How to Use Hair Sticks
Techniques for Inserting Hairsticks Securely Into Buns and Updos
Sep 16, 2009
Learning to weave hairsticks into an updo takes a little practice. Once you have the knack, you may be able to hold complicated buns secure with a single stick.
Hairsticks are often sold in pairs. Usually one hairstick is enough to hold an updo, while the other stick is added for decoration. Other updos require the holding power of both sticks. In addition, some hairtypes are more “slippery” than others and require the second hairstick, and possibly extra bobby pins or Amish pins, to keep the updo secure.
How to Insert a Hairstick Into a Bun
The basic principle of inserting hairsticks works for most updos – the exception are buns like Chinese buns, in which hair is woven around the sticks.
- Form your bun and use one hand to hold it against your head.
- With your other hand, take the first hairstick and insert the pointy end in the bun, close to the edge . Aim the point in the opposite direction the hairstick will end up – for example, if you want the hairstick to end up with the point on the left, angle the point to the right as you insert it into the bun. The point should touch your scalp.
- Keeping the point in the same place, pivot the hairstick so it is now pointing the right way (pointy end on the left). This creates tension, which holds the bun in place.
- Now use a sewing motion to work the hairstick towards the other (left) side of the bun. Work close to the scalp. When you near the left-hand edge of the bun, “sew” the hairstick up through the hair until the point emerges at the edge.
- By this point the bun should be secure (depending in part on your hairtype. If the bun feels wobbly and insecure, if you want the decorative look of two hairsticks, insert the other stick as above. The sticks can be worn parallel, crossing each other like an X, or at angles like chopsticks. Hairsticks are commonly worn diagonally across the bun, with the decorative top in the upper right-hand quadrant and the points emerging in the lower left-hand quadrant.
Tips for Inserting Hairsticks Into Updos
- A hairstick that is “sewn” into the hair with an up-and-down motion holds hair more securely than a hairstick that is simply pushed straight through the bun.
- Pivoting the hairstick and sewing it up out of the bun puts a lot of pressure on the stick. People with thick hair in particular occasionally break hairsticks this way. Metal hairsticks and sticks made out of hard woods like diamondwood tend to be sturdier than plastic, quill or soft-wood hairsticks. If you have a flimsy pair of hairsticks you love, use bobby pins or Amish pins to secure the updo and “sew” the hairsticks in gently without pivoting for decoration.
- Wearing the hairsticks high and angled down can give an “antennae” effect from the front. The points of the hairsticks may also stick you in the neck!
- The more tightly hair has been twisted, the harder it is to force a hairstick through it. Try loosening the twist, or make sure the hairstick enters and exits between the loops of hair – for example, between the spirals in a cinnabun.
- Hairsticks should be fairly sharp and pointy to avoid breaking hair. Blunt wooden hairsticks can be sharpened using a pencil sharpener and sandpaper. Always make sure hairsticks are perfectly smooth to avoid snagging hair.
- Some hairsticks, such as the Ketylo brand, have a slight spiral or wave in the centre. This helps the hairstick grip the hair. These sticks are useful for people who have slippery hair or who find the sewing action difficult.
- The technique for inserting hairsticks also works for hairforks.
- In a pinch, a pen or pencil can be used as an impromptu hairstick.
The copyright of the article How to Use Hair Sticks in Hair Styling is owned by Sarah Tennant. Permission to republish How to Use Hair Sticks in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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