Can't have hair ties anymore - hairstyles for running? And how to secure braids?

[stardust lady]

So, one of my little kitties went in for surgery last week to have a bunch of hair ties removed from her stomach. She would have died without the surgery, and is only one year old, so obviously I cleaned out my accounts and went for it. She's healing up super well, yay!

Ever since this happened, I threw away every hair tie I own, even the little phone cord ones made out of plastic. My whole house is being transformed into a clean room, since we didn't know she was eating things at night, and now I'm super paranoid.

I don't know how the heck to secure my hair when running. I like doing HIIT sprints and last time I tried running with a clip, it kept falling out over and over.

Also, one of the things I was looking forward to the most about long hair was doing braids, but now I don't know how I'll tie them off. I know there's a method where you can braid it without fully separating, creating mirror braids, and feeding the tassel through the center of the braid. But my hair is thick and wurly and it'll be years till it's long enough to do that. What else can I do?

[GrowlingCupcake]

How about scrunchies? They'd be too big for her to eat, right?

As for braids, maybe a paranda? It doesn't have to be a long or thick one, just long enough that you can tie off the ends of the paranda rather than your hair.

[Amy-Lee]

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitten. I agree with GrowlingCupcake... huge scrunchies! Head wraps/scarves will work too. You could also pull your hair through the back opening of a baseball cap.


My kid is wearing one in the picture. Perfect for exercising.


https://i.postimg.cc/hjVTRKVn/zombomeme-17022018192941-631832394-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Q9xHpG6Y)

[Jane99]

Oh Kitty! I’m glad she’s healing well but geesh!
All good ideas listed above. Maybe sticks once your hair is long enough... or to tie off a braid maybe something long and stretchy, too big for kitty to eat, like a stretchy headband.

[stardust lady]

Y'all are not the first to recommend scrunchies, so I think I'll give it a shot. That should work for tying off braids, too. I was nervous about them, but she does only seems interested in rope/cord/spring-like objects, so I think it's probably safe. If it has enough fabric attached, she wouldn't be able to swallow it if she tried.

And yes, I can't wait to be able to use sticks! Getting pretty close, though I have to trim for the first time since last October. Just now starting to get some rough feeling ends. It's amazing how much faster your hair seems to grow once it all reaches the same length. I feel like it took an entire year for it to mostly reach the back of my neck, and now half a year later I'm already past collarbone.

[illicitlizard]

Oh gosh sorry to hear about your kitty! I hope she has an easy recover.
I was wondering if this was a cat-induced hair tie cull - my partner's cat eats hair ties and rubber bands. We're really careful to keep hair ties tied around something at all times (lotion bottle pump most often) and all rubber bands get discarded immediately.

I can second scrunchies, just make sure they're stored somewhere securely that she can't easily get to! Alternatively you can use a ribbon, braid it into the last few stitches of the braid and tie it off in a bow. For running, I feel like braids are the best option.
Another possibility I like for exercise (haven't tried it for running) is a disc bun on the very top of the head held with small claw clips, but this may not hold depending on the size of the clips and your hair length!

[Siv]

How long is your hair? Can you do a cinnamon bun? For my previous job I couldn't wear hair sticks so I'd bun and secure with spin pins. Like four of them heh. (It did survive several emergencies and even a few full days of self-defence training :tongue:)

But with my hair type I would also go with a scrunchie for lengths shorter than WL I think!

[TatsuOni]

Not sure if this is anything for you, but it cmight be good inspiration for anyone trying to avoid elastics :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpT86z93Ec8&t=3s

[Laurab]

Oh no! I had a cat who would eat rubber bands, it was upsetting. We learned to always be careful with them and never leave them out, but it's harder than one would think.

Have you considered keeping hair ties in a place the kitty never goes? Like, in your car? I know it might feel silly to go to the car just to put your hair up, but I think all cat lovers do silly things for their pets.

[Nini]

Unless the cat is pulling them off your braid while you're running I don't see why you can't have a hair tie available for that and other occations?

I have one that I use until I wear it out, and when I don't wear it it's in its spot in the bathroom.

[lunalocks]

When your hair is long enough, securing a french roll with spin pins might work, unless kitty eats spin pins too! (poor kitty)

Have you tried using a bandana on the bias for tying a ponytail? Or a very long piece of cloth or thick yarn, tie the pony, braid the cloth or yarn into the braid and tie off at the end, like a paranda, but simpler.

[spidermom]

It would seem to me that you could establish a safe place for a hair tie or two. I have a box with a lid for mine, and if I happen to take my hair down somewhere else, I always stash the hair tie somewhere safe, like the drawer of my bedside table or my purse. I haven't had problems with a pet eating them, but I got tired of losing them all the time so decided I'd be careful about where I put them.

[JasminxCat]

Aww sorry to hear about kitty. I adore cats so much. I'm sure she'll recover just fine. The only thing I can think of is scrunchies but I'm not sure if kitty would get into those as well. Another option I was thinking of could be a ribbon of some sort. Maybe cotton so it wouldn't slip off so easily

[Pouncequick]

Not sure if this is anything for you, but it cmight be good inspiration for anyone trying to avoid elastics :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpT86z93Ec8&t=3s

I use embroidery thread or cotton twill tape to tie off braids similar to what she does. I like to double knot it but I do it by wrapping around once and tying a single knot then wrapping again before tying a second time. Seems to make it less irritating to undo than a true double knot.

Here's what I do for exercise since I use zero elastics:

For most things (weight training, swimming, running) I just dutch or french braid my hair. I'm used to moving it around so it doesn't bother me and I like this better than buns. If the length is a bother, I will use an extra long piece of string and tie the braid tassel securely to a braid stitch near the nape of my neck.
For HIIT or ballet where I might hit myself (or someone else) with a dutch braid, I wrap the braid into a pinned cinnamon bun and usually wrap a hairnet around that and pin the hairnet down to the base. It always held for hours of recitals and it still holds for 30 minutes of crazy intense HIIT. I find a mix of spin pins, u pins, and bobby pins helps a lot and the hair net seems to make it rock solid for some reason. A head scarf or buff may also work and habit may be why I still use hair nets.
For cycling I pin the braid into a coronet using lots of u-pins and spin pins and then put a buff over that and a helmet over the whole thing.


Edited to add: stardust lady I totally missed that you have a bob. You could probably just wear a buff (or similar) over your hair to keep it out of your eyes while running. They can be folded to fit securely and worn like headbands or sweat bands. A couple bobby pins near the ears for caution would work as well as long as kitty stays away from hair pins.

[-Fern]

I keep my hair ties around the doorknob to my bedroom--too high and difficult for the cats to get to, but easy if you have thumbs.

[stardust lady]

Not sure if this is anything for you, but it cmight be good inspiration for anyone trying to avoid elastics :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpT86z93Ec8&t=3s

Oh this is awesome. I can't wait to be able to have long braids like that...


When your hair is long enough, securing a french roll with spin pins might work, unless kitty eats spin pins too! (poor kitty)

Have you tried using a bandana on the bias for tying a ponytail? Or a very long piece of cloth or thick yarn, tie the pony, braid the cloth or yarn into the braid and tie off at the end, like a paranda, but simpler.

That's not a bad idea. I'm not getting any ribbon, since that presents an even worse threat than elastics, but a square piece of cloth is totally safe.


stardust lady I totally missed that you have a bob. You could probably just wear a buff (or similar) over your hair to keep it out of your eyes while running. They can be folded to fit securely and worn like headbands or sweat bands. A couple bobby pins near the ears for caution would work as well as long as kitty stays away from hair pins.

Wow you're right. I can even just use a headband. I was getting a little ahead of myself, thinking about the future when it's long. Still got a ways to go...

[Pouncequick]

That's not a bad idea. I'm not getting any ribbon, since that presents an even worse threat than elastics, but a square piece of cloth is totally safe.


If you want braids in the future and think a square piece of cloth is safe, you could go buy some really, really thin fabric and cut it into strips like scarves (or find thin scarves or very fat, gauzy decoration ribbons for this purpose). At the time of use you could roll these strips into thin tubes that would behave like ribbon when you want them to, but mostly exist as a strip of fabric uninteresting to the cat. Unless the cat tries to eat scarves this should be pretty safe. You could also make a decent sized paranda out of yarn. The one I have would be too large for a cat to eat and you can make them as long and large as you want.



Wow you're right. I can even just use a headband. I was getting a little ahead of myself, thinking about the future when it's long. Still got a ways to go...


It's not out of order that you would worry about what to do when your hair gets longer. You have a goal to grow to waist which will probably happen in the next couple of years. A cat can live 15-20 years and hopefully yours will. That will be a long time when you will have a cat that eats cables, and have long hair that you want to braid. It's probably smart to start experimenting to see what could work for you and what, of those possibilities, might draw the cat's attention. There might also be someone you could talk to, like a vet or trainer or something, about how you could keep items that the cat likes to eat away from them. Some people in this thread have given a few ideas you could test. You might be able to live without hair elastics or ribbons, but those are not going to be the only possible cable like things the cat could eat and get deathly ill from. Plus it is difficult to fully control guests to your living space, even if you try. It would probably be best to have a plan A (no hair elastics) and plan B (people who arrive with such things must place them in this box with a lid that lives in a drawer the cat can't open, for example).

[Lizabeth94]

I’m so sorry to hear about the kitty! I hope she is recovering well.

You might be able to still wear hair ties if you keep them only someplace that your cat can’t get. Like in the glove compartment of your car. Just make sure to take them out of your hair and put them back in the glove compartment before going back in your house, and you can still keep your house completely hair tie free. :D

As for alternatives, I love hair sticks. For extra grip while running, try putting hair styling wax on the shaft of the hair stick, and it should stay in firmly even when running.

You could try large scrunchies for braids, although I think they don’t hold securely enough for running. I’ve also seen people use hair slides for pony tails or even the ends of braids, you just have to find one the right size for your braid tassel so that it is secure. Not sure how well that would hold for running either though.

[Lizabeth94]

I keep my hair ties around the doorknob to my bedroom--too high and difficult for the cats to get to, but easy if you have thumbs.

I love that idea!

[stardust lady]

I’m so sorry to hear about the kitty! I hope she is recovering well.

You might be able to still wear hair ties if you keep them only someplace that your cat can’t get. Like in the glove compartment of your car. Just make sure to take them out of your hair and put them back in the glove compartment before going back in your house, and you can still keep your house completely hair tie free. :D

As for alternatives, I love hair sticks. For extra grip while running, try putting hair styling wax on the shaft of the hair stick, and it should stay in firmly even when running.

You could try large scrunchies for braids, although I think they don’t hold securely enough for running. I’ve also seen people use hair slides for pony tails or even the ends of braids, you just have to find one the right size for your braid tassel so that it is secure. Not sure how well that would hold for running either though.

Oh that's great to know about putting wax on the hair sticks... that could definitely work! Things stay in my hair pretty well, since it's rather thick and not-so-silky, but I'll have to remember this in case I have a problem with getting sticks to stay put.


When your hair is long enough, securing a french roll with spin pins might work, unless kitty eats spin pins too! (poor kitty)

Have you tried using a bandana on the bias for tying a ponytail? Or a very long piece of cloth or thick yarn, tie the pony, braid the cloth or yarn into the braid and tie off at the end, like a paranda, but simpler.

Oh I don't know if she eats hair pins. She definitely knocks them around the house, but the vet didn't mention anything about finding pins inside her. I think things that get caught on the tongue barbs get stuck going down their throat, and those things that are made of metal or plastic are less of a risk for that.


If you want braids in the future and think a square piece of cloth is safe, you could go buy some really, really thin fabric and cut it into strips like scarves (or find thin scarves or very fat, gauzy decoration ribbons for this purpose). At the time of use you could roll these strips into thin tubes that would behave like ribbon when you want them to, but mostly exist as a strip of fabric uninteresting to the cat. Unless the cat tries to eat scarves this should be pretty safe. You could also make a decent sized paranda out of yarn. The one I have would be too large for a cat to eat and you can make them as long and large as you want.



It's not out of order that you would worry about what to do when your hair gets longer. You have a goal to grow to waist which will probably happen in the next couple of years. A cat can live 15-20 years and hopefully yours will. That will be a long time when you will have a cat that eats cables, and have long hair that you want to braid. It's probably smart to start experimenting to see what could work for you and what, of those possibilities, might draw the cat's attention. There might also be someone you could talk to, like a vet or trainer or something, about how you could keep items that the cat likes to eat away from them. Some people in this thread have given a few ideas you could test. You might be able to live without hair elastics or ribbons, but those are not going to be the only possible cable like things the cat could eat and get deathly ill from. Plus it is difficult to fully control guests to your living space, even if you try. It would probably be best to have a plan A (no hair elastics) and plan B (people who arrive with such things must place them in this box with a lid that lives in a drawer the cat can't open, for example).

I'm pretty sure my cat has Pica, so it is definitely going to be an ongoing challenge. I knew when I adopted her that she had certain neuroses, since I was warned by the foster, potentially due to being separated from mother at a week old, very sick and abandoned outside. She has strange twitches and possibly some neurological problems, so it's a challenge to know what she will and won't attempt to eat... Which means it's definitely easier for me to stick with no elastics. Big scrunchies are probably safe. The hair ties she ended up eating were the very little ones. They barely even fit wrapped twice into a ponytail and were a bit thinner than average too. I think she had like 20 inside of her, more or less.

I'm sure I will eventually relax about the issue over time, but right now, the financial and emotional damage is fresh, and I never want to have to make that kind of decision again. Plus knowing there was a chance I would spend that much money and she could have still died really sucked. So I suppose that is my answer to those several people who asked why I can't just keep track of my elastics from now on. It just feels too risky and not worth it.

The good news is, all my close friends at the moment are short-haired men, so I won't have to worry about being the hair-tie police anytime a friend visits, haha.

[Pouncequick]

I'm pretty sure my cat has Pica, so it is definitely going to be an ongoing challenge. I knew when I adopted her that she had certain neuroses, since I was warned by the foster, potentially due to being separated from mother at a week old, very sick and abandoned outside. She has strange twitches and possibly some neurological problems, so it's a challenge to know what she will and won't attempt to eat... Which means it's definitely easier for me to stick with no elastics. Big scrunchies are probably safe. The hair ties she ended up eating were the very little ones. They barely even fit wrapped twice into a ponytail and were a bit thinner than average too. I think she had like 20 inside of her, more or less.

I'm sure I will eventually relax about the issue over time, but right now, the financial and emotional damage is fresh, and I never want to have to make that kind of decision again. Plus knowing there was a chance I would spend that much money and she could have still died really sucked. So I suppose that is my answer to those several people who asked why I can't just keep track of my elastics from now on. It just feels too risky and not worth it.

The good news is, all my close friends at the moment are short-haired men, so I won't have to worry about being the hair-tie police anytime a friend visits, haha.

I only mentioned having a main plan and a backup plan as part of an idea to prepare for the future. I mostly mentioned that because I have a door/drawer/cupboard opening, trash raiding kitty who will get into anything even if he has perfectly good food in his bowl. He's a shelter kitty with a rough past so I definitely empathize with the struggle of a cat who needs a bit more attention and vigilance. I have to put things that aren't safe for him to eat in a container in the fridge that is only emptied right before I take the trash out. I have to remind my mom of this when she brings me groceries and all of my friends who visit for any sort of food consumption because they don't live here and they often forget the rules. I didn't know if your cat was good at raiding all of the odd places that usually get recommended for hiding things, but that might be a good thing to ask the foster if you still have contact. You might also want to try some controlled experiments with things like Christmas decorations. Better to know your cat thinks tree lights look tasty before it's plugged in and unsupervised. I totally understand ridding your house of any and every danger you can, even if it seems extreme to others. If you find other solutions or you can relax some in the future, then you can always come back here for all of the other great ideas.

I mean, I also go without hair elastics for a totally different reason so I'm not going to think that's crazy at all. I find thread/tape less damaging and more secure than elastic on braids and I wear buns with pins or sticks or forks instead. It sounds like scrunchies could be a great solution for you. There are almost always ways to adjust.

[stardust lady]

I only mentioned having a main plan and a backup plan as part of an idea to prepare for the future. I mostly mentioned that because I have a door/drawer/cupboard opening, trash raiding kitty who will get into anything even if he has perfectly good food in his bowl. He's a shelter kitty with a rough past so I definitely empathize with the struggle of a cat who needs a bit more attention and vigilance. I have to put things that aren't safe for him to eat in a container in the fridge that is only emptied right before I take the trash out. I have to remind my mom of this when she brings me groceries and all of my friends who visit for any sort of food consumption because they don't live here and they often forget the rules. I didn't know if your cat was good at raiding all of the odd places that usually get recommended for hiding things, but that might be a good thing to ask the foster if you still have contact. You might also want to try some controlled experiments with things like Christmas decorations. Better to know your cat thinks tree lights look tasty before it's plugged in and unsupervised. I totally understand ridding your house of any and every danger you can, even if it seems extreme to others. If you find other solutions or you can relax some in the future, then you can always come back here for all of the other great ideas.

I mean, I also go without hair elastics for a totally different reason so I'm not going to think that's crazy at all. I find thread/tape less damaging and more secure than elastic on braids and I wear buns with pins or sticks or forks instead. It sounds like scrunchies could be a great solution for you. There are almost always ways to adjust.

Wow it sounds like your cat is even more hooked on doo-dads than mine is! Mine doesn't know how to open doors or drawers but will definitely get into a box. Thankfully she also never raids the trash. Thanks for making me feel more normal about the extreme measures I want to take. I was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious about spending so much on the surgery and being so precautious - I've known many people that treat animals like objects or would refer to it as "just a cat" and think I was crazy for caring so much. But, when I agree to take care of another life, I can't not take every measure to keep them safe from harm.

Also, yeah, it's really not a bad idea to forgo elastics while growing out my hair. I have the sort of fine-ish strands that break easily and historically have always sported a halo of broken-off damage all around my head which always looked a bit haggard, so perhaps it's good riddance.