In my previous post I mentioned that my go to hairstyle is a pretty standard bun, usually the messy ‘I didn’t put too much effort into this’ kind of bun, but in recent years I’ve been wanting to expand my hairstyle repertoire so I can keep things more interesting for myself, more than anything.

Now, I’m sure there’s a generally widespread understanding of the types of hair accessories available to people with long hair: Elastic hairbands; hair scrunchies; hair clips; hair claws; etc. the list goes on. As I grew up, the norm in my household was elastic hairbands so that’s what I tended to use, but in my current eco-mindset, I wanted to move away from these due to a number of perceived issues I experienced with them:

• the elastic would stretch out and not hold my hair tightly enough over time
• the elastic would snap and make the hairband useless
• the cover of the hairband would break, revealing the elastic which would tangle with my hair
• once they’re broken or stretched out, there’s very few alternative uses for them

I did try scrunchies as well for a while, and I still have a few lying around, but I find I have similar issues with these as, at their core, they are the same premise as a hairband.

So what options have I found that give me a range of hairstyle/hair accessory options without creating waste as a result? I’ve found a few, some that I’ve adopted as part of my everyday routine, and some that I’m still figuring out how to work with. Let’s look at these from my most commonly used, to least commonly used.

Hair claws:

By far these are what I use most frequently. They’re quick to use and effective for my thickness and length of hair. They keep my hair out of my face when needed and are essentially what I use as my everyday hairband alternative. However, it isn’t lost on me that they are made of plastic. Does this mean they come in a wide variety of colours and styles? Yes, and that’s great if you want variety and interest. Does that make a difference if they break and end up in a landfill? Absolutely not. For me personally, simple and utilitarian does the trick, and while I would ideally entirely move away from plastic hair accessories, I have found it difficult to find an everyday alternative to hairbands that is reasonably priced and easy to use in any circumstance. Until I can find that alternative, a hair claw is a much more durable option, compared to elastic hairbands. But if anyone has a recommendation for a wood or metal everyday up-do hair accessory, I would love to hear it!

Hair forks:

Okay, this might sound a bit odd, but I promise it’s not that far off a hair claw.

Hair forks are can be made from a variety of materials, wood, horn, metal and plastics, but I’ve opted to try and move away from less sustainable materials and opted for a sterling silver hair fork from a handmade seller on Etsy. I really like this fork. It feels a lot more like a real hair accessory, as well as a tool to keep your hair up and out of the way.

However, I have come across some pitfalls. I have really thick hair and I don’t think I understood that there were different types of hair forks for different hair types. The one I’ve purchased does a good job at holding up a half-up-half-down style, but it can’t keep a whole bun of for long, especially if I’m getting on with chores and moving around a lot.

There’s also a big learning curve that I’m still going through when it comes to actually learning how to use the hair fork. Unlike a claw or a hairband, hair forks don’t ‘grip’ your hair. Instead, they are used as a type of obstruction to prevent your hair from unspooling, or falling out of the style. I have just about got the hang of it, but I still feel like I have a lot of practice in using this before I can safely use this as an ‘outside the house’ type of hair accessory. For now, I like how it looks and I like the idea of what it could mean for me in terms of hair accessories once I’ve mastered the method of using it to make a secure hair style. If anyone uses these and has any tips, please be sure to share them!

Hair sticks:

Not too far off of hair forks are hair sticks and they are exactly what they sound like. Much like hair forks, they can come in a variety of materials, and for this accessory, I opted for a hand carved wooden stick. And that’s exactly what I got, a beautifully crafted stick that you use to style your hair.

Again, I have found that this accessory is a wonderful decorative hair piece. I think it looks great and is a great conversation starter when you want to share your eco-mission, but don’t want to be too pushy about it. I love that I can feel a little like those movie stars who can let their hair down in one swift motion when I pull my hair stick out. But it does come with similar drawbacks to the hair fork. I’ve found similar issues in learning how to use the stick securely for a long-term hairstyle, especially when I need to get out in the garden and am quite active, as well as the learning process for actually getting the stick stuck in your hair in the correct way to make it useful.

But I’m determined to keep learning. I really appreciate the craft that goes into these accessories and they give me just what I was looking for in terms of giving me options to keep my simple hairstyles interesting, as well as giving me the option to look a little smarter for special events, when a hair claw just doesn’t cut it.

You might be asking yourself, does any of this really matter if I’m still using plastic hair accessories regularly? And I would say that it does. It’s very easy to feel comfortable with using the easiest tools available to us when styling our hair. It is a small, but impactful element of my day that has allowed me to go from contributing the hair accessory waste ending up in landfills, to using durable and consistent tools to keep me well groomed. You’ve all seen me say this before, but I strongly believe that convenience is no longer the correct choice. It is the easy one, but not the one we should willingly opt for if we all want to help move the world towards a better future. So, yes, I still using some plastic hair accessories, but I’ve had them for years and intend to keep using the same hair claws until I’ve found a durable, dependable alternative. I would highly encourage anyone wanting some new and interesting hair accessories to look into hair forks and hair sticks, and if anyone has any other suggestions for eco-hair styling tools, please let me know!