A Comprehensive Guide to Wearing Pencils
Originally written by Caroline on 1/12/2016
There are many ways to store pencils. In a drawer, in a pencil case, in a jar. For a frequent user, that sometimes isn't good enough. Should you want to have a pencil handy at all times, storing it behind your ear or in your ponytail is clearly the easiest way and I'm here to instruct you on how to do this effectively.
Let's first start with my personal favorite--a ponytail pencil (or man bun pencil, if that's how you do it). Putting a pencil into a mass of hair poses many problems. It might slide out or it might snag your hair. Just maybe you'll end up stabbing yourself in the scalp if the pencil is misplaced.
When wearing a pencil in your ponytail you must consider which side you'll be entering and removing it from. If you're right handed, this will likely be the right side. Considering that you will occasionally or accidentally pull it from the opposite side, the worst thing you can do is choose a pencil with a ferrule. The metal will snag your hair and will not only hurt you but will ruin your ponytail.
Regardless of how you are pulling the pencil, it is important to consider the quality of the wood. A poor quality pencil with splintered wood will get stuck in your hair and again, ruin your ponytail. You are best choosing one with a well secured and centered core and smooth wood. The sharpness of your sharpener may have something to do with this--the duller the blade the rougher the cut will be.
The last thing to consider is pencil placement. Should you shove it carelessly too close to your scalp you risk stabbing yourself (yes, I've done this and yes, graphite will stay under your skin forever). The best place is just behind your hair elastic. This is the safest and best place because it's where the hair is the tightest. Just don't fall asleep with it there because you will forget and it will leave weird marks on your sheets that are surprisingly hard to get out.
In conclusion, the best pencils for this are un-tipped ones of exceptional quality. Be careful though--you will be subject to pencil thieves as I often was in art school where pencils are always needed and it was a known fact that I'd always have one in my hair.
For those of you who don't have a ponytail, you can go the classic route and wear one behind your ear. This is a tricky one because ears come in all shapes and sizes. In my case, there is too much space between the back of my ear and my head for a normal diameter pencil so I find a mini-jumbo works best.
The biggest thing to consider while doing this is the weight of the pencil. The weight of a ferrule and eraser especially on a mini-jumbo or jumbo pencil will case the pencil to lean forward and continuously fall out. For the sake of weight distribution, an un-tipped pencil is best.
Aside from weight and diameter, the shape of the pencil is also very important. A round pencil is most likely to slide out and while a hexagonal pencil will work just fine, I find that triangular pencils are the best. As the shape behind your ear is naturally rather triangular, the pencil will fit perfectly.
The Verdict:
For ponytails, the hands-down best one is the Craft Design Technology Pencil. Not only is it of terrific quality, it also has a ferrule-less eraser and is just really pretty (and looks great against any hair color). You could also try any un-tipped Mitsu-bishi pencil or perhaps an Apsara Absolute because should it fall, the tip is extra strong and less likely to break for shatter.
For ears, I'd recommend a Mitsu-bishi Triangular, Grip 2001 Jumbo, or Try-Rex Intermediate depending on your ear size. It's probably best to try a few on and shake your head gently to test the pencil's security before leaving the house--we don't want any pencil casualties.
Good luck finding the perfect wearable pencil. If you are in need of a pencil stylist, I'm your girl.
