i use these in my shoulder length hair by putting it into a plait (a braid) and twisting it and popping the stick through and it looks so polished and it holds, which is key. As a writer and editor, I used to use my red colerase pencil, but since then i have, thank god, grown a little bit more sophisticated and now have a collection of hair accessories, particularly sticks and these and this company make among the most beautiful, but be sure to look at the close-ups of the top of each one to be certain it's what you want...

graceful and elegant and timeless - never trendy... set trends, don't follow them.