Rhinestone Challenges?

Hi,

Welcome to my "hell". :-) Hairboutique.com has been selling hair accessories for several years now and we deal w/ the crystal/rhinestone issue all the time. Is there some way to preserve the stones to prevent them from "popping" out?

Yes and No.

Protecting yourself from popping rhinestones starts w/ the purchase. The more quality hair accessory lines like France Luxe, Evita Peroni, Betty Wales, Roberta Chiarella...etc.,, will use higher quality Swarovski, Austrian Crystals and/or rhinestones in their pieces. They will, where appropriate & depending on size of the item, sew the stones on with thin wire or heavy ribbon or thread and/or attach them with prongs or rivets. At the very least they will, to firmly secure the stones, position them in a more "pave" manner so that the crystals are set flush with the rest of the item..even if they are hot glued.

Yes, this generally means the items are higher priced because often this will involve pieced hand work rather than machine work.

If you love hair accessories but have a tight budget, there are many less expensive options BUT again, it really does go back to the..you get what you pay for....rule. This is because the less expensive pieces generally use lower quality stones and they are less likely to be handmade. This means that they are generally hot glued into place.

When the stones are "glued" onto the piece they generally are OK but more prone to "popping". This happens with all kinds of crystal encrusted hair accessories but obviously the rule of...you get what you pay for...means that machine glued pieces are more fragile and have a higher risk of loosing some stones.

So if you buy a $4.50 barrette that is covered with rhinestones that are "glued" rather than a $25+ piece that has the stones sewn, wired or riveted, you may run a great risk of losing stones.

OK. So if you love the less expensive glitter pieces, remember to treat them with care. They are fragile.

Actually all hair accessories tend to me more fragile than some of the heavier pieces of jewelry like watches or cuffs.

Remember not to force the hair accessory. If it is an accent piece, don't try to use it to anchor too much hair. Use it to add sparkle only.

Check the piece carefully before you wear it. Do any of the stones appear loose to your naked eye? If so, you can carefully try to use a tweezer and remove the stone and then use a tiny tiny tiny bit of SuperGlue to add the stone back with the tweezers. Let the glue dry and be careful not to overlap it on neighboring stones.

Keep in mind that some of the "costume" accessories will not withstand major wear and tear and should be worn appropriately.

Even though we carefully examine all the hair accessories before they leave HB.com, even just riding in a UPS truck or plane and getting heavily jostled can cause even the best pieces, sometimes although rarely, to suffer from loose or dislodged stones.

Therefore, before you take a new piece out of the packaging look carefully to see if any of the stones have dislodged. If you see a loose stone off the bat, either try to reglue it on the spot or take it somewhere to have a pro fix it. Of course it would not make sense to take a $4.00 item to a jeweler but a $40 item makes sense.

Another way to extend the life of all stone encrusted pieces is to store them in a jewelry box or pouch or special box. Many of the France Luxe items are shipped in special pouches as are many of the Evita Peroni pieces. A lot of the other hair accessories from HB.com are shipped in plastic bags to protect against stone poppage and cushioned w/ peanuts. Also, we often place items in a gold box to add even more protection. I personally store all my accessories in a huge velvet padded jewelry box and keep some of my items from France Luxe and Evita Peroni in their original pouches for added protection.

Also, cleaning improperly can cause stones to pop out. So only clean with a soft jewelry cloth or according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I am sure I forgot something but I hope this answers this question.

Sorry it is so long but I am NOT a woman of few words. :-)

Karen

Hi SuperGrover,

I was recently asked this very same question by Fox at The Long Hair Loom site. She asked me what kinds of hair accessories are gentle and safe for long hair.

You can see the entire interview at:
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=246853&messageid=1051000199

Bottom line...

The basic way to find gentle and safe hair accessories for long hair is to locate accessories that don't have sharp edges, pieces or points that will rip, snag or tear precious strands. Many of the accessory lines (France Luxe, Evita Peroni, L.Erickson, Eve Reid, CM of NY and even some of the Karina) make a range of barrettes, hair pins, clips, sticks, slides and elastics that are designed to be "hair friendly" and will work well on long hair.

Basically...it is the materials that are used to create the pieces and how they are positioned that can either be totally safe or harm your hair.

An accessory is neither inherently good or bad for long hair, but depends on whether high quality or inferior forms and findings are used. Generally speaking (there are always exceptions) the smaller the cost of the accessory item, the higher the risk of rough clasps or closings that may catch and rip hair, regardless of whether it is a barrette, comb, hair stick, prong, dolphin or claw clip.

Also...generally speaking....accessories that are made from high quality soft plastics, acetates, acrylics or some types of woods, that are tipped or mounted on high quality silver or gold metals are safer than accessories made with nickel or cheap plastics. Soft headbands made with silk, satin or velvet, are less likely to rip or tear.

Accessories that are encrusted with Swarovski or Austrian crystals or even less expensive rhinestones can be safe if the crystals are embedded down into the metal, plastic or wood, ala Pave style, to prevent hair from catching on loose stones or elevated prongs. Some of the very expensive Evita Peroni and France Luxe pieces have Swarovski crystals embedded in such a way that there are no sharp edges or prongs and the stones are set deep into the design.

Always look closely at high glitter items to make sure the crystals are securely place and smooth for the health of your hair.

As a rule avoid any mesh ponytail holders or headbands that might tangle hair.

Always use your fingertip as a guide when you can. Run a fingertip around the edges and closures to determine the roughness factor. Although accessories made with wood are often good choices for "hair friendliness" always check for rough spots.

Bottom line, shop carefully and avoid poorly made pieces.

Finally, if you are buying over the Web and can't tell for sure if the piece is hair friendly or not...email and ask before you buy. At HB.com we receive tons of emails every day asking for more details about the various products in our store.

Also remember that ultimately you get what you pay for. If you love rhinestones or crystals but have a tight budget, you may want to pass on the bling items that fit you pocketbook. Why? When accessories are inexpensive this means that the rhinestones are usually "hot glued" on top of the accessory and not "set down into" it. So there may be more risk of hair getting snagged or cut.

Of course if you have short or medium locks and aren't worried about growing long locks, you can probably wear anything that has stones.

Again, there is no one answer but what works for the individual, their hair's needs, their pocketbook and general availability.

Sorry for rambling. I get this question a lot so I figured I would just include everything here and refer back to it. :-)

Thanks SG. Great question.

Best wishes,
Karen

Yeah, thanks Karen! Such a long thoughtful answer. And on a Saturday, too.