Power Pin

I often wear a set of two hair sticks but haven’t been successful with U-shaped pins as they don’t go through my bun. This worked like a charm! It’s sturdy, comfortable, very secure, and I don’t have to worry about more delicate sticks if I’m doing something active or want to grab something from my bag and put my hair up. For anyone looking at reviews elsewhere who are concerned that it will slide out, it needs to be inserted in a specific way. If you simply slide it through your bun or twist, it won’t stay put. I’m right handed so I insert from the right. Look for a video showing this (switch directions if you’re coming from the left)—slide the pin through the top of the outermost coil of the right hand side of the bun going AWAY from the bun towards your head and your right ear. The ends should hit your head. This isn’t intuitive but is critical. Then tilt the closed top of the pin out towards your ear, making an arc. Now the free ends of the pin are facing the bun. Push it through. The degree of the angle you initially make and how much you angle when you change direction both affect how tightly the pin will go in, adjust to suit your hair texture. The same principle works for twists. Hard to explain in words but hopefully this will help you find a good video if you’re having trouble. I have a large collection of hair sticks but this is unique and I’ll be using it a lot so thanks, Wirecutter, for the review that brought it to my attention!

This is a wonderful pin. It is gorgeous! Holds my thick, curly hair all day. However, do not buy the gold version. Part of the plating wore off on two of them in about three months each time. I did wear them every day but never got them wet, wiped them off with a jeweler's cloth at the end of the day, and stored them in the boxes they came in. The seller was kind enough to replace the first one, but did not respond to me regarding trading the second one out for a non-gold version and issuing a partial refund.