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While my sweet boyfriend Bill is in the hospital for another few days I am still working on sorting out the hair issue. Friday before surgery I generously coconut oiled the length of his loosely curly and tangle prone hair. I tried to bun it but somehow it always blobs out somehow resisting the twist. The blob was secured with a ponytail elastic and ended up looking like a Navajo folded bun. It held enough to last the day but upon unwinding Saturday the hair had become a single curl that made combing the tangles out more difficult. Since a braid creates tangles all by itself on Bill I skipped that idea and left him in a still oiled ponytail Saturday night.
Today I arrived to find his hair loose and a little matted after the morning nurse had washed his hair and roughly combed it somewhat. I was impressed the "aloe based 2 in 1 bodywash and leave in shampoo" had somehow unoiled his hair and am still wondering how it works without rinsing the oil away. However, the hair condition was not laudable. Left unrestrained and without conditioner Bill's hair was quickly getting tangled from all the movement against the pillow, the oxygen tubes around the ears, and the gown tie on his neck.
After combing him carefully and hopefully getting a smidgeon of sebum scooting down I made a ponytail then tried the bun slightly more successfully. For the next few days I need better options if there are any for his sparse, quickly tapering hair as seen in my full avatar photo. I'd try a wolfeyes topknot (and even add a Katherine tiara to his utter embarassment since it is his birthday reign) but it is too wispy on top to anchor anything. Absalom bands are a possibility but they slip off the taper so fast and it really is the ends that need protection from going all scribbly.
Thanks for any assistance this esteemed company can provide!
Elizabeth, who gratefully acknowledges that since my Bill went in for open heart surgery and my biggest concern is his hair, things are really going great :-)))
I would think some sort of braid would be the best option, even if the last few inbches have to be left unbraided. Hp[e all goes well, with both hair and heart!
Have you considered a satin pillowcase?
Did I take a Japanese class with you a few years back?
How about braided pigtails? They won't rub on the pillow as much that way, or be lumpy on the back of his head. I know you said braids tend to tangle together, but it's got to be better than leaving the hair loose.
Try getting him a satin pillowcase. Tie his hair into a very high ponytail that doesn't lay on his neck that could be flipped onto the pillow.
Speaking as a nurse, the satin pillowcase and the high ponytail or braid would be the best. The high pony will keep the hair from being laid on and should help keep in out of the oxygen, gown ties, etc. You might want to bring in your own shampoo and conditioner because most hospitals do not have very good shampoo in stock. Hope he has a swift recovery.
Mary Ellen
Many thanks Baldie, Katherine, Mary C., Morwilwarin, and Mary Ellen! In an amalgam of all the ideas I read the next morning Bill's hair got braided off to one side and going two-thirds of the way down. Unable to find a satin pillowcase at short notice I decided to encase the loose end in a tissue held with small rubber bands along the length and it worked great. Now Bill is home, up and around a lot, and taking care of his own hair again.
Elizabeth, who only has taken Japanese by CD-ROM but would have loved to take a class with Katherine
Mary Ellen, I'll thank you on behalf of all nursing staff. You have a difficult job and I am so grateful that wonderful people such as yourself fill that necessary role!
