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omgitssarah
February 21st, 2013, 08:23 PM
I fractured my elbow last night, and it's now in a temporary cast until Monday. I don't know if I'll get a real cast or for how long, but I'm overwhelmed thinking about how I'll take care of my hair over the weekend, let alone the coming weeks. Does anyone have tips to help me take care of my hair and look professional without resorting to a pixie (which I'm super tempted by)?

Natalia
February 21st, 2013, 08:50 PM
How long is your hair now? Is it long enough to braid? Its hard to make suggestions without details length, texture, oily/dry, ect...

omgitssarah
February 21st, 2013, 08:58 PM
It's shoulder-length, fairly thick (last I checked, ponytail circumference was around 3.5 inches. The thickness means it's too thick to do a single english braid. I have straight-across bangs that I usually blow dry with a round brush, and co wash every 3-4 days.

Natalia
February 21st, 2013, 09:07 PM
It's shoulder-length, fairly thick (last I checked, ponytail circumference was around 3.5 inches. The thickness means it's too thick to do a single english braid. I have straight-across bangs that I usually blow dry with a round brush, and co wash every 3-4 days.

Do you have anyone who could to a half up braid for you? It would help reduce, tangles, hide greasyness, keep it out of your face ect... For washing since you co id get a mister bottle that way you can dampen your hair and apply the condish before you get in the shower. It has time to work and its easier for you to keep your cast dry. Ive never broken anything requiring a cast so im not your bst bet for advice. Hope someone can be moe helpful

omgitssarah
February 21st, 2013, 09:10 PM
thank you, i appreciate the ideas anyway. =D i'm sure my mom wouln't mind, but she leaves early in the morning for work and likely won't be around at the times i'd need help.

hafattack
February 21st, 2013, 09:11 PM
Sorry about your elbow! As for hair, i suggest claw clips.. you Might be able to do it yourself, otherwise it would be a quick low fuss style for someone to help you with.. i am unsure about the bangs.. headband or pin back maybe?

omgitssarah
February 21st, 2013, 09:15 PM
headband's a good idea! i'm having my friend ponytail me tomorrow, but I think i may be able to manage a claw clip myself. Thanks!

MiaBeth
February 21st, 2013, 09:57 PM
That's terrible!! Hope you're not in too much pain right now. This might not be feasible, but perhaps getting it "done" at a beauty salon once a week (wash/condition/blow out), which is what my mom did after heart surgery ... it would keep for a few days anyway, then she'd just manage with some simpler styles. Even just having someone help you wash/dry it would go a long way to not feeling so icky. Good luck!!

jeanniet
February 21st, 2013, 11:28 PM
Ouch, so sorry about your elbow! Yes, you can easily do a single English braid--my pony is about 5", so if I can do one, so can you. I would braid it, and then pin up using whatever kind of clips you have available. You can leave it in a braid overnight. You may be able to get away with one braid for two days or longer this way.

McFearless
February 22nd, 2013, 12:46 AM
Aw I'm sorry about your elbow. I hope you heal as quickly as possible. I think cornrows would be a great way to keep your hair contained and you will have very minimal tangles with that style. If you don't like the way they look, hats can cover the braids.

jextxadore
February 22nd, 2013, 05:29 AM
Sorry about your elbow.

I'd suggest doing braids —*two, so you can sleep in them as well. It's a bit problematic that your hair's too thick for a single braid since they tend to look more "professional" in the eyes of many people.
Alternate those with a comfortable and safe barrette.

Might she be willing to help you wash your hair every few days? You can scritch in between washes. Even with styles that hide greasiness, unless you're well adapted to washes stretched out quite far (e.g. one wash a week), don't stretch for more than a few days —*your scalp will drive you insane, causing you to scratch, which will make your style fall out (after which you'll have to plead with someone to help you sort it out).

Although it may seem to be the easier way out, avoid doing a ponytail and leaving it in all day — I did that for a week (a ponytail for about 16 hours a day, every day) and…had a lot of breakage. Yes, braids do require tying off but the point is that even if you do cause damage, you'll only lose the length of the tassel at worst.

You need to choose styles that you can either do with one hand (there are very few for shoulder-length hair) or leave alone for an entire day without re-doing.

Regarding McFearless' suggestion of cornrows: Be very careful as they can, depending on who does them, be quite tightly done and will consequently pull on your scalp. Not only will that cause headaches; you'll lose a lot of hair and, depending on how long you keep them in for, may cause long-term damage.

In theory you CAN wash your hair with one hand, and shoulder-length probably won't cause too many problems (I've done it water-only with APL length hair before (I got 2nd degree burns on three fingers in the kitchen (but the apple sauce was nice))). Of course, with burnt fingers I could still use a comb in that hand — you won't be able to/shouldn't.

If it all goes wrong get a bucket of baking soda solution and dunk your head in. Just make sure it's not too concentrated and that you follow it up with a vinegar or tea rinse, else your hair is likely to take on the texture of a nail file. Or get that pixie cut (but think carefully before you do it).

torrilin
February 22nd, 2013, 06:29 AM
My sister's hair is thicker than yours, but she is finding 2 French or Dutch braids looks good and gets her compliments as a professional style. Both options stay in fairly well, so you wouldn't necessarily have to redo each day. You're looking at roughly 6 weeks in some kind of splint or cast, but the doctors will try to keep things as minimal as possible to reduce your muscle loss. You may wind up with the most secure splint lasting only 2 weeks... my best friend's wife broke her wrist and elbow at the beginning of the month, and she's already out of her cast and in a very light splint. So you're in a situation where every day you can buy yourself of not chopping potentially pays off big.

That said, given your thickness and length, it may be that going back to a pixie temporarily is the way to go. A lot of the options for surviving one handed require longer hair than shoulder length, so you will need to ask for help. It doesn't matter whether it's your mom, a sister, a hairdresser... you're not gonna be able to go it alone for at least a week or two.

longNred
February 22nd, 2013, 08:16 AM
if you can braid with one hand, please post a tutorial. did you bust your dominant arm? if not, I'd definitely try the claw clip. in fact, if it were me, I'd get a FEW big fat claw clips (easily grabbed with one hand) and a can of dry shampoo. you can easily take a few shots at your roots if they're greasy, and try to manage a simple twist & clip with one hand. and yes, headbands and hats will come in handy as well!

jacqueline101
February 22nd, 2013, 08:29 AM
Pony tail it. I had to do that in my first stage of growing.

omgitssarah
February 22nd, 2013, 08:45 AM
Thanks for the tips, everyone! So much great info. Cornrows were actually my first thought, but don't seem like something that would be flattering for me. I'll have to give two french/english braids a shot. =D

dulce
February 22nd, 2013, 12:02 PM
How about a peacock twist with a beak clip?Very fast and easy to do.

omgitssarah
February 22nd, 2013, 02:41 PM
I messed around with clips a bit today, but no luck. I just need two hands to do anything. Had success with a headband, though.

browneyedsusan
February 22nd, 2013, 03:45 PM
So sorry about your elbow!
Can you have someone tie a couple of scarves for you? Just leave them tied, slip over your head, use your good arm to flick your hair out and pull the scarf back over your head? If there are some long tails that hang down, that would add interest and focus the eye on the tails, rather than your hair?

I second visiting the hairdresser weekly. For me, it would be worth the hassle and expense to get it shampooed and set to maintain the length. A pin-curl set lasts 2 or 3 days for me, but I could never do it with one hand. Even just getting it washed and styled would help. Growing from a pixie was not easy, and I don't care to do it again anytime soon, but that's just me.

I hope your arm heals quickly and completely. :)

torrilin
February 22nd, 2013, 04:33 PM
if you can braid with one hand, please post a tutorial. did you bust your dominant arm? if not, I'd definitely try the claw clip. in fact, if it were me, I'd get a FEW big fat claw clips (easily grabbed with one hand) and a can of dry shampoo. you can easily take a few shots at your roots if they're greasy, and try to manage a simple twist & clip with one hand. and yes, headbands and hats will come in handy as well!

I don't think most of us can braid 100% one handed, but you can get it fairly close if you can braid your own hair at all. Not can do solo after hand surgery or a broken arm close, but maybe 3 weeks into the healing process sort of close. That's why I said she'd need help :).

With French style braids, you only ever have to hold 2 strands at a time. The structure of the braid keeps the 3rd strand pretty separate, even if you drop it completely. This means you don't need much fine motor control to actually do the braid, and the issue is much more to do with whether you can have your hands/arms up for long enough.

With a Dutch braid structure, you can do most of the braid formation by twisting strands. I'm pretty sure it's possible to do it one handed, I just haven't worked out how. IIRC some of the posters here who find this a more natural braid do do it one handed.

But ultimately, if the doctor says don't use the hand... DON'T! There's almost always someone you can ask, even if you can't swing going to the hairdresser. For me, I've variously asked my mom, my partner, my sisters in law and my sister to help me with my hair over the years when I get hurt or sick. I can also ask my brother in law since he is the designated braider in their family. It's not a huge imposition to ask for help when you're hurt... pretty much everyone needs to, whether their hair is long or short. Just the longer your hair, the less often you need to ask for help :).

omgitssarah
February 22nd, 2013, 07:56 PM
I just gave braiding a shot, and can't even gt the three strands separated. :p My dad's going to wash and condition my hair for me in the morning, so then i should be okay for a couple of days until I find out if and how long i need a real cast for. I really appreciate the suggestions, everyone!

lapushka
February 23rd, 2013, 07:18 AM
Have someone help you, at least for the first week, or weeks. A peacock twist is easiest to get someone to do on you, ask me how I know! LOL. It's just gather your hair at the back, twist it, and pin it up with a claw clip.

Kyaatje
February 23rd, 2013, 08:08 AM
You already had a lot of suggestions about your hair.
For an elbow they normally don't put in in a cast for more then 14 days (ask me how I know .... :( ! broke both my elbows, luckily not at the same time !)
I combed/brushed my hair to one side with my good arm and either left it there or ponytailed it, but my hair is not thick at all, if I had to do it alone. When I could I'd ask somebody else to do something for me.
When the cast comes of it will still be a bit painful and you wont be able to do a lot, but it is important to keep your elbow moving because otherwise you could lose a bit of the flexibility.

CJCHair-stylist
February 23rd, 2013, 08:22 AM
This woman who has one hand has a whole lot of tutorials on styles you can do with one hand - here is the link http://www.youtube.com/user/1onehandedreviews?feature=watch

omgitssarah
February 23rd, 2013, 05:18 PM
Thanks, Kyaatje, for sharing your experience! And sorry about your elbows.

And thanks to everyone else who commented! I got my hair washed today, but it's been tangled from being down constantly. Haven't had luck with styling, but i'll keep working at it.