How to Bead a Wooden Hair Stick

Hair sticks are chopstick-like, decorative wooden sticks designed to be inserted into bun hair styles to help hold them in place. These sticks are generally carved and often painted, but for an added layer of aesthetic appeal, try sprucing them up with a little beading. The challenges in decorating a hair stick with beads include creating a design that stays in place, as well as one that won't snag on your hair when you use it.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden hair sticks
• Small beads
• Beading wire
• Rotary power tool
• Carving bit
• Quick-set epoxy
• Bottle cap
• Toothpick

Instructions

1. Wrap a wire loosely around the top of the hair stick. Extend the wire to cover the entire area that you want to have beading on. Avoid any portion of the stick that will be inserted into the hair, as the beading will likely snag.

2. String the wire length with seed beads (or other small beads). Cover the entire wire length; curl the ends of the wire into loops using the needle-nosed pliers in order to keep the beads from sliding off.

3. Locate spots along the length of the stick that you'd like to add a bead to. Mark the spots with a pencil and choose a bead for each spot. Make sure the wood is thick enough at each of these spots that you can cut a hole for the bead without breaking through the stick on the other side.

4. Fit the rotary power tool with a conical wood grinding bit. Turn on the tool and set it to a medium speed setting (adjust as you see fit while working).

5. Carve holes in the stick at the point of the pencil markings using the rotary tool. Test with the beads periodically as you carve to make sure they fit into the holes.

6. Mix about a tablespoon of the epoxy in the bottlecap according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stir with a toothpick.

7. Fill the carved holes with epoxy using the tip of the toothpick. Insert the beads into the holes.

8. Coat the top area of the stick with epoxy. Cover the entire area you want to have beaded.

9. Wrap the beaded wire around the epoxy-coated wood. Let the epoxy on the stick set and cure according to manufacturer's instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• If any portion of the beadwork you've done sticks out too much or starts to snag on hair, mix more epoxy and coat the rough spot to give it a smooth surface once cured.

References

• "The Big-Ass Book of Crafts"; Mark Montano and Auxy Espinoza; 2008