(This tutorial, with video demos and a link to some gorgeous hair sticks, first appeared on my website.)
Ever see ladies wearing hair sticks and wondered how they pull it off (or actually put them in)? Ever seen hair sticks around the internet but with no clue how or even why you should use them?
I hear ya. Hair sticks aren’t really as ubiquitous as scrunchies and claws, at least here in the US, and it’s not always simple to find good, clear information on how to use them.
But through trial and error, YouTube vids, and good old fashioned stubbornness, I’m glad to say I have learned how to use hair sticks, and it’s definitely worth it for fast, easy styles that look super chic without tons of other tools. What more can a lazy girl want?
I wasn’t able to find a complete hair stick tutorial, so I made my own to pass on what I’ve learned to you. You’re welcome.
At first glance, and second glance, a hair stick is the most basic implement you can imagine. It’s a stick. A decorated stick, usually, but still. And yet most people assume that using one has to be complicated.
Not really.
It’s not a matter of sticking it straight in, but there’s not a lot of steps involved. The trick is weaving it in so you catch plenty of hair for it to hold onto.
Take a bun, for example. After forming the bun, hold the stick in your dominant hand. With the tip (not the decorated end), poke through the outer layers of the bun next to your head, lever it around so it points in the opposite direction, and weave the tip through the scalp hair behind the bun and out the other side of the bun. With all that hair woven in, it’ll hold.
It’s essentially the same with a nautilus bun which is built a bit differently: insert the stick on one side of the center of the bun, lever it around, weave through scalp hair and out the other side.
It’s the same thing with a twist, like a French twist. With your hair twisted up, take the stick and poke the tip sideways through the twist itself facing the fold of hair, lever it around so it points the opposite direction, and weave it through your scalp hair and out the other side.
As a bonus tip, if you’re using a stick for a figure 8 bun: after twisting your hair into coils, take the tip of the stick and push it up through the top loop, bring it all up against your head and gently spread the bottom loops down, then bring the stick down through your scalp hair and out the bottom loop.
I’ve personally found that inserting the stick first and then bringing it up is way more secure then bringing the loops up and then putting the stick in.
Typically one stick is all you need to secure your mane, but you can always use two for extra security, and I sometimes put in a second stick just for decoration. In my experience, I can always get away with one stick for buns, but feel like I usually need two with twists.
Also, with twists, I sometimes insert the stick once because it tightens the twist in the process, then take the stick out (holding my hair in place with the other hand) and insert it again for a firmer hold. Some experimentation is totally normal, so don’t think you always have to get it right on the first try.
Make sure your hair sticks are put in either horizontal or upright – a stick put in upside down will eventually fall victim to gravity and, well, fall.
The more hair you grab initially, the tighter it will be, and the less you grab, the looser it is. You can make it headache tight (though for the sake of your scalp I wouldn’t recommend it), or just enough for a firm hold. I prefer the second option, but again, it takes some experimentation to find how much feels good for you.
Now that you know how to put sticks in your hair, why should you?
There’s plenty of benefits to using sticks: they’re gentle on your mane and distribute the weight more evenly, so there’s less friction, tug, and less chance of headaches. They can hold all day without pulling on your roots, which means less breakage and fallout (so long as you’re not being rough and jamming the stick through your strands and breaking them – no need to be ham fisted!).
That also means there’s no ‘bend’ or ‘crease’ in your hair when you take them out, like with scrunchies, and there’s usually no pulling out strands with them like with ties and bobbies.
Not to mention, you can pull off that messy chic look – it doesn’t have to be sleek with every strand in place. In fact, I think it often looks cooler when there’s some wispies out here and there. You can put your hair up in seconds without fussing over every strand, no dealing with pins and sprays. It’s a win-win-win!
But don’t hair sticks only work if you have a lot of hair?
Not necessarily. You do need some length, but if it comes down to at least touch your shoulders, you should be able to twist it up and secure it with a stick. If you have thinner, fine hair, so long as you have enough length to put it up, you can use sticks so long as your hold is firm enough.
Hair sticks come in different lengths as well – if you have more hair you should use sticks that are at least 5 inches or longer, whereas if you have thinner or shorter hair, you may only need 4 inches. Granted, you could choose to use longer sticks with shorter or finer hair and it would work, but you may end up looking like you’ve got a long harpoon coming out of your hair ready to jab anyone who comes too close! Unless, of course, that’s what you’re going for. No judgement. Even with the right length stick, though, there remains the possibility of poking someone who comes in for a hug. (I speak from experience.) You can be the judge on whether that’s a good thing or not.
And don’t think you’re limited in what hairdos you can use hair sticks for! There are several bun styles you can use sticks in, you can secure various updos with sticks, even go for a smaller version of a bun or twist in a half up style. And then there’s braids! Braided buns and braided accent updos give you a fancier look.
So now that you know how to use hair sticks and why they’re good for your hair, how do you pick the right ones?
There are different varieties out there to choose from, in different materials. I would advise against plastic, which can snap easily and the cheaper ones may have ridges that make it uncomfortable and harder to use because it snags your hair. Metal is a good option, as it’s always smooth and glides in nicely, and it typically has more weight, though it may not grip your hair as much as wood, which is something to consider if you have fine, slippery hair. Many hair sticks are wooden, which is an excellent choice if they’re made well, and they have more grip than metal which makes them a good choice for slippery manes. Wood is lighter than metal if that’s a consideration for you, which means it’s less likely to make you feel weighed down.
And that’s it! I hope you found this helpful, and that you’ll give hair sticks a try.
