All About Hair Forks

[truwave]

I LOVE them! All of them. My hair is still to short for them, but one day... So here are a few questions:

Are they difficult to use/get the hang of?
How secure do they hold your hair?
How long does your hair have to be to use them?
How long of a prong should you get?
What are the best colours for dark hair?

Thanks in advance.

[truwave]

One more question, how many prongs is best?

[Emerson]

I'm going to be watching this thread. I really want to try a hair fork but I'm not sure if it would work with my fine hair.

[truwave]

One more question (sorry I cant edit)

Does anyone know of somewhere you can buy cheap ones to practice with?

[Emerson]

Maybe take a quick peek on ebay and etsy?

One more question (sorry I cant edit)

Does anyone know of somewhere you can buy cheap ones to practice with?

[ravenreed]

Are they difficult to use/get the hang of?
Not really... the hardest part is to find the right updos that work with your length and thickness. That takes a while and it changes as your hair grows... Even a few inches makes a big difference.

How secure do they hold your hair?
It depends on the bun, your hair and the style of the fork. I have some that are more ornamental and need a few extra pins to keep things in place, and some that are perfect without any support. I have some buns that work with just one hair stick, so the style plays a big part of it.

How long does your hair have to be to use them?
I am not sure- I didn't start until already waist length. It depends upon thickness. Thicker hair will have to be longer to compensate, I believe.

How long of a prong should you get?
Again, depends on your hair, and your head size too. I could go up to a larger fork, but my head is pretty small. Most of my buns are about 4" across, so any fork would have to be a bit longer than 4" to poke out... However, if I do a figure 8 bun, they are actually wider than the others, so a longer fork would work with them.

What are the best colours for dark hair?
I love contrast and sparkles, so I go for bright colors and shiny stuff in silvers to stand out more. Someone who is more reserved in dress might want to complement their hair color rather than contrast with it. It is really personal preference.

One more question, how many prongs is best?
I don't know that there is a best until your hair is really long. I am fine with two prongs for now, but am contemplating getting a 60th Steet fork with 4 prongs to see if I like it more or less.

[Finoriel]

Are they difficult to use/get the hang of?
It took me less time to learn how to use a fork than I needed to learn how to use hairsticks, but I learned to use sticks first and both work similar. I would not say it´s difficult.

How secure do they hold your hair?
Rock solid

How long does your hair have to be to use them?
That depends on how thick your hair is and how much it tapers. In general I´d say when you can use sticks your hair is long enough to use a fork, too.

How long of a prong should you get?
Measure the bun diameter and add and inch or two. Depends on how much tine you like to see and how long you plan your hair to grow. A lot of people buy longer forks so they can still wear them when reaching their goal length.
I also use different forks for different buns, depending on the type of the bun. Chinese bun and infinity bun need more usable tine-length than an inside-out bun for example.
In general my forks can be a little shorter than sticks, when used for the same bun.

What are the best colours for dark hair?
Completely depends on what you like. A fork which stands out or a fork which blend in, pure matter of taste just buy what you like, I doubt the fork police will arrest you for wearing the wrong colour.

How many prongs is best?
Depends on how tight you do your buns. For tight ones I prefer fewer and thinnish tines with a lot of space between them. For loose buns more tines are possible and a lot of space between them isn´t that important (though preferable imo). Slender tines are a plus here, too.
Also the more times the wider is the fork and the heavier it becomes. Which can become an issue when heavy hair/toys cause headaches, not everyone is sensitive to that though.

Also there are curved and non-curved forks. Coming from hairsticks I found the not-curved kind easier to start with and I still like them better, but that´s again just personal preference. Both kinds feel really different in an updo and it seems you either love curved forks or you end up hating them

All in all it boils down to personal preference I guess.

[truwave]

Thanks for your replies. My hair is fairly thick and still too short. I've been practicing to do bun's with a pen, and sometimes hold, but they look more like a french twist. I think I really like purple against dark hair, but I really love them all, how will I ever choose when the time comes?
So if I have thick hair and I like a good solid bun, what would you guys recommend in terms of bun style, and number of prongs? Maybe its best to start off with 2 prongs?
Thanks again

[Bunnyhare]

i have found that thinner hair can start using a fork about shoulder length in a french twist type style. The key to getting a tight hold is to be sure and grab the scalp hair as well as the bun/twisted hair. You can check the swap board for forks that need homes, that may be a way to find an economical one..but keep in mind, sometimes you get what you pay for and a less expensive one may not be as good quality...As far as tines and length that changes as your hair grows but you should be able to talk to whoever is making them for suggestions. I find the 2 tines work best in very thick or coarse hair , and 3-4 tines work better for slick,straight,short or thin hair. I think finding one you love the looks of is a good way to start becuase you should love it!

[truwave]

Thanks Bunny Do you find that they pull some parts of your hair. Sometimes I feel like I get a good tight bun, but it does not look very neat, and it pulls on my scalp.