Hairtoy collection: Hairsticks (pic overload!)

*EDITED from time to time to update my collection* 

Last edit: 1-12-20

Today's post is about the hairsticks in my collection, featuring a shameless pic overload! Hairsticks might be my favourite kind of hairtoy: I think they're versatile, easy to wear when you've got the hang of using them, and look beautiful in updos. What's not to love?

So here are the hairsticks I own to date, including some action shots. I got most of them at Medieval fairs, or on Etsy (it's pretty hard to find hairsticks on regular places, which is a shame). Click or open in new tab for bigger pictures.

1- Not a hairstick per se, but an unused pencil with an owl topper.

2 & 3- A curvy wood hairstick and a straight one with a curvy decorative top I got at a Medieval fair. Curvy hairsticks sometimes work the best for my fine-textured, slippery hair, I've found, although I often use straight sticks as well.

4- A pair of straight wood hairsticks/chopsticks, painted dark red and my very first pair of hairsticks. They hold surprisingly well despite them being really smooth.

5- A German silver hairstick with a spiral top. I also got this at a Medieval fair.

Action shots (featuring one-coil Chinese buns, Chinese braided bun and Chinese rope-braided bun):
                                     

                                

                            

 

 

 

6- A broader, heavier wood stick with a curvy decorative topper, also from a Medieval fair.

Action shot (Chinese braided bun with paranda):

7- A pair of dragonfly-topped white hairsticks which turn bright blue in the Sun. From Aliarose on Etsy. Love them!

 Action shot (flipped bun):

8- A gorgeous silver plate and cobalt blue glass hairstick with detachable dangles which I got from Hairjems on Etsy.

-Half-up action shots:

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-The Hairjems and Aliarose hairsticks, plus

9- A green ketylo (curvy hairstick) with a leaf topper. Definitely the most Elven hairstick I own! From Nightblooming on Etsy.

Action shot (flipped bun):

10- A simple pair of straight hairsticks which I got in a New Age/spiritual shop. They work surprisingly well.

Action shot (Chinese one-coil bun):

11- I already posted the pics of this LOTR One Ring Nightblooming stick earlier in this blog, but it's so gorgeous it deserves to be featured again :)

Action shot (cinnamon bun):

12 &13- Curvy light and dark wood hairsticks with decorative metal Celtic knotwork and dragonfly. From a medieval fair.

Action shot (cinnamon bun):

14- A Victorian-ish stick-fork with an amber crystal I got in a hair swap. It's not very functional for my hair because of the metal material and the length and weight, so I have hardly used it :S

15- A short red and blue wood stick I got as a gift with a purchase from Eaduard Hairsticks on Etsy.

Action shot (flipped bun):

16- An amazing wooden Gimli axe (AKCWoodworking on Etsy)

17-Purple acrylic stick (Eaduard Hairsticks on Etsy). This might be the haitstick I use the most, I absolutely love acrylic sticks!

Action shots (cinnabun):

18- Mini Spanish rapier (a letter opener xD):

19- Lightsaber hairsticks (originally chopsticks xD):

Action shots (rope-braided length-shotening updo, cinnabun):

20 and 21 (pair)- Handmade hairsticks, part of the 2015 LHC Winter swap:

 Action shots (cinnabun, Chinese one-coil bun):

22 - Acrylic hairstick inspired by the TARDIS (Doctor Who), part of the 2017 LHC Winter swap:

Action shots (length-shortening braided paranda updo, braided paranda bun):

23 - Flaming sword hairstick, inspired by Aziraphale from Good Omens, part of the 2019 LHC Winter swap:

Action shots (cinnamon bun, braided paranda bun):

24 - Multicoloured wooden curvy hairstick from MorgansMane on Etsy (first pic on the left, second picture alongside the TARDIS stick):

 

Bonus group pic with some of these (xD):

And to finish, this is how I keep my longest hairsticks:

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

If you copy-and-paste this post and/or alter it without any permission, credit or link, you're stealing my content. In that case, please stop. Please ask before using my work, or at least share it properly, giving credit to me and my blog.

Thor - Frigga's Coronation hair - 1st try

Here's the belated post about my first try at recreating Frigga's Coronation updo from the movie Thor (2011). I described the hairstyle, showed reference pics and posted some potentially helpful videos in this post. 

Like I said in my first Frigga post, I'd like to give this updo another go because there are a couple of things I didn't get as accurate as I'd like (like the fact that Frigga's updo is higher and the fact that the side sections are pinned before the rest of the hair, and not after). However, I also rather like how this first version turned up, so here goes:

• Starting texture:  Heatless bendy rollers curls, as described here.
• Tools:

                        

-Bobby pins. Quite a lot in my case, both open and closed.

-Some decorative pins to pin the separated side sections.

-Elastic to secure the initial anchoring point (medium height half-up in the case of the video tutorial I followed, high ponytail or higher half-up for a higher final bun).

-Some tool to separate sections of hair, if needed.

-I used a plastic hair piece to create a bit more volume in the crown area. For the next time I'm going to go for a donut or an elongated foam hair volumizer piece, because this plastic one got caught in my hair and it was really difficult to take out (ah the days before my using foam donuts xD).

-Optional fixator, like hairspray. I didn't use any in my first try. The pins do keep the curls in shape,  and the hairstyle stayed for quite a while on its own, so I'd maybe go for some just as a light finishing touch or to add more texture in some cases.

• References and method: Screenshots, general description and videos in my first Frigga post. I based this recreation mainly on the last video shown in the post (PrincessHairstyles' Special Ocassion Curly Updo). While I think it's a great starting reference point, I'd like to change a couple of things on my second try in order to make it more accurate to Frigga's updo:  

   -Because Frigga's updo is higher on the head than the one in the tutorial, it would be better to start with a high ponytail (with a donut for more volume) instead of a half-up. Or maybe with a half-up, but higher on the head. A half-up would mean that keeping the nape of the neck polished is a bit more difficult though, and Frigga's nape seems pretty polished, so I think a ponytail would be more accurate (Missy from Doctor Who, for example, wears the back less polished and more textured, so I gof or a half-up in her case).

   -The side sections I pinned at the end, following the tutorial and what I thought was the way to go with Frigga's updo as well. But then I found the reference picture with Frigga wearing her coronation dress with her length down and the side sections pinned up, so those sections would be the first ones to pin.

And pics of this first try (click for bigger pics):

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

If you copy-and-paste this post and/or alter it without any permission, credit or link, you're stealing my content. In that case, please stop. Please ask before using my work, or at least share it properly, giving credit to me and my blog.

A long-hair in London: Random hair pics and a hair meet

So now that my master's final project is done (yay!), I'm finally back to my hair blog, this time with some hair pics from my Summer trip to London, including hair-length shots, a braid, and pics from a LHC (Long Hair Community) hair meet :). 

• Starting with a couple of general hair pics, at the Viking and Celtic sections of the British Museum, in the Who Shop with the TARDIS (Whovian here), and before the 221B of the Sherlock BBC series in North Gower St (hardcore Sherlockian here!):

• I took pics of this braid: It started out as a French braid and I pulled the hair into a ponytail halfway through and braided the length with a paranda (I'll post about parandas soon, because Im obsessed about them):

• And finally, my first ever LHC hair meet! The meet was great fun and included length photoshoots, admiring each other hairtoys, playing with each other's hair, food, trees and talking, about hair and other matters.

Only at a hair meet can you smell a hairstick without having people gawking at you xD

 To finish this post, some pics featuring length shots with fellow longhair friend Piffyanne (we have roughly the same length) and the updo that she did on my hair: 

Just a couple of hair pics

Want to get back to tutorials (hopefully with videos, I've done a couple so far, unedited as yet) asap, so in the meanwhile oldish pics it is!  I'm posting this as a kind of 'reminder-update', more than as a tutorial, because it's just a simple half-up with a clip and some loose braidwaves. But I do like how my hair looks in these a lot, so why ever not :)

Will be back soon with my first attempt at Frigga's Coronation updo from Thor I (which I have to attempt again because it's not quite right), a couple of posts about parandas and braids with parandas (video included), and a pic overload of the Chinese bun, which I use a lot. Probably also an easy video of the cinnamon bun.

More bendy rollers heatless curl experiments

In this former post (Bendy rollers post 1) I described my first two attempts at using bendy rollers to get heatless curls. I didn't keep the rollers on for a long time in my first two attempts, so the resulting curls fell down too quickly for my taste.

I tried again, on post-wash slightly damp hair, and this time with smaller sections (8 vs 4 in the former attempts) because I wanted smaller, more defined curls rather than loose waves-curls. I also left the rollers on for a bit longer, 3-4 hours if I remember correctly (vs under three in the former attempts).  The resulting curls were, in both cases, more defined and did stay on for longer, although my stubbornly straight hair doesn't want to keep curls and waves for as long as I'd like no matter what I do *pouts*

-Third attempt (in order to reenact Frigga's Coronation updo, first post here (Frigga's Coronation updo: 1st take, part 1):

 Like I mentioned in the former bendy-rollers post, the drawbacks that these curls have for me is the lack of volume. I can get lovely, very defined curls, but my fine hair ends up clumped together in those curls and it makes the impression of less thickness and volume. And if I shake the curls in order to volumize the hair, it results in less defined curls and, often, frizziness and tangles. Btw, don't take me wrong, less voluminous curls are completely fine, but when it comes to wearing my hair loose, I prefer more voluminous curls, like the ones I get with the bandanna-curls process. These defined curls, however, I find great for updos and half-up, half-down styles. For example, for a half-updo like this one:

Only the lower ends are curled. Style is a ponytail with the length wrapped around it twice and secured with a hairstick;

Thor - Frigga's Coronation hair analysis

• Description:

-Film: Thor I (2011)

-Character: Frigga

Very voluminous bun, high on the head, with defined pin curls. Several front sections at the front and each side seem to have been separated and pinned up, decorated with pins, before putting the rest of the curls up, giving a textured feel to the sides of the head (before finding the last reference pic shown here I thought these side sections had been pinned after the rest of the hair was up, so my first recreation is off in that respect). Subtle left-side part.

• Reference pictures (for larger pics, click or open them in a new tab).

Great reference for the way the starting front and side sections were pinned:

                                          
                                          

• For this style I used (tutorial  and pics coming in next post):

-Bobby pins (open bun pins and some closed).

-Donut/foam hair piece/fake hair piece to add volume (optional, depends on your thickness).

-Decorative pins for the front and sides.

-An elastic for the ponytail.

-Comb and/or brush.

-Optional fixator, like hairspray

-Optional bendy rollers for added initial texture. However, curly hair is not needed for pin curls.

• Videos that can help figure out the style:

1-The first style in this video is a high bun with curls. They're not as defined as Frigga's, and the shape is different as well, but the I find the visual info on how to create and pin these kind of defined ringlets useful. Only I'd stay away from that much backcombing. It really isn't necessary in order to get quite a lot of volume if you're attempting a pin-curls bun, in my opinion. General volume can be adquired with a donut or any other filling, but you don't need to backcomb every hair strand, that's really damaging to the hair. I personally only backcomb in order to get front pompadous (like with Missy's hair from Doctor Who).  I also don't think it's necessary to hairspray each and every strand - the pins are enough to keep the shape more or less defined, and hairspraying the finished style is enough to keep it in place. As for the volume, I have ii/iii hair (near the 'thick' category), but it's still very fine and pretty non-voluminous - and yet, I got the impression of quite a lot of volume when pinning curls in this way, without any backcombing. 

                                         

2-This style is similar to Frigga's in look, although the separate front sections are pinned differently, it's a bit less voluminous, and the texture is also different: The curls aren't defined curls like Frigga's and the technique in order to get them is different. Also, although the final result looks very nice, imo, the technique isn't very hair-friendly. Pulling on the hair sections like that means mechanical damage, something I'm not willing to try on my hair. 

                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB7anbl59w4

3-Spirals instead of curls, and different bun shape (no side sections, less wide), but interesting because it shows how to add volume with a donut when trying these kind of styles. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFmK3d1v-3c

4-This updo with pinned curls is lower on the head than Frigga's but I think it might be one of the styles that's closest to Frigga's coronation bun. There are pinned curls and side sections that are added later (in Frigga's case, her separate front and side sections are added before pinning the rest of the curls, though, and they're pinned higher on the head as well). However, it's a great starting reference.

 I reenacted Frigga's style mostly following this video, and these are the things I'd like to change for my second try:

-Seeing as this updo is lower than Frigga's, and my resulting updo turned out quite low as well, I'd need to start with a high ponytail instead of with a half-up like in the video (after pinning the front section).

-I used a volumizing plastic hair piece to add a bit more volume, but next time I'll go for a ponytail with a donut, like I do with Missy's Edwardian styles (also with pin curls in series 9). A donut will give me more volume and it's also more hair-friendly (it was pretty hard to remove the plastic thingy, and it ended up causing a bit of breakage. Ah, the time before my using foam donuts were hard xD).

-I pinned the side sections after having the rest of my hair up, following this tutorial, but Frigga's side sections are pinned before, and higher on the head (I only found that last reference pic after trying the style for the first time).

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

If you copy-and-paste this post and/or alter it without any permission, credit or link, you're stealing my content. In that case, please stop. Please ask before using my work, or at least share it properly, giving credit to me and my blog.

Heatless curls: Bendy rollers. Experimenting for fem!Sherlock cosplay hair

My first heatless waves/curls tutorial-experiment in this blog! I have very straight hair, but I also love the wavy/curly look, so I'm really interested in different ways to make my hair wavy/curly. Or at least, as wavy/curly as possible, because that's one con of my hair, it's incredibly hard to curl. It's so fine-textured and so stubbornly straight waves and curls don't come out as defined as I would be expecting and/or don't stay in my hair for as long as I'd like them to stay. Ah well. Some techniques do yield better results than others, though, and I'm still experimenting.

I'd also like to say, I'm not a heat tools fan. Heat styling - hairdryers to style the length, straighteners, curling irons, and the like - can really damage the hair, especially if they're used too often. And no matter what all the commercial tutorials say, no amount of synthetic-ridden heat protectors are going to protect one's hair from that amount of breakage-causing sizzling heat. And all those synthetic-ridden 'nourishing masks' aren't going to magically restore one's hair to its former glory (so you can sizzle it again with more heat), either *facepalms*

 Anyway, I personally prefer heatless methods when it comes to try out waves and curls. No damage except for potential tangling in some cases (because my hair is so fine, it tangles too easily). Also, in the case of stubbornly straight hair such as mine I guess heat curls wouldn't last longer on my hair than heatless ones. So at least the heatless ones don't damage my hair. 

 And speaking of stubbornly straight hair, I'm still testing different hair fixators so that the waves/curls stay longer. The problem is, most hairsprays and curl-enhancing mousses are very drying and not at all healthy for your hair (and many of them don't seem to work all that much on my fine straight hair either), so I normally don't use them. More hair-friendly fixators would include salty-water and aloe vera gel, which work moderately on my hair. They are not especially strong-hold, though. Quite light-hold, in fact.

Anyway, first heatless technique of this blog, bendy rollers curls. These pics are from my first try, back in December when I was trying to curl my hair a bit for my fem!Sherlock cosplay. 

• How-to:

Post-shower or relatively damp hair is usually vital when it comes to a heatless curling method. I either go for 90% dry post-shower hair (my best option) or misting my hair with a spraying bottle just before. For more hold, the spraying water can be salty water, or clear aloe vera gel can be used as a mousse. These are hair-friendly hair-fixators, albeit not really strong. You could also use a curl-enhancer mousse or some hairspray, but these are not as hair-friendly.

You'll need: Bendy rollers, small claw clips to secure each section. Gloves and magnifying glass are just part of my Sherlock cosplay :D

                           

   This is, in my opinion, a really easy and relatively fast curling technique. You need a package of bendy rollers (which you can usually find on drug-stores and general supermarkets), and some claw clips to secure the sections.

  1) Section your hair (smaller sections give tighter curls, larger sections result in larger looser curls/waves).

  2) Wrap each section in a bendy roller, starting at the top of the head (it can also be done from the ends to the top, but I find this more difficult for my own hair). Each section should be wrapped as securely as possible (without being overly tight and uncomfortable), so that it doesn't unwind with time. Once the hair is completely wrapped around the roller, bend its two ends in a tight (but comfy) U shape over the middle, creating a small bun secured by the roller. If wrapped tightly enough, and with the roller bent adequately, the hair should stay put without unravelling until it's going to be unwrapped. 

   3) I use some claw clips to secure some of the resulting buns to my scalp, so that they don't bounce around and become uncomfortable. I think this is one of the most comfy heattless curls techniques I've tried, the bendy rollers are pretty weightless and although I do look pretty ridiculous (not as ridiculous as with rag-curls or henna, though :D), my head doesn't feel heavy and the buns sit snugly without hurting my scalp, which is a huge plus.

More visual instructions here: 

http://www.alovesvintage.co.uk/2013/04/heatless-hair-tutorial-curling-hair.html (hair is wrapped from the ends to the top, instead of from top to ends).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh4PGm9CMtU (each roller is further secured with a small claw clip, which I don't usually need. I also begin the wrap the hair around the roller closer to my scalp so that it doesn't hang a lot, which I find uncomfortable).

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/dc/20/3b/dc203b69704e1dbc7ba542f0e2a0c2e6.jpg (another method, starting with a high ponytail. Looks practical).

The longer you keep the rollers on, the more defined the curl will be. In this case, I think I didn't keep them for a long time, three-four hours maybe. On my last attempt, I kept them for a bit longer, and the resulting curls were way more defined.

The final result, just four sections (not very tight curls), and 3-4 hours in. 

   -Pros: Easy, comfy technique, hair doesn't tangle when unravelling the rollers, yields nice, reasonably defined curls (depending on the number of sections and the time you keep the rollers on).

   -Cons (for my hair): The sections make my originally non-voluminous hair clump together, giving the impression of even less volume. I find this is a nice technique to get defined curls for an updo or ponytail, not so good for loose hair, especially if I want it to be relatively voluminous - bandanna waves or braidwaves work way better for that, in my experience.

  Also, as usual, my long, straight hair makes the curls fall down too quickly. These were taken just an hour after I unwrapped the hair from the rollers. The fact that I didn't keep the rollers for a long time counts as well. 

And rehearsing my fem!Sherlock cosplay hair (just with a black elastic), which is actually a crossover between Molly and Sherlock, it seems :). As usual, don't mind the house-clothes :D!

When I finally cosplayed fem!Sherlock for my graduation I didn't have a lot of time to keep the rollers in, and the resulting curls fell way too quickly, even if I dared to use some hairspray (which just dried out my hair until I washed it again, yay for my sacrifice). Also, the bangs came out very weird. But overall, I enjoyed cosplaying Sherlock for my graduation, so yay :)

-Update: I now use salt water sprays (like Lush's Sea Spray) as a fixator in order to get the curls to stay (I spray my hair when it's it's coiled in the rollers and wait overnight). It generally works pretty well for m  

Next bendy roller pics will feature more defined, tighter curls, courtesy of a longer settling time and more sections.

SwordWomanRiona / rionashairblog.blogspot.com.es

If you copy-and-paste this post and/or alter it without any permission, credit or link, you're stealing my content. In that case, please stop. Please ask before using my work, or at least share it properly, giving credit to me and my blog.