Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Amazing Bumpit Review

Ok so maybe the review won't be that amazing - but it will be a review of my new Bumpits!  Ok, the technical:
  • Price:  $18.95 + shipping (normally around $19.95 - $24.95 for a full set - you can get cheaper "partial" sets for around $10-14)
  • What you get:  5 "Bumpits" - 2 regular, 2 mini, 1 rockstar/hollywood
  • What they are:  pieces of plastic - we like to call them my "hair scaffolding" - in an arch shape with teeth all around to help you get that great "hair bump" at your crown without teasing your hair within a inch of its poor little life.

Here is what they look like:



Whe I got my box I opened them anxiously.  I used the brunette though they do also come in blonde, redish, and black.  I HIGHLY suggest matching then to your hair color as closely as possible.  That way if they end up peeking through a bit over the day's wear, it won't be so obvious.  But I'm getting ahead of myself....   In case you are wondering, the tiny Bumpits are apparently if you want to pull just your front bangs back and pouf them up.  Not an issue for me since I just cut fringe about a week ago.  Oh well.

Figuring there was no time like the present, I decided to use my Bumpits the next morning and see how they would hold up through an entire work day.   I pulled my hair straight up, teased just a bit at the base, put the Bumpit in and pulled my hair over it firmly (they suggest you do this very firmly so that the hair sticks to the little arrow-like teeth).  I also wiggled and jiggled my hair into place just to be safe.

I quickly realized that one Bumpit would not do the job.  It left a drop-off shelf-like appearance on the back of my head.  So I left the first one in where it was but repeated the process with the second Bumpit about an inch or so behind the first.  I made sure I kind of wiggled each Bumpit in place when I was putting it in to get it really snarled into my hair and also sprayed a bit of hairspray on each one.   After I got both into place, (and I had to re-do each a couple of times) I pulled my hair into a low ponytail at the nape of my neck.  The pull of the ponytail made the second Bumpit pull downwards and I ended up with  a leaning tower of Bumpit.  I had to remove it and put it in a little closer to the first and with a little more teasing at the base.  Once situated I put my hair back into my pony.

Overall it actually took longer to do all of this than it takes me to do my normal dry and style.  However to be fair, I think once I got the hang of it, it would become pretty quick.  It did take some wrangling and my arms got tired from being up in the air for so long!  But I was happy with the end result.  I wore them all day and even some into the evening (put them in around 6:30am and took them out around 7:00pm) and they held up fine.  They take some getting used to - they itch a little while they're settling in and at first you can feel them move ever-so-slightly when you walk (after an hour or so I stopped noticing it).   I also did feel self conscious about  them - wondering if the teeth or the strips were showing.  I found myself touching my hair ALL the time just to check and that got annoying throughout my work day.  I'm not used to worrying about my hair around others.  And since you can always feel the little jabby teeth when you touch your hand to your head, you get scared they're showing.  I did have a couple of co-workers do some spot checks for me and one time they could see the Bumpit showing so they had to help me fix it.  She did say that it only looked like a few bobby pins showing or something so I'm assuming what she was seeing were the teeth poking through.  

Here are my photos - I will say that when I put it in I felt like my hair was 2 stories tall.  Now looking at the photos it barely looks like it has any height.  Funny.  But of course I'm not a big hair teaser so maybe that's why.  And yes, I'm an Internet-photo-phobe, so sorry for the "edits".

So the final verdict is that they do work and I'm pleased with them overall.  I haven't used them again since last week.  I'm sure I will use them again, but not sure I would use them again for work.  For work, a standard pony is probably fine.  But for nights out and fun time, I've seen a lot of bloggers who have found really neat and creative ways to use these (french twists, helga braids, etc) so I look forward to experimenting.

The Pros: They do what they say they will.  They are wearable for long periods of time.  They come in many colors to most closely match many hair shades.  They appear to be quite sturdy and long lasting.  With time I imagine they will become easier and quicker to use.  They don't hurt your head even after long wear and surprisingly weren't hard or "ouchie" to take out.

The Cons:  There is definitely a learning curve.  They are better suited to thick hair - those with fine hair have to really work to get the Bumpits covered and concealed.  They can take some getting used to (itchy and feel odd for a bit until you get used to them).  I wish they were just a smidge shorter - I felt they were too long and almost hit my ears which made the ends harder to cover (not as much hair there).

So there you have it.  Go forth and Bumpit!