I've been reading everyone's fabulous hair toy posts showcasing their new accessories in stunning updo's, and i've been scouring eBay for new and interesting, artisan-made hairtoys, and i'm starting to wonder.... to blondes have more fun with hairtoys?

Don't get me wrong, I love my dark hair and wouldn't trade it; it's a part of my identity and has helped me become who I am, especially in writing and painting. It's difficult, however, for complex hairdo's to show up. Black on black doesn't offer the depth and interest of sunkissed blond or shiny red. And many of the beautiful woods used in artisans' hairforks and sticks are darker, like bocote, purpleheart, cocobolo, wenge, etc. Even Mei Fas, my beloved Mei Fa's, are on black sticks! I keep trying to take decent pictures of hairdo's to post, but they come out as one big block of shiny black. Argh!

So, the question is... are you happy with your natural haircolor, do you dye your hair the color you wish, do you have secret hair yearnings for a different color?

And, does anyone know of hair toy artisans who use spalted or birdseye maple, osage orange or other light, bright woods? I'm desperate! :face:

Both loving and despising the wonderful world of hairtoys,
~magpieDee of the Raven Locks

To elaborate, here are pictures of three different bun techniques compared to plain ol' long-hangin' hair.

To get there, go to www.PictureStage.com, and log in as a Guest using the following information:

Log-in ID: magpiedee
Guest Password: d

You will see that you can't really tell what's going on, just that hair is twisted around with twiggies and frizzies. I am jealous of Madeleine and Avrilon, et al, with those striking new hair toys in light colored hair!

~magpieDee

and I use some of the dark woods with light accents (1 has a dye-cast bird plate on the tip of it in silver) or hair stix with light beads. I also use metal hair toys in gold, silver, etc. or hairtoys with rhinestones...not too many for fear of being gawdy.

I use ficcares that come in a large array of styles and colors to fit all shades, textures, etc.

Don't give up on your own hair color...just learn to work with it ;)

Oh no, blondes definitely don't have "more fun with hair toys" silly! :face: I think your dark, beautiful hair would look stunning in silver hair toys (either the real thing, or silver-like, or silver-accented like Dweam suggested). I love silver and just bought a beautiful slide barrette that would stand out so much better in your hair! I like lighter woods and colors so they sort of blend in with my hair though. I don't like a striking contrast, but that's just me. There are lots of hair sticks with lighter wood and silver colored accents I've seen online and I'm sure some of the wooden hair forks out there must come in lighter woods too. Anway, your hair is beautful and I kind of like the blended dark colors of your hair and hairstyx myself!

Avrilon

Oh no, blondes definitely don't have "more fun with hair toys" silly! :face: I think your dark, beautiful hair would look stunning in silver hair toys (either the real thing, or silver-like, or silver-accented like Dweam suggested). I love silver and just bought a beautiful slide barrette that would stand out so much better in your hair! I like lighter woods and colors so they sort of blend in with my hair though. I don't like a striking contrast, but that's just me. There are lots of hair sticks with lighter wood and silver colored accents I've seen online and I'm sure some of the wooden hair forks out there must come in lighter woods too. Anway, your hair is beautful and I kind of like the blended dark colors of your hair and hairstyx myself!

Avrilon

I have come to love my dark hair. For many years I wanted lighter hair and tried to change from my natural dark brown color. Then I would look at a girl with darker hair and see how rich and unique it looked and wonder why I did it. I have finally come to the point now that I love and appreciate what I have. The only color change I have done was to add some reddish tones with henna or a color rinse. They are very subtle and you can't really tell unless I am in the sunlight.
I notice that dark haired people often appear to have shiner hair than those with light hair.
I have not had a problem with hair sticks or such not showing up.
I have many pair of white hair sticks and the black ones I have are topped with stones that show up.
Silver is a color that I can wear very good with my dark hair also.
Grey dog makes hair forks in different colored woods that you may like, but I have a light brown pair of hair forks that show up on my hair also.

I like the fact that the Mei Fa hair styx are in dark colors, that way it is understated elegance to me. I also wear a lot of black, grey and other dark colors that go well with dark hair ornaments. If I want the ornament to show then I use the Ficcare in gold or silver.

I looked at your pictures and they all looked great to me, I think the hair designs show quite well in real life but not that clear in pictures. I do think you have very beautiful and thick wavy hair that quite a few people would be envious of including me. :)

Take care

I'm a blonde...born a natural blonde but underneath the bottle blonde, I'm fairly sure it's light brown. I'm trying gradually to darken my hair so I can let it grow out brown brown brown with wild abandon! The women I think are most beautiful in the world all seem to have dark hair.

I bet your hair toys look stunning in your hair in person, especially the jeweled and metallic ones, and maybe you just need to find the right photographic technique to show it off to us here, you already have the right hair! Often when I'm photographing a piece of fabric or a garment, to show it's truest color, I take it outside. Even better when it's an overcast day.

The replys you've gotten so far are good- yes to the silver in dark hair! And also the colorful array of ficcares!

www.artisttreewoodart.com (I THINK that is the correct spelling, you might want to do a search for artist tree woodart) makes hair forks and sticks out of LOTS of different woods- many colors, light and dark. I have 2 of his wonderful 2prong hair sticks.

I think dark hair looks even better than light when in an updo- it really shines! Try taking your pictures outside in the bright light of mid day. Or at different angles- from the side instead of directly behind.

HTH!!

I've been reading everyone's fabulous hair toy posts showcasing their new accessories in stunning updo's, and i've been scouring eBay for new and interesting, artisan-made hairtoys, and i'm starting to wonder.... to blondes have more fun with hairtoys?

I think so. :-) I don't have dark hair like yours, but I have that kinda ashy brown that's neither really light or dark. Lots of hair toys get lost in my hair, but it's not dark enough to stunningly set off really light colored toys.

See, I've always thought having dark hair would be awesome, because you can get stunning updos with ivory colored hair sticks and with silver accessories. I mean, ivory colored toys, white toys & blonde woods just look *amazing* in dark hair. Guess it's that canonical "grass is always greener..." thing. I think I'm just starting to discover that reds look great in my hair, since the light brown sets them off reasonably well.

And, does anyone know of hair toy artisans who use spalted or birdseye maple, osage orange or other light, bright woods? I'm desperate! :face:

Well, I think both Maiden's Treasures & Long locks will do custom orders on hair sticks, so you can always ask for light woods and such there. Also, if Madeline puts together another hair slide order, some of the slides she had were really light-colored, too.

Are any of these interesting?
http://www.argusdesigns.com/products/fork/f_crimp2_full.JPG
http://www.blueheronwoods.com/pictures/Hairsticks/Spalted%20Brdseye%20Double.jpg
http://www.blueheronwoods.com/pictures/Hairsticks/Quilted%20Maple%20Double%20Stick.jpg
http://www.blueheronwoods.com/pictures/Hairsticks/HairPins/Canary%20Double.jpg
http://www.maidens-treasures.com/item.html?UCIDs=937183%7C993673&PRID=1223673
http://www.maidens-treasures.com/item.html?UCIDs=937183%7C982893&PRID=1332464
http://www.longlocks.com/pinksugar-hair-sticks.htm
http://www.longlocks.com/bridaljade-wedding-hair-sticks.htm

And, any of the silver things here would look great set off against dark hair, I think:
http://app.infopia.com/Shop/Control/Storefront/fp/SFV/14947

Cheers,
Jonobie, this week's hairtoy pusher

Magpiedee,

I think dark hair looks beautiful in person, and after messing around with your pics a bit, yours is definetly healthy, shiny and beautiful! In real life, I bet your hairtoys show up marvelously...But for a digi pic you have to compromise true color to show the hair and toys...

I hope you don't mind.. But here's some adjusting I did on the fly of one of your amazing buns!

http://216.136.200.194/auction/Mar/2003363569890729138824.jpg

Don't worry, I didn't edit it in your album and I will delete it off my computer the second you say... But I was playing with it so I could see that amazing updo and thought I would show you... Please don't be mad :D I think the issue is more lighting than the color of your hair. If you change your light source for those pics I bet we could see every detail and keep true color

HTH a little

Ditto to what everyone else already said: some colors show up well in light hair, some in dark hair. I love metallic hair toys - mostly silver - but they just don't show up in my light hair as well as they would in dark hair like yours. Meanwhile, dark woods and such contrast well with my hair. So I think we're all in the same "not every hair toy will look optimally good in my hair" boat. :)

Do blondes have all the fun... with HAIRTOYS?

I'm afraid I have only two words to answer your question:

Teacher Bear

'nuff said. ;)

Mi Magpiedee,

I second everything that was said so far!

My natural colour is a mousey/ashy dark blonde/light brown that I find boring on me. I love reds, so I henna, but every now and then I'm in a "dark" mood and use a temporary dye in chocolate brown. I personally like dark hair :-)
I think the reason why your updos don't show up too well is a matter of lighting while taking the pics, there's nothing wrong at all with your colour.

There are toys for any hair shade. I like those that complement my colour (like the cocobolo forks I just got, tortoise clips and combs, or my wooden stick barrette in a cinnamon colour) as well as contrast (my silver fakkare, green ivy twines, fake pearls or my purple beaded Maiden's Treasures sticks).

If you are looking for contrast and like wood, try either some custom sticks by Maiden's Treasures (http://www.maidens-treasures.com) - you can choose which kind of wood you'd like for the sticks (including rosewood or light palmwood), even for her catalogue designs - or contact Eve (blondiesturn). Her current auctions (http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=blondiesturn&sort=3&rows=25&since=-1&rd=1) include a Lacy Sycamore fork and a Birdseye Maple comb. She also uses Extreme Tiger Maple, Purpleheart, Bloodwood, Wenge,
Cocobolo, Kira Rosewood, Jarrah, Orange Osage, Bocote, Padouk, Shedua and African Ebony.

Do blondes have all the fun... with HAIRTOYS?

I'm afraid I have only two words to answer your question:

Teacher Bear

'nuff said. ;)

<looking around> HUH??? What???!!!!!

LOL

YES I have fun with allllllllllll KINDS of hairtoys! :) LOL

I agree, the PHOTOS of dark hair do not show up well (at least historically, here, they don't), BUT in person . . . OMG!!!!!! Stunning! :)

As far as suppliers/pushers of lighter hairtoys that might show up more to your satisfaction: Blondiesturn on ebay! She has had several hair sticks/fork that are lighter wood. I also agree with the SILVER hair toys. Those are drop-dead-gorgeous in dark hair! I also think Gold looks pretty classy too! YOu ALSO might go for more gemstoned toys.

And you know, when I pick hair toys, I pick ones I like. I don't think a LOT about how I think they will look to other people. I pick ones that express me!

I suggest you pick the toys you like. Wear you hair as you wish.


I am SUCH a proponent of doing what you LIKE with your hair and not worrying so much about how it looks . . . someone will like it, someone won't, and most people aren't going to be critical one way or the other. <shrugging shoulders> Be happy with your hair and yourself! :)

And WE will love you whether you post pictures or not, whether we can see the intricate weave of the 'do, and/or the hair toys! :)

Enjoy!!!!!!! :)


:heart: :heart: :heart:

I kind of like the woods that blend in the the hair color. I ordered a stick barrette from Madeleine that I hope is close to my natural color. Betty's pic of her light barrette in her blonde hair is awesome. Sometimes the subtle blending is really nice. I've seem some beautiful hair forks in lighter woods that would contrast with darker hair. Gold or silver ficcare's would contrast too.

Us blondes have a lot of fun be we certainly don't have ALL the fun :D

::sitting here in a messy braid and pyjama's::

I was quite distressed when I found out Mei Fa's are mounted solely on black sticks. I tend to lighter ones to pick out the colours of my hair, which is naturally a dark blonde but is full of it's own tones and highlights. Like I have to be careful wearing dark clothes because they make me look tired/ill/etc.........dark hair accessories do the same. But think about all those brassy tones, reds and metallised colours that you can wear that make me look like my hair colour has been put on badly.

If you mean...do we have more fun getting them in......I doubt it. I have terrible trouble with them and only now (I've been a community member for about 14 months and before that knew nothing about ficcare, hair sticks and a number of other evil products these good ladies have led me too!!) am I beginning to master things. The darkest things I have are tortoiseshell colours..........

Your hair and your updo's are stunning and you should rejoice in it. I know that's sometimes easier said than done, because it can be very frustrating. I know it doesn't photograph well (or you feel it doesn't) but....it looks brill, and I haven't yet figured out how the heck to photo my hair well!!

::goes off to get dressed::

Bees

Well... so many different interesting points here, on so many different levels-- I couldn't even begin to address everything without standing on a soapbox and losing my voice! I will say this: I would not trade my hair for anything. No other color, no other texture, no other ways and means. I adore this stuff, and I think i'm about as lucky as a girl can get. It does get kind of frustrating, though, on dark and rainy days when you've got the Late Winter Bummers and you spend all this time on a fabulous do' that can't be seen or appreciated by the naked eye.

Fortunately, I have found the antidote.

I just needed to wear it down. I haven't worn it down at my own leisure in soooo long. Too many nubby sweaters and wool coats and stinging, icy winds. So, today it is down and happily shifting up and down my elbows, and I am content. Yay for dark hair!

Also, I bid on a beautiful, light colored hair fork from bearwoods on eBay.

The combination, plus some N'orleans style cafe au lait, should do the trick nicely. :)

Thanks for the encouragement, babes!
~magpieDee

::sitting here in a messy braid and pyjama's::

I was quite distressed when I found out Mei Fa's are mounted solely on black sticks. I tend to lighter ones to pick out the colours of my hair, which is naturally a dark blonde but is full of it's own tones and highlights.

Bees

Hi Bees, just wanted you to know I have a couple pairs of MeiFa's in lighter wood. It looks like kind of an oak color. Maybe if you contacted them they could help you with different wood colors. I don't know if they custom do their sticks.