Hi everyone!
I’m starting a healthcare job in a pediatric hospital and am wanting to hear how y’all are styling your hair at work. I know it differs from person to person, but I wanted to hear it all.
For reference, I have thick, layered 3a curls that go to my mid-back. My usual go-to styles are a ponytail or bun. Recently, I’ve noticed an increase in tangling, breakage, and damage with these two styles, so I’m looking for healthier alternatives. I don’t think “protective style” is the right term here, but I’m looking for styles that I can rotate, will keep my hair healthy during long work hours, and will help minimize breakage long-term.
In a perfect world, I would love to wear my hair down, but it gets overwhelming and I always pull it out of my face. I will be in and out of PPE with my hair tucked into a disposable scrub cap, so I don’t want to constantly be worrying about how it looks. I also won’t be able to wear a normal scrub cap regularly, or else I absolutely would!
Recently, I’ve started twisting my hair up into a giant claw clip, which has helped some but causes headaches. I feel like there’s no winning lol. The crown of my hair has a lot of frizzies/fly aways, and I’m not sure if it’s further damaging my hair to keep gelling them down. I’ve read on here that braids/twists can be a great option, but I really struggle doing them on myself. My hair tangles, they never look quite right due to the frizziness of my crown, I get frustrated, and give up. But regardless, I will keep trying!
I know this is a lot…but if anyone has any thoughts or advice, I would love to hear it!
I appreciate y’all and thank you so much in advance! ☺️💜
TLDR: Healthcare girly with thick, mid-back length, 3a hair looking for styling ideas that are not ponytails/buns (due to damage). Frizzy crown, has continuously failed at learning to braid/twist but willing to persist, any advice or words of wisdom are appreciated!
Current routine (recently changed to help with damage from tangling and highlights):
-Detangle with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Curls Detangling Deep Conditioner
-Wash with K18 Detox Shampoo
-Lightly dry with a microfiber towel
-Apply K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask (leave for 4+ minutes, no rinsing)
-Apply Not Your Mother’s Leave-In Conditioner Spray
-Apply Aussie Instant Freeze Maximum Hold Gel
-Comb through hair with a wide-tooth comb and scrunch with gel
-Clip roots with alligator clips for volume
-Diffuse on warm heat, high speed
-I sleep on a satin pillow case with my hair down (bonnets slide off of my head in the night and flatten my hair, pineappling causes irritation and build-up, willing to hear any advice on this as well!)
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When I worked in daycares I would do braids, buns, and claw clip twists. I'd also to two side buns and low ponytails occasionally.
The two side buns always look so cute! After reading comments and researching, it seems that braids are the way to go.🫡Thank you so much for your comment!
When I was actively taking care of pediatric patients, I almost exclusively wore double dutch braids. This seemed to be the best for keeping my hair out of the way, while also protecting it from the dry/colder environment of the hospital. I am a chronic migraine sufferer and as long as you don’t braid them super tight, you should be fine headache wise. With practice, you can learn how to do it. I use a decent amount of leave-in conditioner on soaking wet hair, braid while wet (moldy hair/scalp is a myth) and then use ‘got2be ultra-glued’ gel on/around my crown for flyaways. I use a dedicated toothbrush to apply the gel. Sometimes I’ll top the braids off with mousse. If done right, the braids will last several days without issue (sleeping in a silk bonnet). My hair is waist length, so I have a long hair bonnet for when I wear braids. ETA: Bonnets with ties might help keep your bonnet on all night.
This is SO helpful! A friend put my hair in 2 Dutch braids a few weeks ago and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I was worried that braiding your hair while wet would cause it to break, but it seems that’s a very common thing. 🤦🏻♀️ The Got2be glued gel has become my best friend lately. Thank you so much for your comment!
Good luck! I hope you love the new job! Working peds is often difficult, but so rewarding!
I think if headaches and breakage are problems, you might just need to find ways to secure your hair that put less tension on it. Have you tried spin pins instead of a claw clips? It’s tiny bit of a learning curve but they can be just as secure as a clip with less scalp pressure. I usually twist my hair up into a loose faux french twist situation and secure it with 2 spin pins. I’ve also taken to wearing my hair in a high pineapple pony with a silk scrunchie to work on days I can’t be bothered. Even if it’s not your preferred sleep style, the silk scrunchie mitigates a lot of the damage, especially if you don’t pull it too tight.
Also, do look up videos on how to french braid your own hair and practice—one loose french braid down the back is my favorite anti-headache style and it’s really easy to tuck up into a cap if needed. And the nice thing about curls is the braid will never be smooth, so it doesn’t have to be perfectly sectioned, and curls have less slip than straight hair so we can get away with the braid being looser without it falling out.
I haven’t heard of a spin pin before but will be looking into it! That sounds like the best choice for me, low tension is what I need. I will take another go at braiding, thank you so much for your comment!
Are you making that pony/bun with a silk scrunchie? That could probably help a lot. I also second the advice to use spin pins instead of straight pins.
It was with a silk scrunchie 😭 I might have been making it too tight? The seconding of the spin pins has me eagerly looking into it instead of the straight pins. Thank you for your comment!
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Bandette comb or French comb. I really like the one by loc-a-loc. Easy to twist up and take down when not needed, and reapply without a mirror. Doesn’t give me a headache after 12 hrs, ICU nurse.
I’ve seen the French combs everywhere! Just looked up a tutorial and it looks easier than I remember. I’ll be giving these a shot! Thank you for all that you do as an ICU nurse and thank you for commenting! 💜
When my hair was long, I used a banana clip! It's great to wear to bed under a bonnet too.
My hair is now above my shoulders, so I use plastic hair combs to pin my hair back from my face. My hair is really fine with 2c curls, and the top layers of my hair always recover with just a little bit of water. I need to replace these pretty frequently, but the metal ones cause me more breakage.
Half up half down with a claw clip! My go to
Healthcare girlie here (but I'm adult cardiac). I do braids (either French or Dutch, sometimes a single braid and sometimes double), claw clips (I have to use ones for thick hair if I put all my hair up, but sometimes I use small ones and just do a half up style), banana clips, and barretts for half up styles. I have done spin pins in the past as another commenter suggested, just my hair is too frizzy for those to work well. Also, wide headbands. My preferred brand is Hair Glove, but I have some knock offs from Amazon that work well, and I will use pre wrap (just like I did in high school 🙃) sometimes if my hair is fully pulled back.
My go-to hairstyles for activities I need my hair out of my face are braids around my head. Because I am a lazy person, I do one braid a little more sideways behind my ear and pin it around my head. If I feel less lazy, I make two braids and pin them around my head. If I feel muy bonita, I do the work and french braid around my head.
I'm big into braids, and you can do so much with them. Single french braid, pigtail french braids, milk-maid (dutch) braids, dutch braid crown, single or pigtail dutch braids, three regular braids, and then make a big braid with the three braids. Braid the sides and use the braids to hold the rest of your hair in a low ponytail. You can also braid the sides, put the rest of your hair in a bun, and then use the braids to hold the bun in place instead of pins or bands that might be breaking your hair.
Google braid styles. There's a TON and they are generally kind to your hair by not causing breakage and keeping it from knotting.
I find positioning my ponytail or bun lower on the back of my head helps a lot with reducing any tension on my hairline. Basically anywhere below the top of my ears. Give more of a librarian than cheerleader look, but worth it for comfort.
One of my ICU nurses always wore the prettiest scarves in her hair and had it styled differently almost daily.
It was kinda like this (she’d match them with her scrubs, too). They were super cute!
https://preview.redd.it/k2cqjcmes6ag1.jpeg?width=686&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6124b02f20e588a4bff33cebd9549bc688896d42
I read this as "wonk" friendly hairstyles and thought you were talking about intercourse😂. I clicked so fast
RN for 15 years with long curly 3C hair and a huge fan of wearing lightweight halo extensions, bun and ponytail pieces and even nice quality wigs under a collection of scrub caps, pulled back for direct care of course, for my shifts. It gives me the flexibility to not have to wash as often (I of course wash my face/body lol), have fun with styles, lengths and colors and I often do double work and do a protein or other treatments under as well and wash after work. It helps on off days too with a baseball or other hat. Literally life changing. My damage is so much less! 💅
Braids lead to less breakage than ponytails. My go to is a "Katniss" style braid over one shoulder.