Beautifully boho handcrafted wooden hair sticks

Beautifully boho chic handcrafted wooden hair sticks

Hey, friends! Wow, it's been a long time since we saw each other last, hasn't it? I don't know about you, but the holiday season sort-of just took off on me and before I knew it, New Year's Day was upon me and 2018 is now in full swing. And in the spirit of starting the year off right, I'd like to share a really cool product with you from an even cooler brand - SAYA Designs, a brand that creates handcrafted hair sticks from recycled root wood. Victoria, the founder of SAYA Designs, aims to participate in a "circular economy" with her business, a way of thinking that wants business to be "restorative and regenerative" by design.

Each SAYA hair pin is created by digging up the roots of trees that have been cut for logging in tropical forests. These forests are often destroyed in unsustainable ways, and these tropical hardwoods regenerate slowly after logging. The roots of these trees (which is what SAYA hair sticks are made from) take many years to decompose and often don't add much value back into the soil, so finding another purpose for the roots is, in my opinion, genius. Plus, for every handcrafted hair stick sold, SAYA will plant up to 10 endangered trees. Again, there is so much more to the story of deforestation and what SAYA is doing to combat it, but I encourage you to read more about that here.

"My background is in the visual arts, and I have worked in many jobs across the industry, from auction houses to an adult Steiner schools. Whilst doing so I noticed the value that people place on the things they treasure, and the ability of these things to connect people to wider issues. For me, SAYA is a medium for exploring environmentalism and a way to encourage others to do the same." - Victoria, founder of SAYA

boho chic handcrafted wooden hair sticks

So I guess the real question now is whether or not these hair sticks work. The simple answer is, yes, if you choose the right type of stick for your length and thickness of hair. Luckily their website has a super easy to navigate tutorial directory right on their home page. Just choose your length of hair and be inspired by the tutorials and suggestions of which hair sticks and pins would work best for you (there are a lot of different designs, shapes price points and colours, so there's something for everyone).I let SAYA choose a design for me (which they generously sent for free, in exchange for a review!) because I figure that if I can leave something to the professionals, I may as well. I think they chose well - what do you think? Personally, I am really prone to headaches and am always looking to find things that can make me cute without putting pressure on my head (I know I always mention this - but I'm saying it again for the people in the back haha).

I found it was REALLY simple and fast to create a relaxed, cute boho-inspired bun at my nape, as you saw above. I just quickly braided the bottom of my hair, and secured the end with a hair tie, then, with very little trial and error (thanks to the tutorials on their page) swooped the hair stick through and around to create a pretty, loose bun. If you wanted to make a tight bun, that is also 100% doable. It just doesn't bode well for me and my headache situation, so I'm sticking (get it) with my loose buns for now. I did find that as I wore the bun around during the day I had to adjust a couple times as my jacket kept bonking the end of the stick, but that's OK. That's what happens in winter in Canada, haha!

Would you try SAYA hair sticks? Let me know in the comments if these handcrafted hair sticks are something you would try, or maybe something you'd gift this to an eco-conscious, boho beauty obsessed friend. I love to hear your thoughts - so sound off below!

Handcrafted hair sticks from reclaimed root wood | Eco-friendly hair accessories from SAYA Designs