How To Use Hair Sticks

Hair sticks can be a beautiful accessory to any outfit as well as a functional tool to keep hair out of your face.  They can be worn in hair as short as shoulder-length to as long as floor-length. 

While there are dozens of different ways to wear them, the following is an easily-mastered, simple, sophisticated style that even stays in through vigorous activity.  This style can be worn in hair a few inches below shoulder-length and longer.  You will need a hair elastic, one or two hair sticks, and a few bobby pins or small clips to fasten the ends of your hair.

1. Put your hair into a ponytail using cloth-covered elastic.  For an elegant low-set bun, part your hair to the side and put the ponytail at the nape of the neck; for a sleek, sporty bun, place the ponytail higher up and pin back any bangs.
2. Insert the hair stick between the elastic and your scalp diagonally, so that the point is at the lower-left side and the top, thicker end of the stick is at the upper-right side.  This will be the foundation of your bun.  The ponytail of hair should still hang down your back.
3. Now lift up the hair and bring it up, behind the lower-left point of the hair stick.  Wind it up and around the ponytail, now behind the upper-right point of the hair stick.  Continue to wind it between the two points.  Be creative here; different methods of winding will create different looks.  When the entire length of the tail of hair has been wound around, tuck the ends under the bun and use some bobby pins or small clips to secure them.  Alternatively, you can leave some ends hanging down or sticking out for a messy, more edgy look.
4. For more decoration, you may choose to weave a second stick next to the first one.  The two sticks can be parallel to each other, perpendicular, or only slightly crossing for different looks.

Remember, this is only one way hair sticks can be used.  Experiment with variations of this style; try braiding the ponytail first, making a ponytail with only the top half of your hair, or putting in two sticks at the beginning of Step 2 so that you have four points to work with rather than only two. 

The many possible variations contribute to the enduring popularity of hair sticks.