Styles 4 - Half-Up Bun

This simple hairstyle is a variation of the cinnamon bun, but only half the hair is put up and the rest left down. It may be possible to create this style with hair that is not yet long enough to do a regular cinnamon bun. One or two hairsticks may be used.

First, hold your hair back in a regular half-up. With one hand on the base against your head, twist the hair so it forms a 'rope'. When it is fairly tight, coil the rope to form the bun. I find it easier to do this by twisting it around my finger.

Insert the hairstick into the outer coil, first horizontally 'into' your head, and the rotating so it is pointing the direction in which it will go through the bun. Make sure you 'weave' the hairstick in and out of the scalp and bun hair, so that the half-up bun is held against your head.

Styles 3 - Chinese Bun

A Chinese Bun is a another way to put long hair up that can be secured with a single hair stick. It's suitable for any occasion, from formal office wear to casual styles, just select a hair stick to coordinate with your outfit! You'll also need a hair elastic (preferably one without metal, which can snag and damage your hair), and bobby pins to help secure the ends of your hair, or shorter layers, are optional. Follow these instructions to create a Chinese Bun.

First, draw your hair back into a ponytail and secure with a hairband, preferably in a color matching your hair. Insert a hair stick horizontally, behind the hairband.

Separate the ponytail into 2 sections. Take each section and bring it up over the hair stick, and then down behind it.

Now, take each section diagonally to the other side (so you are now holding the section that was on the right in your left hand, and vice versa). Wrap each section up and down behind the hairstick, like you did before.

If your hair is long enough, continue to wrap both sections round behind the hair stick in a circle until you have used the whole length of your hair. Here, the hair was not long enough for this, so the ends were just tucked under. You can either tuck them into the hairband or use bobby pins the same color as your hair to secure them.


After a little practice (use a pencil if you like first), this style should hold all day!

Growing out long hair

Are you trying to grow your hair long, but with frustrating results? Be patient, and take care of your hair, and it will grow. Hair typically grows about half an inch a month. To help your hair grow as fast and as healthily as possible, it's important to avoid damage to your hair and to give your body the nutrients necessary for hair growth.

The first thing to consider is the current health of your hair. Look at your ends - are there many splits? If so, consider trimming your hair to get rid of them. If there are only a few, you may be able to cut them out individually. Invest in a pair of scissors designed for hair (obtainable at any beauty supply and not expensive) so you can cut your hair cleanly. There's little point in making the effort to treat your hair better if it will break anyway from pre-existing damage. Splits will travel up the hair shaft, eventually causing the strand to break. If the ends break off, it will seem as if your hair is not growing.

Always treat your hair as gently as possible. Rough handling will cause split ends and hair breakage. Putting your hair up, as soon as it is long enough, will avoid damage from causes such as wind, getting caught in purse straps, seat belts, etc. For different ways to put hair up, see our 'hair styles' posts on this blog, or visit our website Art for Hair. Be gentle when brushing your hair, and don't use a comb or brush with sharp parts or a molded comb with a rough 'seam' in the middle. Start brushing at the ends of your hair and work your way up towards your head. If your hair is long enough, consider putting it in a quick, simple three-strand braid at night. This really reduces tangles in the morning. You could also use a satin sleep cap, and satin pillowcases to help stop damage and tangles from hair rubbing against coarser cotton pillowcases.

Try to extend the time between hair washing, and do not brush your hair when it is wet, as hair is more delicate when it is wet. Experiment with different shampoos and conditioners to find ones which really suit your hair (we'll discuss hair washing in another post soon) - everyone's hair reacts to different ingredients in different ways. Don't rub your head with a towel after washing, as this will knot and tangle hair, increasing damage on brushing. Avoid blow drying and use of heat (for example straighteners) as much as possible.

Hair will not grow quickly and strongly if you do not give your body the nutrients it needs. If you do not eat a balanced diet, a multivitamin will ensure that you receive daily vitamins and minerals. Nutrients such as silica, biotin and MSM benefit hair, and there are special 'hair vitamin' pills that contain these and other ingredients to ensure healthy, strong growth.

So what *are* hair sticks?

Have you ever seen a woman with long hair apparently effortlessly up in an intricate style with a pencil, chopstick or more elegant stick? I always envied these women their ability to quickly create these styles, until I discovered hair sticks myself. Hair sticks are decorative pieces of art, which really do make these styles extremely easy for anyone with shoulder-length or longer hair to create, with a little practice.

Hair sticks have been used since ancient times, and there are records of them being used by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Of course, it is the Chinese and Japanese cultures which are best known for their use of hair sticks. In Japan, Geishas used elaborate hair sticks as part of their decorative styles. As a Geisha progressed in seniority, they wore different hair sticks to signify their rank. Different sticks, colors and flowers were also worn with different seasons and festivals. These hair sticks were called Kanzashi.

During the 1920s, hair sticks became more widely used in the West. Today, they remain a classic way to style long hair; they will never be out of fashion. Hair sticks today are made from wood, bone or metal, and choice of material is largely a personal preference. The tops may simply be carved into a design, or decorated with beads or dangles. There is a hair stick for every occasion, from designs suitable for casual, everyday wear to those for office wear, special occasions and formal events.

A major advantage of hair sticks is how little they damage long hair. When growing long hair, it is very important to minimize damage and breakage, and hair sticks are some of the least damaging hair accessories. Contrary to popular belief, long hair does not have to take a long time to style every morning. Compared to the blowdrying and styling products often needed to style short hair, putting up long hair with hair sticks takes no time at all! Also, you do not have to have superlong hair to use hair sticks. As long as your hair is shoulder-length or longer, you will be able to use hair sticks. Any hair stick purchase from Art for Hair includes fully illustrated instructions for several styles, so you will easily be able to create a variety of styles. We will also regularly post hair style instructions on this blog, so check back soon!

Styles 1 - Simple Cinnamon Bun

This is one of the simplest ways to put hair up using hair sticks. It is suitable for hair which is shoulder-length or longer. You can use a single stick or a pair, or even a hair fork. Depending on the hair stick(s) used, this style is suitable for any situation, from formal office wear to special occasions or weekend casual wear.One hair stick should be all it takes to hold this style; the second stick provides decoration and helps hold if you have very thick or long hair. If you like, practice with a pencil first and remember to always hold the 'stick' part of a hair stick and don't use the decorated top to manipulate it.

Follow these instructions to easily put your hair up in a cinnamon bun:

First, pull your hair back and hold in a high-ish ponytail. Do not secure with a hairband, just hold it.

Next, keep hold of the base of the ponytail with one hand, while twisting the tail into a rope. It may be easier to let go of the base of the ponytail now and use both hands to hold and twist the tail.

When the twist is fairly tight, it will feel like it wants to wrap around itself. Start coiling the tail around the base of the ponytail.

Continue coiling your hair around and tuck the ends under the outer coil.

Now take a hair stick, and insert it horizontally (as if you are going to push it straight into your head) into the outer coil, at about the 1 o’clock position. When it touches your head, rotate so that it is now pointing diagonally downwards, towards the 7 o’clock position.

Slide the hair stick down through the bun, taking care to ‘weave’ it in and out of the scalp hair and bun hair, so that the bun is held onto your head.

If you like, insert a second stick for decoration and to help hold the style. This stick can either be parallel to the first, or diagonal to form a cross.

A hair fork can also be used to hold a simple cinnamon bun.