Beaded Hair Stick Tutorial

It's summer time.  And that means getting overly warm from all that hair.  At least it does if your hair is super long like May-May's and mine.  If you are among the short-hair crowd, you have no idea how hot long hair can be.  Or how annoying it can be when you drive with the windows down and the wind keeps whipping it into your mouth and eyes.  It's enough to send me to the scissors -- unless I have a set of hair sticks.  Then the birds start singing, the children get along, Rocket Boy keeps his shirt tucked in, and the world lives in peace.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit.  But I'm happier, because I really don't like the taste of hot hair.

If you want some World Peace Inspiring Hair Sticks, here's a little tutorial for you.  If you have short hair, then make some for your long haired neighbor, because, trust me, she's miserable without them.

What you will need:

A set of chopsticks. (You can just save the set from your next Chinese take-out meal and call it recycling.  Just wash them really well, because it'll be gross if you don't.)

Wire. (The gauge is totally up to you.)

Wire cutters, or if your wire is thin and you are too lazy go find the wire cutters, a pair of cheap scissors works.

Beads.

Paint.  (You can use spray paint, fingernail polish or whatever you have around.)

A disposable cup.

Pencil sharpener.

Sandpaper or fingernail file (optional).

Usually chopsticks are a little too long.  If you don't shorten them, you risk taking someone's eye out when you turn your head too quick.  I like mine to be about 7 inches long.  Just sharpen them with a pencil sharpener until you get a length you like.  The pointed tip will also help it slide into your hair.  It is pretty sharp, though and if you shove them in too hard, you are going to poke a hole in your head.  If you do that, these definitely will not inspire world peace, because you'll be yelling so loud the penguins in Antarctica will hear you and mount a protest.  I suggest preventing a world crisis by filing the tip down a bit so it isn't so sharp.

Paint your sticks.  I paint the top half of the stick.  I put them in the cup with the wet side up to dry, then do the other half and allow to dry the same way.  Otherwise, I am trying to hold a wet chopstick without getting fingerprints in the paint.  Not so easy to do.

If you want a more rustic, natural tinted wood look, you can borrow your kids watercolors.  Paint them with a watercolor, then wipe off (like you would stain furniture).  Very nice.

Once they are dry, you are ready to start decorating them.  Starting about 3/4 - 1 inch from the top (not the pointy end that you will slide into your hair) wrap and twist the wire until it is secure.

Now just start adding the beads and wrapping them around the stick.  You will want to stop every so often to wrap wire around the stick and secure.  This one is halfway finished:

Once you have a look you like, wrap the wire to secure, clip the excess wire and tuck it in.  Here are the finished ones:

This can get a little addictive.   Before you know it, you'll have a whole jar full.

Here are some other ideas to decorate the tops:

This one uses less beads and more wire, allowing the wire to be part of the decoration.

This one crosses the wire in a decorative X and I wired beads onto two strands.  I just threaded the wire around the bottom bead and back up through the strand to secure at the top of the stick.  I used blue watercolor as a wood stain.  You can't see the wood grain in the picture, but it is a really neat look.

This is a single bead strand.  I used red fingernail polish to give this an oriental look.

My contribution to World Peace.

Have a great, peaceful, cool-headed day,

Angela

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