Thanks Amanda, I'll check out those web sites.

 

Thanks Susan, that info interesting and helpful.

 

After looking at all the hair jewelry, I think I'd like to buy a butterfly hair claw. My hair is just long enough now to wear it. Checking out e-bay now! Maybe I can get a good deal.

I was given the hair sticks, but I have seen some at walmart, and at claire's in the mall. a friend of mine used a hair claw while her hair was just above shoulder level, so it dosen't have to be really long.

 

Just some thoughts, I hope they were useful.

 

I just bought a butterfly hair claw and 2 barrettes from e-bay. $15 for all 3 including shipping and handling. Not a bad deal. I'll take pic's of them when I get them to show you. My hair is shoulder length now, I'm going to try to wear my hair in half ponytail with the butterfly claw. And, if the jewelry is sharp, I'm going to try Susans' tips.

 

Tiny clips work well for shorter hair too.  You can get plastic or metal.  Clip several around your bun or twist.  They're much easier to work with than bobby pins.

 

I have a page on my site with all my favorite accessories.

I'll look for a site that has them, and post a link. I am sure there will be a vast price range, I got mine for around $12, but it was hand made, so I didn't mind.

 

 

http://www.artistreewoodart.com/Hair/Hairpin/threetoothcurved.html

 

 

Here is a link to what is being called a hairpin. I have seen them called a comb, also.

 

Hi Amanda,

 

First...your hair looks amazing.  I have been watching you grow it since the beginning and WOW you have done such a great job.  What an inspiration you have been.

 

And in general....on this topic of "hair friendly" hair accessories......

 

As far as "hair friendly" hair accessories....I do all of the accessory buying for HB.  We currently have over 55 designers/lines at the present time with 3 more signed last week (Tarino Tarantino is one of the more notable to be joining our collections).

 

Over the years I have found that as a rule that (as Amanda pointed out) the hand made French lines (Laurent Olivier, France Luxe, some Camilla, some Smoothies) have the smoothest edges and are most hair friendly for many items.  Mei Fa also generally has silky smooth hair sticks.  The designer for Mei Fa has very long hair (or used to anyway) and is very picky about quality of her haisticks. 

 

I wear Mei Fa myself and own about 40 pair I have collected over the past 5 years since we started carrying the sticks.  France Luxe and Laurent Olivier are also very high quality in general.

 

I have met the owner of Laurent Olivier who lives in France and he is very concerned about the quality of his pieces.  The only way you can generally go wrong with FL or LO or similar hand made is IF and this is a big IF you get a claw or jaw that has a rough hinge.  I have only seen a very few and these can usually be sanded down.

 

Unfortunately because the US Dollar it taking a hit right now, the French lines are even more expensive then before.  France Luxe & Laurent Olivier are literally 100% hand made and thus they are finished with a silky smooth edge.  This means the pieces are hand finished by artisans who are sitting there sanding. Which of course means more money. 

 

Many lines like Karina, Scunchie, Smoothie, Goodie are made from molds where the hot plastic or similar materials are poured into the mold and then cooled into the desired shape.  These may or may not have smooth edges. 

 

Some of the lines sold by Claires or Sally Beauty or other big stores of the same ilk will contract with a Goodie or a Karina or a Scunchies (now owned by Conair) and will just slap their name on them.  The majority of these items are "injection mold" and not hand made and they are being made now in China or South America (they used to be made in Korea).

 

In general, the majority of the best quality metal/crystal encrusted jaws, claws, metal U shaped pins and hairpins used to be made in South Korea.  This is no longer true.  The Koreans took pride is sanding down the metal edges.   Some of the HB Hair Jewels and Lucy (HB house brands) were made in Korea and the companies we worked with have gone out of business. 

 

Now that the same items are made in China, the edges on many hair accessory items are rough and scratchy.  Also, the quality of the work and the sturdiness is going way down.  This is due to the rising costs of labor and the need for retailers to be able to offer inexpensive hair accessory items.  The cost of producing hair accessories has skyrocketed just in the past 5 years.  I know because I have been buying them from mfgs for all those years and it is amazing the price increases.

 

As a side note...many of the Karen Marie items are hand made in New York now because it is easier to control the quality and of course I would prefer to send business back to the USA.  Many of the couture lines are also going back to being made in USA (L. Erickson, Karin's Garden, Bijoux Luck, DaCee Designs).   Also, I am seeing "environmental friendly" accessories made out of hemp and Sinimay (natural tree fibers)

 

Yesterday I unpacked a box of barrettes from a long time HB vendor we buy from in New York.  The edges were rough on the barrettes and the clasps on the underside of the barrettes are the new 2 way pinch clips and not the original pinch clips.  These new clasps can rip and pull hair more easily.  The new 2 way pinch clips use less metal and thus are becoming more popular then the original solid clips that are less risky.  I was surprised by the quality since normally this supplier has high quality at a reasonable price.  Again...I believe it is the problem with the US Dollar and the need for some mfgs to skimp on quality.  Sad but true.

 

The metal findings for the barrettes that say Made In France, are harder to find but these are also of the highest quality.

 

Many people with short or medium length hair don't care about the issues of "hair friendliness" and only care about having a pretty accessory for their hair.  They also care more about the cost and want inexpensive.  You do get what you pay for.  That is a definite retail truism.

 

I think that the bottom line is that each item has to be judged on its own merits and like many long hair fans do....sand when appropriate.   I have actually sanded things that were OK just because I am paranoid about my hair.

 

If you are concerned about items that you might buy over the Web....email and ask if the item is "hair friendly" or ask about the hinges or the edges.  At HB we are always happy to discuss these items either via CustomerCare email or via phone calls.  Most hair accessory questions are passed by me anyway and I will go and look at the items personally.

 

It is hard to give a blanket seal of approval on any particular line since if they are hand made they may vary slightly and if they are injection mold some items may be more friendly than others.

 

There is nothing more upsetting then to put a gorgeous new comb into your hair only to find strands clinging to the teeth when you remove it.  There are some hair accessories I have learned from years of wearing them that I just know will eat some of my hair and I avoid them like the plague.

 

This is great topic and very close to my heart.  Thanks for letting me babble on about it. 

 

We have so many hair accessories at HB.com that most of the people here have become jaded to the topic so it is nice to find some new ears.  :-)