i was just wondering if anyone else has a problem with cheap hairsticks (the plastic ones) breaking on them? - i find it really iratating when i'm putting my hair up and all the sudden i hear this snap - it's really sad when they are ones i like - i was thinking about maybe getting a pair from the site - i wouldn't think they would break as they aren't plastic - but i'm not sure my mother would let me spend that much (i buy to much for my hair as it is - lol  ;) ) - and i wouldn't be able to wear them to school as most people seem to think they are amusing and are always touching them and some even pull them out of my hair - both actually happened today - i'd be afraid to lose them - o and if anyone has any tips on keeping plastic hairsticks from breaking please let me know

Japanese laquered bamboo chopsticks work well. Buy the child size.

Chinese chopsticks are too big, but you can cut, sand, and paint them if you have nothing to do. ::)

I wear hairsticks to school almost every day. I've been doing so for the second year now, so people are used to it. Girls will usually comment if it's a nice stick, and most guys are very fascinated with them. Yesterday one guy came up to me from behind and started twirling the beads in my stick. I told him that if he pulled it out I would stab him with it  :P so he left me alone  ;)

I had a plastic stick break on me once.  :( I think all you can do is just be gentle with them and don't push 'em into your 'do too hard.

I've only once had anyone touch my hairsticks, and that was just one of my friends commenting on the cool beads hanging from the end.  :) I've never had anyone pull them out, which is actually kinda surprising considering how much my guy friends enjoy doing things like that.  ::) But then I'd just stab them with them too.  ;)

LOL, my hair is so short (and non-slippery) that if you pull the hairsticks out, the hairdo stays in place! :-)

That cheap plastic tends to get brittle with age, I don't think there's much you can do about it. The chopstick route is probably your best bet. I have these fantastic kitschy pink chopsticks that I would love to turn into hairsticks. They are made of plastic, so I don't really know how to go about sizing them down. Any suggestions?

/Kate

I've never had much luck with plastic hairsticks.  They always seem to break - if not when I'm putting them in, then when I sit on them (they seem to always end up on the couch).  Wood is a stronger alternative to plastic.  I've found very inexpensive but very pretty looking chopsticks at import shops.  Some are a bit long, but are easily shortened.

As for shortening plastic sticks, that can be a bit tricky.  One way would be to use two sets of pliers to hold the stick.  Break the stick between the pliers then round the edges on a grinder or with sand paper.  

I have no luck with plastic sticks, not because they break, but because they slip out so easily. Almost nothing stays in my hair comfortably. ::) ::)

Stepping back out of lurkdom here after a long time  not posting!  Plastic breaks on me, but I like to have them to wear swimming/at the beach/etc.   Despite tons of snapped regular plastic sticks, I have been having pretty good luck with my overpriced France Luxe Elysee stick ($20 for a single) -- so far, so good (knock on plastic).  It's actually quite attractive and no worries about getting it wet.

C.  

Welcome back Cupcake! :)

I have a pretty metal hairstick I bought in England this summer - I'm not sure what type of metal it is, and it's a bit heavy and slippery, but I never have to worry about it breaking.  

How are you able to wear hairsticks when swimming? My braids don't even stay tight for more than ten minutes when I'm in the water.  :-/

My chopsticks are made out of some kind of heavy duty plastic - it's very stretchy, if that makes any sense. They are too slippery to eat with, so I've tried using sandpaper but it hasn't had much effect. I think I'd need a power sander to make them into hairsticks.  :-/

/Kate

I had never used hairsticks before and since I am just now giving them a try I didn't want to spend alot of money on them only to find out they aren't for me. I got some decorated chopsticks from a booth at the LA County Fair for a dollar a set made out of bamboo and even in a little satin pouch. They were rather long so I shortened them to about 6 inches. It was a bit of work because I wanted to sand them off really smooth but I did it while watching TV  so it turned out to be not to tedious. So far so good and being made out of bamboo I don't think they will break easily.  :D

Hi Cairn, re swimming with hairsticks, I can do it because . . . well, I can!  You have silky hair, and mine is wavy and just kind of sticks to itself, especially when wet.  Less so these days since I have begun oiling with jojoba, but it just stays put.  Finally, an upside of non-silky hair!

Re people pulling hairsticks, what an invasion of personal space!  And if you are going to pull something, it's a bad idea if that something is pointy & can be used as a weapon.

Hmmm.  If I had to have one pair of sticks and wanted something reasonably priced that would not be tempting to pull, I have to say that I would go with the very first pair of sticks that I ever owned.  Mei Fa is not normally something I am enthused over, esp. compared to the stellar quality of LongLocks sticks, but the all wood ones are great.  They also sort of nestle into the bun and I don't think they would be tempting to pull.

http://www.baznerstudio.com/collectionpage.htbml?c=13

I had the all black wood ones as my first ever sticks.  I also eventually got the dark solid wood ones, and wore these two sets most of the time for many years.   SO much better than hairpins.  I don't think Mei Fa was making ones with crystals then, and there certainly were not a lot of options, but I loved those sticks.  They were also a real step up from being in the library at night studying and sticking a pencil thru my bun to keep my hair out of my face (I wore it down a lot then).  Bad, I know.  I wish I kenw what happened to those sticks, they disappeared during the 3 years of my life that I bought into the "long hair is not professional" and my hair wasn't long enough to put up.

Anyway, for Lauraliz, I recommend hunting around for actual chopsticks that can used as is or filed down, a set of the Mei Fa all wood sticks, or the only brand of plastic sticks that does not break on me, France Luxe.  They are not as cheap as the ones at Claire's but they dont' seem to be capable of snapping and if they do, I think you can return them.

C.

I just came across some hairsticks that are made out of stainless steel, they also have them in other metals. They don't seem to be too expensive and they claim to be unbreakable. I might look into getting some myself. :)

http://www.argusdesigns.com/products/spike/spike.html

thanks for all the advice -  :) - i might try getting some of those - and i had another question - what length sticks do you normally use? - mine are all like 7.5 inches - i'm not sure if i could use any that are much more than an inch shorter as i don't really make 'bun' bun's - mine tend to be however i can get my hair to twist up at the time so i kind of make a long bun and i only have slightly more than an inch on either end

I second the recommendation for [glb]Argus steel hair sticks!! [/glb]. Especially the crimped ones. Recently I've just put in an order for four of them, and am anxiously waiting for their arrival... Some of my thickhaired acquaintances swear by them because (a) like Autumn said, they're unbreakable and (b) they don't slide out of slippery hair. From what I've heard, anyone who owns one becomes a convert. They have 5" ones and 7" ones. I wish they made 6", but if you've got a dremel, other metalworking tools, and some automotive sandpaper, I suppose one could take her chances with cutting off an inch.

I seem to either have a small head  ::) or thin hair  ??? because even with a 6 in. hairstick it seems like too much is sticking out of my hair. I just started using hairsticks and the pointed end sticking out worries me  :( I'm scared I am going to poke someone's eye out or something.  :-/  I've experimented and think that 5 in. would be just right for me without too much sticking out and endangering anyone's vision.  ;)

hello everyone!!
just wanted to say that i recently ran into a site that sold titanium hair sticks. titanium is stronger than steal and waaaaaayyy lighter. i was thinking about ordering some myself (although no hairstick ever broke on me lol).
http://www.argusdesigns.com/

wrote on Sep 26^th, 2004 at 8:37am:

I seem to either have a small head  ::) or thin hair  ??? because even with a 6 in. hairstick it seems like too much is sticking out of my hair. I just started using hairsticks and the pointed end sticking out worries me  :( I'm scared I am going to poke someone's eye out or something.  :-/  I've experimented and think that 5 in. would be just right for me without too much sticking out and endangering anyone's vision.  ;)

5 - 6 inch hairsticks are pretty typical.  How you position your bun on your head, then weave the stick through it can make a big difference in how much of the stick is pointing out.  I do try to make sure that the top of the stick does not stick out too much above the top of my head, thus minimizing my poking out someone's eye.  I've never "hit" anyone with my sticks, but I have become "hung up" with a variety of things such as my string purse (that I wear across my chest), putting jackets on, or anything over my head.  I've become trapped in the woods when my hair and hairsticks get caught in tree branches.  I've also hit them on the door frame of the car when getting in and out.  With time I have learned to tilt my head more when doing these kind of activities to prevent the hairsticks from  attacking.

Yes, my hairsticks sometimes attack me too, either that or they decide that they're sick of being in my head and decide to quietly slip out of thier assigned station, and slide right down the back of my shirt.  So tell me, what is the proper way of dislodging a hairstick from the back of your bra strap while talking to someone, and still maintaining your graceful dignity?? :-/  Oh the trials and tribulations of being a woman...
I have got the cheapest, ugliest pair of plastic hairsticks (I paid a dollar for two sets at the dollar store) I couldn't lose or break these puppies if I tried!  I even had one fall in the toilet yesterday, and I know you're wondering.....yes, I fished it out.  Don't look at me like that, I couldn't flush it,could I?!  I just slapped on the good 'ol rubber gloves and did what I had to do, so actually, I am one hairstick down now.  Thank god for that ugly back up pair!  I think I really do deserve a nice pair, maybe a christmas gift to myself? maybe?  I work hard, I should be allowed to spoil myself once in a while, right?  Now I'm rationalizing....

I've seen the titanium hairspikes, and lusted after them, but I'm starting to think that I really need thicker hairsticks to hold my hair snug. Mei fa sticks are too thin. I'd hate to sink money into something really nice and be unable to use it.

I really hate when the sticks are too long and they try to poke their way into my neck.

i've got the opposite problem though. i bought sticks on dressytresses, and find them barely long enough. and my hair is just waistlength and still considerly thinned out byt layers . maybe it's the way i do a bun  i dunno, but i am not sure i could use them if ever i reach classic length  :'(

Fire Mountain Gems has hairsticks that are really cheap in price but are made of wood and some are made of bone in various lengths. You can add beads or decoration to the ends or leave them plain.

http://www.firemountaingems.com/search.asp?skw=hair%20sticks

Fire Mountain is a jewelry makers catalogue but they carry lots of other stuff besides beads. I haven't ordered the hairsticks yet (I just discovered that they have them) but I have gotten other things from them and they are a great company, fast service and the people working there are really nice.

I like the cheap plastic hairsticks, even if they do break sometimes.  I broke a couple, then figured out that if I don't force them into my hair at weird angles, then they don't break!  Neither does your hair... it wasn't made to have sticks forced through it anyways!  So i just keep on with the cheapies. ;)  The most I've ever paid for a pair was like $4 at Claire's.  They're pretty, I like 'em!  The rest of mine I bought were 2 pairs for 3-4 dollars, I think.  And yes, I have stuck a pen or pencil through my hair before...

wrote on Nov 11^th, 2004 at 9:19pm:

http://www.firemountaingems.com/search.asp?skw=hair%20sticks

now i am starting to understand why nice hairsticks are expensive!!

i broke a cheap plastic hair stick into three pieces yesterday  :o

Japanese lacquered bamboo chopsticks never break.