How to Make Butterfly Hairsticks
With my long hair, I tend to wear it twisted up and back. I've found that the plastic clips break, metal ones are expensive (and I tend to lose them). I do wind up using pencils and paintbrushes as hairsticks rather a lot, and sometimes I just want something fun and fancier. I made these on a whim after I'd been shopping for hairsticks on Etsy and having a friend suggest that I try skewers as a cheap option for hairsticks. I'd been dubious, because the skewers I usually use are a flimsy, rather splintery affair and you don't want that in your hair. Chopsticks, now those work well... and they could be used as the foundation for this design. So could the simple metal ones I ordered, but I wanted something while I waited on those.
Anyway, these are super easy, fun, and I made a bunch of them for myself and my daughters.
Gathering my materials
You will need:
feather butterflies, birds, or whatever lightweight ornament catches your fancy.
Chopsticks, pencils, or skewers (I tested these to make sure they were smooth enough to not catch in hair)
scissors
floral tape
I used the butterflies and birds which have a little wire attached. Don't worry about this poking someone - you will be covering the ends up carefully with the tape.
I started the tape before beginning to attach the butterfly for best adhesion
Floral tape is paper impregnated with a wax, not an adhesive, so you will want to pull it snugly as you wrap the end of the stick. I started with a fold over the flat end, then wrapped it down about an inch before starting to add the ornament. You can bend the wire to move the butterfly out of the way while you work, which is handy. Wrap the tape around the wire and against the first layer, then bend the wire back on itself over this, and wrap back up to the top of the stick, firmly securing the ornament and making sure all the wire is safely covered past the end.
Bending the wire back over the initial layer of tape not only covers the end but makes it more securely attached.
Cut off the floral tape and press the end firmly to the layers below it, it will stick to them nicely. Angle the butterfly on it's wire to the way you want it, and slide into the coiled hair to secure with a second stick at an angle to the first.
Finished butterflies, ready to wear.
This is how I put my hair up with the sticks. I'm not using any other pins or hairties, although you can if your hair is very fine and slippery.
I wouldn't wear these very often, but they are a playful way to put your hair up, and you can make them quickly to match an outfit or costume. With long hair, any way to dress it up without a lot of effort is good for me, I rarely want to fuss with it!
A little birdie for your nest of hair