the natural wood finishes versus the stained pieces? I bought a stained oak fork from her several months ago which she discounted since she said that it was one of the first pieces she made. But the finish is almost patchy, and tacky to the point I can't comfortably insert it into a bun.

The bloodwood helix that I purchased seems alright, but it definitely feels shorter than I thought and can only holdup a bun if I place it *very* strategically. I'm going to try to measure it tonight and see if it's the right length, but if it is, that was my bad in underestimating the fork

[Crystawni]

Thanks, mwallingford! Some of the prices are way above what I'm prepared to pay, unfortunately, but there are always specials to watch out for. That's a bugger about your bloodwood helix, though. I actually prefer the shorter helix forks as their tines don't poke out and get caught on things (great for trying on clothes, or cuddling loved ones), but they only work in centreheld buns for me unless I want a bunsplosion of the droopy-butt variety.

Running my eyes and fingers over all of my helix forks, I find little difference in finish (patchy, some bumps, a bit rough and rougher in some places), although the natural ones are slightly better (and of course there are no colour splotches on them), but they're not as silky smooth as Furnival's.

Of the non-special, but special variety, this tentacled terror, that may pose as a pretty hair ribbon, reached out to me yesterday, and added a squid-inky travel buddy.

[mwallingford]

Thanks, mwallingford! Some of the prices are way above what I'm prepared to pay, unfortunately, but there are always specials to watch out for. That's a bugger about your bloodwood helix, though. I actually prefer the shorter helix forks as their tines don't poke out and get caught on things (great for trying on clothes, or cuddling loved ones), but they only work in centreheld buns for me unless I want a bunsplosion of the droopy-butt variety.

Running my eyes and fingers over all of my helix forks, I find little difference in finish (patchy, some bumps, a bit rough and rougher in some places), although the natural ones are slightly better (and of course there are no colour splotches on them), but they're not as silky smooth as Furnival's.

Of the non-special, but special variety, this tentacled terror, that may pose as a pretty hair ribbon, reached out to me yesterday, and added a squid-inky travel buddy.

100% agreed! I also prefer the shorter helixes for many of the same reasons; if it was just 1/2 an inch longer it would be perfect, but it seems to stops twisting before it can secure the second loop. Then it pulls on a cluster of hairs for support which is definitely not cool. Now that you mentioned that technique, I noticed some of that roughness too. It's never snagged or snapped a hair on me, but I'll have to keep an eye on that now.

I absolutely love your descriptors Crystawni, they make everything so much more interesting! I can't wait to hear what you think of the octopus fork in particular and see how it holds up to Ophidian's beauty!

[BerrySara]

well its a bit of a bummer to read about the rough finish in some spots. I got mine in and I haven't noticed any yet. I ended up going with a 5.5" helix fork (4.5" functional length) because I wanted to be able to grow with it and still do loose buns. I really like it but it doesn't hold as sturdy for me as a fork just yet but I'm sure some practice and some length will help with that. I was able to hold a loose bun for several hours before I had to redo it.

I have been feeling the natural wood lately for those days where I want something more neutral.

[mwallingford]

well its a bit of a bummer to read about the rough finish in some spots. I got mine in and I haven't noticed any yet. I ended up going with a 5.5" helix fork (4.5" functional length) because I wanted to be able to grow with it and still do loose buns. I really like it but it doesn't hold as sturdy for me as a fork just yet but I'm sure some practice and some length will help with that. I was able to hold a loose bun for several hours before I had to redo it.

I have been feeling the natural wood lately for those days where I want something more neutral.

That looks PERFECT in your hair! I swear that helix was made just for you! I definitely went through a bit of a learning curve to get them to work properly, but with a little practice it holds like gangbusters. If I may say so, your first attempt was infinitely better than mine! You're certainly on the right track with using a looser bun, and you should be able to use that as a workhorse for the foreseeable future, but it's already the perfect fit

[BerrySara]

That looks PERFECT in your hair! I swear that helix was made just for you! I definitely went through a bit of a learning curve to get them to work properly, but with a little practice it holds like gangbusters. If I may say so, your first attempt was infinitely better than mine! You're certainly on the right track with using a looser bun, and you should be able to use that as a workhorse for the foreseeable future, but it's already the perfect fit

Aw thank you mwallingford! Your comment was so sweet and encouraging when I read it this morning, I decided to wear the helix fork to work today
You are super sweet, now I feel really good I went with this fork! More practice seems to definitely be helping. I was surprised to find I got it to hold on first try this morning and my favorite part is it doesn't pull or feel tight. Its kinda magical that it can hold a messy loose bun. Yay glad to be part of the helix crew!

[Crystawni]

I'm with mwallingford--that is fricken adorable on you, BerrySara! I love, love, love it, and think it's a perfect buddy for your hair! And I concur with the learning curve. It took me a bit to get the hang of helix stability, but once I had, well, you already know how much I gush over these things. Welcome to the helix crew! It sounds like yours is well finished, too, so yay!

I don't mind the bit of non-snaggy roughness, though, as I think it works a little like Quattros with the microgrooves in my slipmonster hair. Getting it in close enough to the scalp also helps, and I like to angle my bigger ones so they're gravity-balanced, if that makes sense. I also find the ones with fatter, slightly rounder tines than the ribbon-flat ones (like my frosted one), can want to bounce out of a bun or not grab so much when coupled with shortness and less spin in the tines, so I use less hair in them, like in a PWB or half-up. Tighter or more compact buns at the start can also help.

[BerrySara]

I'm with mwallingford--that is fricken adorable on you, BerrySara! I love, love, love it, and think it's a perfect buddy for your hair! And I concur with the learning curve. It took me a bit to get the hang of helix stability, but once I had, well, you already know how much I gush over these things. Welcome to the helix crew! It sounds like yours is well finished, too, so yay!

I don't mind the bit of non-snaggy roughness, though, as I think it works a little like Quattros with the microgrooves in my slipmonster hair. Getting it in close enough to the scalp also helps, and I like to angle my bigger ones so they're gravity-balanced, if that makes sense. I also find the ones with fatter, slightly rounder tines than the ribbon-flat ones (like my frosted one), can want to bounce out of a bun or not grab so much when coupled with shortness and less spin in the tines, so I use less hair in them, like in a PWB or half-up. Tighter or more compact buns at the start can also help.

Yay thank you Crystawni, that's very kind of you and I am happy to join Hehe yes I have become aware of your interest in these lovely helix forks, it was your action shots that got me wanting one!

I really appreciate the advice, it definitely makes sense to angle them more balanced with respect to gravitational pull and I also did notice I needed to grab some scalp hair to get it to hold well. That is good to know about the rounder tines!

With tighter buns it definitely holds well as long as I can get it through the bun but the tension I get is unpleasant. However, I am just super happy that it works with a loose bun as I had it in for over 10 hours yesterday with no tension issues. I honestly couldn't feel it. And I don't have to stretch and smoosh (and hide) my curls with the helix fork which is what I find magical about it. That is a win-win in my book!

[Crystawni]

Gawd, yes, I've had an instant facelift from a tight helix-forked bun (that immediately gets unwrapped/loosened a tad), and like you, can't actually get the helix in if the bun is too tight. But the not-there factor (no tension, seemingly weightless, balanced), and freedom they give to styling the actual updo is so awesome. I love doing a comet bun that lets my stretched out curls run loose while keeping the niggly bits away from getting in absolutely everything, and French twists with the ends fountaining. I haven't actually worried about protecting my ends so much (I trim 3x a year anyway), and yet have still gained length while actually enjoying my texture. So, as these do just about all of the hairstyles I love, they're my HG hairtoys for sure.

[mwallingford]

Aw thank you mwallingford! Your comment was so sweet and encouraging when I read it this morning, I decided to wear the helix fork to work today
You are super sweet, now I feel really good I went with this fork! More practice seems to definitely be helping. I was surprised to find I got it to hold on first try this morning and my favorite part is it doesn't pull or feel tight. Its kinda magical that it can hold a messy loose bun. Yay glad to be part of the helix crew!

Compliments are so easy to give when they're true! I'm so glad you're getting the hang of it, it sounds like you're doing fantastic (and indeed, welcome to the helix lovers club!) I concur with all of Crystawni's tips, and am looking forward to hearing any updates you'd be willing to share!