How to Carve a Hair Stick from a Twig

Reviewed by Ky Furneaux

Last Updated: December 23, 2021

Hair sticks are a great way to secure long hair in a bun and can be made for almost no cost in materials. Just use twigs you find lying around in the yard.

Steps

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1
Work out your stick length. You do this by measuring the width of your bun and adding a couple of inches.
2
Find your stick. Go for a walk and collect some twigs. They should be no thicker than your index finger. Your stick should to be at least two inches longer than what you need. Shaping will shorten the final stick.
- Don't worry about getting a perfectly straight stick. Slight bends and curves in the wood make it more interesting to look at and they will hold your hair more securely.
- Avoid evergreen woods like pine as they contain large amounts of sap.
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Discard any sticks that snap easily. Hair is pretty strong. If a stick snaps when you bend it slightly, it will break in your hair.
4
Clean your stick. Using a knife, remove the bark from your chosen stick.
5
Cut off any prominent protrusions. Any big bumps will make it hard to slide the stick into your hair.
With a hacksaw, cut the stick to the desired length. Be sure to remove both ends.
7
Shape the stick. Carve one end of the stick so it tapers into a blunt point.
8
Round off the other end of the stick. This is where you hold the stick to insert into a bun.
9
Sand the stick. With coarse sandpaper, sand the stick until it is the right shape.
- Make sure the end of the stick is sanded into a smooth curve.
10
Detail your stick. Draw your desired design onto the stick with a pencil or ballpoint pen. Do not use an ink pen as ink may bleed into the wood.
11
Carve out the design. Cut into the stick at a 45° angle just below the lines you have drawn.
12
Continue to shape the design. Cut into the stick at a 45° angle above the lines to cut out a V shaped piece of wood.
13
Carve out the entire design in this way. Work carefully to cut away only what you want.

1
Sand the stick with medium sandpaper.
2
Sand smooth all edges. Fold the sandpaper in half and use the edge to sand inside the cuts you made for the design.
3
Repeat with fine sandpaper. Go over the stick with fine sandpaper, folding it again to sand the cuts.
4
Polish the stick smooth. Use a nail buffer or progressively finer sandpaper to get the stick really smooth.
5
Oil the stick. Put a small amount of your chosen oil on a plate. Use your fingers to apply it to the wood. Make sure all the wood is covered with oil.
- Walnut oil brings out darker colours in the wood. Wood that looked rather boring before, can look stunning after it has been oiled. The darker the colour, the bigger difference the walnut oil will make.
6
Allow the stick to soak up the oil for a couple of hours.
7
Remove any excess oil with tissue. Wipe until no oil comes off the stick.

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Question

Can I paint the stick?

Community Answer

Of course.

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What kind of wood should I use?

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It really doesn't matter. Oak is hard and pine is soft -- try whatever is in your area.

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Question

What is a hair stick?

Community Answer

A hair stick is a sort of hair accessory, usually used to secure buns. It's a stick that you put in your hair.

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Tips

If the wood colour is too light, soak it in very strong coffee to darken and warm the colour. This should be done before applying the oil.

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Warnings

Avoid walnut oil if you have a nut allergy or will be giving the stick to someone with a nut allergy.

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Always point the knife away from you when carving. Wear safety glasses.

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Things You'll Need

A twig
A hacksaw
A wood carving knife; if you don't have one, a penknife or craft knife will work
Sandpaper in coarse, medium and fine
Nail buffer or super fine sandpaper for polishing
Walnut, linseed oil or grapeseed oil