More important for how well sticks stay in my hair is how I put them in - I have it easier in some ways because my hair has so much texture, it often will naturally stay in place almost on its own - but I've put many people's hair up in sticks - especially people who claim they can't put their hair up in sticks - Tree included at least once...though not recently (but I brought all my sticks on a trip we took together and she's been hooked on longlocks ever since!   ) - and what I've found always works (no matter how short or thin or slippery or fine they think their hair is) is this method:

when you make your bun (or most other stick styles you are trying) place the stick slightly inside of the bun (or 'do) by about 1/4" or so and angled to the outside of the bun.  Then push the stick towards your scalp, gathering a little bit of the hair that is pulled against your scalp under it, then flip the stick so that the pointy end is going through your bun and the other end (decorated if it's from this site!) is left pointing out of the top of the bun - then repeat for the other stick on the other side - I frequently use either an X formation, a + formation or a parallel formation (one right below the other in the same direction) to get the best hold on the bun or do.  I do this on virtually all of my updo's that I use sticks for, and I've never had a one come down (or on anyone else either!).  On smaller buns or updo's you can do this with just one stick and have it stay fairly well too!

I also use the method of starting by pointing the sticks the opposite direction I ultimately want the sticks to go.  I have also found that when your hair gets longer and you have multiple "rounds" on the bun, you need to weave the stick back up into the bun to catch each "round".  With this method I can hold my waist length hair in a bun with a single stick.

    A  CALL FOR HELP!!!

Hi everyone I am new to the message board. Nice to meet you all - I have read the previous postings for some time.

I am quite a new Hairstix customer and having some trouble with hairstyles. I can get my hair in a bun by holding it in a pony tail with a snagfree elastic, I then twist this, but have to use a bun net over the top. I insert the sticks behind the pony holder / bun for stability.

I cannot get my hair held in a bun without a net otherwise it slips down and looks a mess. The twist starts to fall as I place sticks in, and the ends will not tuck underneath neatly, they are too bulky.

I seem to have bits of hair slipping out everywhere even though my hair is all one length (mid-back and thick). Also I am finding it difficult to actually 'weave' the sticks in and out of the hair. How do you do this, can your hair be too thick for this?

I cannot recreate any of the styles featured in the Gallery without getting frustrated and giving up.

I'm sorry to be complaining and miserable but I love my Hairstix and want to be wearing them every day.

Does anyone else have these problems?
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I would be very grateful for any help. ???

Louise, is your hair straight, soft, and slippery? This could be a factor if your hair doesn't hold very well. I agree with Rapunzel that you should braid your hair first.

Sometimes it may be hard to get the hang of a new thing, but believe me, practise makes perfect! When my hair was just mid-back length, I still had some layers and I couldn't braid my hair without bits sticking out, so I would do a french braid. Then I would wrap this into a bun, and it stays much more securely than a normal bun, so you could try this method as well.

I also don't weave the stick through my hair. If you read Space_Cadet's post I'm sure you'll understand what I mean when I say put the stick at the edge of the bun and then push it outwards, then turn it around and push the stick through your bun. You won't have to weave at all. Sorry if my explanation isn't very understandable! But Space_Cadet has posted very good instructions for this.

Good luck