You’ve seen it in the movies: the beautiful actress walks into a room and in one swift motion lets down her long hair, shaking it loose around her shoulders.
Although I’ve always admired those leading ladies, when I take down my hair it’s not nearly as elegant. I generally spend a few seconds probing my bun for my hair tie and working it out of my curls while trying to wreak as little havoc as possible on my hair. Even though I buy “ouchless” hair ties, I inevitably find a chunk wrapped around my hair band in spite of my best efforts. I know it’s normal to “shed” a certain amount of hair each day, but I’m almost certain that my frequent use of hair ties is doing more harm than good.
Pretty hair sticks.
In the hope of remedying this, I embarked on the “Great Hair Stick Experiment.” The Great Hair Stick Experiment started about a month ago when I bought a beautiful pair of wooden hair sticks from a small store in Nantucket. A few shades lighter then my hair and richly grained, they have a subtle spiral in the middle. Since hair can’t tangle around the smooth sticks, I knew they presented a good option for people who want to keep their long locks healthy and avoid breakage.
I was, however, a little worried they would be difficult to use. Having never worn hair sticks before, I thought they’d be difficult to master. I soon discovered that I could create a hair stick style with little trouble and no practice. The majority of styles are anchored with one stick; the second is used to strengthen and stabilize the style. I logged on to YouTube and learned how to do a French twist and a few fancy buns; watching another person create complex styles is by far the best way to learn how to recreate them yourself.
Hair sticks have several advantages. When you use hair ties, you have you pull your curls tight along your head to stabilize the style. When using hair sticks, however, you have the flexibility to create sleek, tight looks or loose buns that showcase your curls while holding them away from your face and off your neck.
Although a month isn’t enough time to note a significant different in the amount of breakage in my hair, I’ve enjoyed the comfort and adaptability of hair sticks. There is no risk of breakage when you take them out of your hair, and they’re appropriate whether you’re dressing for the classroom or the ballroom.
Give them a try, you may discover a stylish and creative way to draw attention to your beautiful curls!
Email your questions/comments to Julia
