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HairSkewer© Instructions
My exclusive HairSkewers© can
be used in collar-bone length or longer hair . If hair
is shorter, the ends will come loose, but this is sometimes
a desirable look. It will hold fine or thin hair as well
as normal to thick hair; however, though miracles may
occur, waist-length, heavy, thick hair may be asking
too much. 
The
basic technique: Twist hair into a French
twist, and then insert the
HairSkewer straight in about
center of head, with ends up and with the face
of skewer facing down, towards neck (I call
this the “upside-down
and backwards” technique). Gently push upward,
grabbing about an inch or so of bottom (scalp) hair
with skewer, and come out slightly at top of twist.
Then, with your fingers on the skewer “tips,” pivot
the HairSkewer upward, rotating skewer toward
head (do not twist skewer) push down through
your hair. It
really is that easy!
Adjust the entry point and the amount of hair you catch
in at the top to make it tighter or looser.
Now the details:
When you make your French twist, do not twist
tight like a snake coil. You need to start out tight,
then tuck and fold hair into a smooth “folded” twist
(particularly for shorter hair). You may tuck
ends in, or leave ends out at top for a sassy casual
look. If your hair is on the shorter side, the
HairSkewer will tuck the ends in for you. Let
the HairSkewer do the work.
If
you are having trouble,
the usual reason is that you’re
trying too hard to get too tight a twist, or you are twisting
the HairSkewer as you go up and over with it. You may have
to practice finding the best entry and exit points for
the most comfortable hold. Sometimes, you may have to
bend the forks a little more so it “snugs” down
into your hair at the top.
If it is always too tight,
you are probably trying to catch too much hair at the
top, particularly if you have very long or very thick
hair; try starting a bit higher.
If it is usually too loose,
the twist probably has to start lower and you may
be twisting hair into a “tootsie-roll” rather
than a flatter “jelly roll.”
If you get a funny “bunch” on
top,
try aiming the hairskewer slightly to the opposite side
as you go up and over. Otherwise, you may just have to
experiment with the way you tuck in the top.
For
Longer hair: (I
will use my right-handedness to explain; reverse
these instructions for left-handers—or if
the other direction is easier for you.)The easiest
technique I have found for very long hair is to
twist hair all the way down the length, (clockwise
with your right hand). Using your right hand, bring
hair up to top of your head, continuing in the
same direction. Using your left hand at the top,
bring hair around and down, to the right, (creating
an upside down U-shape).
Grasp top of U with the left hand and flip it towards
the right creating a figure 8. The HairSkewer now
enters at the cross of the figure 8. You may or
may not have to go all the way over the top of
the hair twist for the HairSkewer to hold; this
depends mostly on the thickness of your hair. You
do, however, have to catch in some bottom hair,
close to the scalp. You may also use the “regular” method,
above, and leave ends out for a ponytail look (keep
twist to the left of center if you want the tail
to be centered). If you want a more traditional,
albeit softer twist; after mastering the basic
technique, try starting with the twist and tuck,
then while holding the twist in place, flip loose
ends back to the left and “fold” them under the
tucked hair. This really takes practice to get a nice elegant
look, but it’s worth it!
If your hair is really long, it can
be twisted into a bun,
then loosen the bun slightly and use the HairSkewer
at an angle with the same “upside-down and backwards” technique.
If you have had success with hair sticks or pencils,
you can use the same technique with the HairSkewer
as you do with your sticks.
Have
fun and experiment. The HairSkewer© will
hold where other hair “ornaments” have failed. In almost every person’s
hair, it will work.
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