KnifeMissile

I'm amazed that there are absolutely no instructions on the internet on how to prepare one's hair. I think I just figured out how to tie them up in buns with hair pins but I'm not sure.

There are plenty of sites that sell hair accessories but they all assume you already know what you are doing. How is it that the entire world assumes that you just naturally know how to prepare your hair? It makes no sense! Someone has to teach you, at some point, don't they?

Anyway, my current question is how does one tie their hair up in a bun with just hair sticks (such as chopsticks, or pencils). I've seen that it can be done but I don't understand how.

Thank you, so much, for your help...

KnifeMissile

Actually, I've been playing around with it for a while now and I think I've figured it out. You twist your hair around the stick and then tuck the stick into a tuft of hair that has been pulled taut by your twisting of hair around the stick. You can do this by pulling the stick almost out of the twist you have made and then poking it through a taut clump of hair (close to your roots) and pushing the stick back into your hair. You can actually tie your hair back quite tightly with only a single stick! I think a second stick looks more attractive.

However, my complaint still stands. Why does everyone seem to think this is all self-explanatory?
Now, if only I can figure out how to french braid my own hair...

cchris

I hope this eases the pain.


Separate a lock of hair from the rest of the hair at the place where you want to begin the braid.
Note: It's a good idea to make the part V-shaped, with the point of the V towards the back of your head.





Hold the lock of hair in one hand and use the index and middle fingers of the other hand to separate it into three strands.




Hold the left-hand strand with your left pinkie while moving the right-hand strand from 2R to 3L.
Shift the new right-hand strand (used to be the middle strand) from 3 or 4R to 2L.





Use your right index finger to pick up a section of hair from the right side of the head, adding it to the right-hand strand currently held in 2L.




Grasp the right-hand strand with your right pinkie, then rotate your left hand so that you can grasp the left-hand strand in 3R.
Shift the new left-hand strand from 3L to 2R.




Use your left index finger to pick up a section of hair from the left side of the head and add it to the left-hand strand in slot 2R.
Note: In this picture, the right-hand thumb is sweeping beneath all three strands simply to aid in gathering the new section.





Grasp the left-hand strand with the left pinkie, then rotate your right hand so that you can grasp the right-hand strand in 3L.
Shift the new right-hand strand to 2L.



Use your right index finger to pick up a section of hair from the right side of the head, adding it to the right-hand strand currently held in 2L.




Grasp the right-hand strand with your right pinkie, then rotate your left hand so that you can grasp the left-hand strand in 3R.
Shift the new left-hand strand from 3L to 2R.



Use your left index finger to pick up a section of hair from the left side of the head and add it to the left-hand strand in slot 2R.



Continue instructions 9-14 until there is no more hair to add.
Continue braiding as for simple 3-strand as far down as you can reach.



Grasp the right-hand strand with your pinkie, the middle strand in 4R, and the left-hand strand in3R.



Bring your right hand forward over your shoulder.
Note: you will now seem to be braiding in the opposite direction. Instead of folding the strands towards you, you will be folding them away from you.





Shift your hands (not the braid!) so that the palms are facing outward, the left-hand strand is in 2L, the right-hand strand is in 2R, and the middle strand is in slot 1 of whichever side needs to cross over next to continue the pattern (in this example, it was in 1R).
Rotate your right hand and move the right-hand strand to 1L.





Rotate your left hand and put the left-hand strand in 1R.
Continue instructions 20-21 to the end of the braid.




Tie off the end of the braid.

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brianna

i put my hair up with chopstick all of the time and it's pretty easy -- but you have to have relatively coarse hair.

first twist your hair into a bun or french twist.

take one stick and insert it somewhat shallowly crosswise (along the x-axis) through the twist of hair, when about 3 inches of the stick has emerged on the other side of the hair lift the thick end of the stick (the part that has not gone through the hair) and as the pointy end turn toward the hair again insert it deeper into the twist and push through. if you had inserted the stick too deeply in the first insertion you will not be able to flip the stick over and will have to start over. i find that this flip is necessary for keeping the sticks in your hair.

repeat the above steps with the 2nd stick starting from the opposite side.

raeanna74

This may help explain how to make a bun with just sticks.

I find that it's easier to keep things in place by making my hair into a ponytail first and securing it with an elastic. My hair is very fine but when it was long I was able to get it to stay put by twisting it as tight as I could until it actually pulled back toward my head and naturally wrapped around itself. I could secure it with a pencil even.

One other thought is next time you go to the salon for a trim or whatever ask your hairdresser to show you how to make the bun. Try it while your still there so that she can help correct any problem you are having. Once you get it right it is really quite simple. Good luck.

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ratbastid

As a formerly Very Long-Haired Boy (tm), I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. Nobody had prepped me on putting my hair in a ponytail or proper washing and brushing. I had to pick all of that up on my own, or from female friends.

The other funny thing is, my mom had two boys, and lurkette's mom had two girls and a boy. At one point, my mom's two sons were both Very Long-Haired Boys (tm). I watched my mom one time struggle and ultimately fail at ponytailing my brother's hair, and my mother-in-law stepped up and had it in a perfect tail in about three seconds. It had never occurred to me that different moms might have different know-how!

annie1

knifemissle, you figured out the way i do it... it also works when youre real busy at work, using pens, pencils and while im in the studio, paintbrushes... lol people always think im kinda weird when i go out and still have the paintbrush sticking out of my hair!

Rubyee

Those french braid pictures, confusing as hell!

For those- all you have to do is instead of pulling all of your hair into three strands, you just make three little strands, and gather more hair for each strand at every pass you make. I can do them, but not pretty on my own hair.

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SaltPork

I don't have hair...(weeps quietly)

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afraidofninjas

My first instinct would involve glue... You wouldn't want one of those sticks coming loose. That being said, I am not one to comment on hair care, voluntarily ridding myself of most of it. but I used to be able to dangle 30 plastic forks in my beard in my "hobo chic" stage...

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Charlatan

When I had long hair it was never coarse or really long enough to use chopsticks alone (not that I really wanted to). I just used hair elastics or a strip of leather to tie my hair back...

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Redgirl

My hair is so fine I usually use the little girl clips and hair ties. I'm getting too old to wear freakin' glittery butterflies though.

I like that french braid tutorial thing. I've been trying to figure out how to do my own forever, but I can never get it pulled tight.

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Sugar&Spice

i just pull my hair back like i'm going to put it into a pony tail then twist it all up until it starts to curl into a bun and then i take a pencil, pen, whatever i can find and sort of weave it through my hair..stays nicely.

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icksters

my hair is finally long enough to say up in a bun on its own, with no elastics or chopsticks.