Hairband Only Hairstyles for Nursing School

[Dutchbraids]

I was just accepted into nursing school, and received the list of uniform/presentation requirements. One of the rules is that the only type of hair fastener allowed are black hairbands. No scrunchies either, and all hair needs to be above the shoulders.
My ponytail is 4 inches around, and my hair is just past 40 inches now (halfway between BCL and Classic). Its almost all the same length, I don't have any layers.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a way to tie up my hair and look presentable? I always use hairsticks or Lilla Rose Swerves to do my hair, so I am out of touch with Hairstyles that don't use them.

Thank you in advance!

[enting]

Are you allowed to wear other hair fasteners that aren't visible? Hairpins/Amish pins should be able to hold up a hairstick hairstyle, they'll just hold it a bit differently. I wonder if something like starlites U pins would be invisible enough or if those would be disallowed as well.

[Dutchbraids]

I can't use anything besides black hairbands. RIP to my hairtoy collection.

[cjk]

Maybe one or two braids, then fold or roll them up and secure them with a headband?

[Dutchbraids]

I think I could make something like that work, if I can find a way to roll it up without the headband... None of those allowed either😭 This is quite the conundrum, isn't it?

[cjk]

The more I read this thread the more curious I become.

Why headbands?

Are you limited to only one headband?

Why only black?

[SelenVinland]

Are they saying you can only use headbands like the kind that goes around your whole head and pushes your hair out of your face, or black hairbands like a ponytail holder? I'm getting a little confused on semantics here.

If they mean the latter I'm sure you could get away with some discreet pins in places...

[Dutchbraids]

Specifically the latter. Ponytail holder (scrunchie guts?) is what I call them.
I can use as many as I want.

[Shorty89]

I honestly don't see how they could complain about a bun made with spin pins or long bobby pins. It's neat, tidy, and shows no hairties. :shrug:

[Dutchbraids]

I have no idea. My friends are theorizing that it's because of the clinicals, and the strict dress policies related to those.

[cjk]

Are you any good at braiding?

You could easily do a crown braid, where you go back around you simply braid through the existing one so there are no additional connectors needed, and use a single hair tie at the end. Pull it through with a Topsy tail to secure.

I use a bobby pin but otherwise it's the same basic technique. And holds like crazy.

[Dutchbraids]

cjk: That's actually a really good idea! I hadn't thought of that, and I can do one (though not well). I have the rest of the summer to practice though! Thank you!

[neko_kawaii]

Also Interlaced Braids can be done without any pins.

[Pouncequick]

What is the typical length of hair for women where you live? Also does the sheet say that the only hair fastener can be black hair ties, or does it have a long list of fasteners that can't be used (including, for instance, hair pins)? I ask because it's a bit of a long shot, but just maybe you can reach out to someone - either by email or when you arrive - and get clarification on discreet hair pins. Sometimes in these types of forms there may be small typos so something not obvious (like stating the only visible hair fastener can be black hair ties) can be left out. I've worked in a lot of labs with super strict dress codes against any visible hair decorations, but they always allowed discreet hair pins (u pins, spin pins, bobby pins, etc. - in some cases they had to be a similar color to the hair). This is especially true because in labs with harsh and dangerous chemicals, long hair left loose is a hazard. Hair decorations/hair toys may also become contaminated and therefore they were not allowed (or strongly discouraged in some cases). It seems like nursing school would have similar rules to labs for very similar reasons, with potential additional rules as you interact with the patients and should look professional and uniform.

Definitely spend the summer working on the crown braid cjk mentioned and interlaced braids neko_kawaii mentioned. If nothing else, it's just nursing school. I have serious doubts a hospital would have rules against hair pins since they keep hair securely out of your face and are discreet.

[Iyashikei]

How about a hairband roll? I've never done one before but it seems to be something easy. You just wrap your hair over your hairband and tuck away the ends. I'm not sure how good it holds during work though.

[Brethil]

If the rules are really that strict, and I agree you should check, I'd suggest the Elling Woman's bun or Amish braids. Both are variations on the same theme as the previous suggestions: make a French/Dutch braid and run the ends back through. I think that general idea is your best bet.

I'd probably still want to use a pin or two to secure the ends though. The original Elling Woman mummy had her tassel fallen out, for goodness sake! Not a problem if you are a mummy, much more of a problem if you are a nurse cleaning a bedpan or helping with surgery.

[SleepyTangles]

Weird, to me it feels more like "no decorative hair accessories except hairbands" :confused:
The most secure and practical hairstyles are usually held by strong sturdy metal pins, be It amish pins or a big U fork-like pin like Quattro or such... Plus metal can be disinfected easier than a fabric-covered hairbands...

[enting]

Weird, to me it feels more like "no decorative hair accessories except hairbands" :confused:
The most secure and practical hairstyles are usually held by strong sturdy metal pins, be It amish pins or a big U fork-like pin like Quattro or such... Plus metal can be disinfected easier than a fabric-covered hairbands...

This is my thinking as well. Especially if they're plain metal pins with no coating on them. Do they expect everyone to cut their hair above shoulder length or be able to bun with a hairtie only? I know plenty of people whose hair breaks out of hairties at a moment's provocation and only other methods will contain it safely for any length of time. With nursing you don't want your hair tumbling down unexpectedly!

[Nini]

I would politely enquire and maybe explain a low bun held with Amish pins or a short metal fork. You could stress that these are easy to sterilize items if that seems to be something they're after.

[CopperButterfly]

I would definitely ask about using pins. I think it would be difficult for any length of hair (short of a buzz cut) to be held securely out of the way using only hair ties.

You might be able to do a sock bun using just a hair tie to wrap your hair around instead of a sock. Not sure how well that would actually work though.

I think what I would do if you really can't use pins is just make a braid, and wrap it in a bun and then wrap several hair ties around it to hold it. Not pretty, but it would probably hold it.

[jane_marie]

Have you ever done a tucked french braid? I think that could be a really good option for you.

[Kat]

What is the typical length of hair for women where you live?

I wonder this too. Because I daresay a large number of women have hair at least shoulder length, and they're not allowed to wear it down but they're not allowed to use any sort of effective method to put it up? That pretty much translates to a requirement that a woman has to cut her hair short, then. (Which also seems odd. I could have hair that's shorter than shoulder length and still have it constantly in the way {BTDT; that's why my hair is long now...}. I'd rather someone with long hair who puts it up completely than someone with chin-length hair that they're always having to push out of their eyes/mouth-- especially if they're also apparently not allowed to use any sort of barrettes or anything to keep it out of the way.)



I would politely enquire and maybe explain a low bun held with Amish pins or a short metal fork. You could stress that these are easy to sterilize items if that seems to be something they're after.

But that seems odd, too, that they could only wear hair accessories that are autoclavable. Any sort of hair accessory would be... in hair. Which can't be sterilized. Nor could a nurse's clothing or body. What's so dirty about hair accessories that will never touch a patient that they would need to be sterilized?

[cjk]

It is odd.

I was thinking about the possibility of germs, that makes sense. hair ties are so cheap they could be considered disposable, just like latex gloves. And it's easy to cover short hair, or hair arranged to be up. Surgical caps and the like are a thing.

But one other thought I had was the use of hair accessories as a weapon. Let's face it, our hair sticks are pointy stabby things. Even if they can be sterilized in an autoclave.

[GoddesJourney]

I have noticed policies like this are often made by men or women with short or thin hair that will actually stay up this way. The military has a similar issue. I ended up doing a tight bjn with spin pins that were the color of my hair. Nobody cared as long as it was a clean looking bun against my head and above my collar. If there is some reason they don't want metal (like a bad history of people shedding cheap bobby pins everywhere) then the spin pins won't matter. If there is some other reason I can't imagine what it would be.

[Kat]

It is odd.

I was thinking about the possibility of germs, that makes sense. hair ties are so cheap they could be considered disposable, just like latex gloves. And it's easy to cover short hair, or hair arranged to be up. Surgical caps and the like are a thing.

But why would a hair accessory have any more germs than the hair itself? Or a person's watch or wedding ring? Or their clothes? Or a surgical cap? Or their glasses? Or the pen in their pocket? Etc. And if a person's hair is under a surgical cap anyway, why would it matter how they put it up?



But one other thought I had was the use of hair accessories as a weapon. Let's face it, our hair sticks are pointy stabby things. Even if they can be sterilized in an autoclave.

Hairpins, though? Claw clips? Banana clips? Scrunchies? Not that easy to weaponize. And if the patient is in a room filled with heavy things, things that can be thrown, etc. I would expect they would utilize those things before they would grab something out of a nurse's hair.

[cjk]

But why would a hair accessory have any more germs than the hair itself?

Entirely reasonable questions. And once I don't have an answer for. But whenever a reasonable question has an unreasonable answer I usually suspect lawyers.

Or a power-hungry petty boss but lawyers are still more likely.



Hairpins, though? Claw clips? Banana clips? Scrunchies? Not that easy to weaponize. And if the patient is in a room filled with heavy things, things that can be thrown, etc. I would expect they would utilize those things before they would grab something out of a nurse's hair.

Again, you're approaching it rationally.

Let's say someone is completely irrational. Hyped up with a bad reaction to a medication. Most hospital beds have restraints for exactly such an eventuality.

And the nurse still gets close to the patient. Their head gets close to the patient. That's part of their job.

Imagine what would be going through that patient's head.

Pray tell, looking about this room what items might be repurposed as a makeshift weapon? Should I remove the television from the wall, perhaps pick up the IV stand, or maybe the syringe containing my sedative might be turned back against her?

Oh wait, that's right, my hands are in a restraint. I shall have to wait for her to get closer.

Despite a lower expected efficacy, I'm certain I could utilize the hair stick so stylishly holding her bun. If only I can reach it.

Nah. Probably not that logical.

Most would just grab anything they can reach.

[draysmir]

But one other thought I had was the use of hair accessories as a weapon. Let's face it, our hair sticks are pointy stabby things. Even if they can be sterilized in an autoclave.

That was my immediate thought. I wouldn't underestimate the ability to harm someone with a thin metal or wooden object like a bobby pin or hair stick. Definitely can take someone's eye out with it, stab it in their windpipe, etc.

Kat Personally, if I felt threatened, I would probably first find the closest thing to me to use for defense, rather than search the room for something. So I could understand why there could be a risk with patients utilizing certain hair toys as weapons.

Also, I would imagine there can be the possibility of a patient taking a hair toy not to harm another person, but themselves. Clips can be used to pinch the skin, for example. Self-harm could be a potential issue, or accidental injury. A nurse may not notice one bobby pin missing out of their whole hairdo, so if even one falls into a child's patients bed, it could go unnoticed by the nurse, and the child could end up ingesting it or sticking it up their nose or something.

Since nurses deal with minors and the mentally ill regularly, I understand why there would be strict safety measures in the dress code to keep them from harming themselves or others.

That is unfortunate though, how limited you are with hairstyles. The crown braid sounds like a good idea! :)

[-Fern]

[Redacted.]

[TinaRider]

Please do ask about bobby pins. Literally anyone with hair shorter than shoulder length will NEED to use them to look presentable.
As far as a a hairband goes, you can find a bun that can be tied with one. You can also do a normal english braid and wrap it around your head like a single milkmaid braid. :guns:

[cjk]

I was thinking about this thread last night.

Did you ever find a style that works for you? I hope so.

[florenonite]

I would be tempted to use discreet spin pins and then if questioned claim to have misunderstood the instructions, because of course it's absurd to think that people can tie up their hair safely with only hair ties and they're rock solid so how could they possibly be a problem? :twisted:

But if you don't want to tempt it, there's a style a friend of mine used to do for gymnastics when she had waist-length hair. Starting with a high ponytail, she'd braid the length, then fold it over and tuck the ends into the top ponytail. She used a scrunchie to secure, but a couple of thick hair ties might work as well. It's not as secure as a bun with a couple of spin pins (spin pins are the ONLY things other than hair ties I'll sleep with), but the high ponytail should keep the bottom of the plait above shoulder length.

This is such a strange requirement. I understand 'all hair must be above the shoulders' (you don't want a braid falling into a bedpan), and I understand 'no decorative hair accessories' (that's just part of the nurse uniform, I guess), but 'secure hair only with black hair ties' makes it hard to hit the first of those. I also find it a bit weird you're not allowed headbands; for very short hair or a growing fringe that can be the only way to keep your hair from falling in your face as you lean forward.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I would be tempted to use discreet spin pins and then if questioned claim to have misunderstood the instructions, because of course it's absurd to think that people can tie up their hair safely with only hair ties and they're rock solid so how could they possibly be a problem? :twisted:




That would totally be my approach, instead of asking. Spin pins are almost totally invisible, esp for the untrained eye (non LHCers), and *hardly* dangerous unless you swallow them. With spin pins and hair bands you can have lots of hairstyles.

[Fiferstone]

What about the viking woman's hairstyle? which was basically three braids braided together, with the "tail" then threaded through the top of the center braid, wrapped repeatedly. I am able to secure this pretty well with just one hairtie looped to catch the end. I'm also wondering about the strict prohibition having to do with items that could interfere with MRI or CAT scan equipment?