How do police and support workers pin their hair up for safety?

December 18, 2016 9:27 PM

How do longer-haired police, support workers, corrections officers, psych nurses, soldiers and others pin long hair up to keep themselves safe?

I am looking for information on how hair can be pinned up to prevent hair grabs. I imagine most of these professionals take some sort of course in de-escalation techniques, but I wondered what they do to keep their hair from being pulled. I tried the Internet, but, even with SafeSearch on, it wasn't giving me the information I wanted. Ha.

I imagine they have to use techniques that can't be turned back into a weapon. And they'd have to watch that the item couldn't make the hair grab worse. I wonder how it works if the person has longer, thicker hair too. I have seen a school support worker with a toque (beanie / knitted cap) and others who wear a do rag or something. But are there recommended techniques?

posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

I've worked in locked psych facilities. We were advised not to wear long dangly earrings or scarves that could be used to choke us, but no one ever said anything to me about any of the workers' hair.
posted by lazuli at 9:35 PM on December 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

As a soldier, we generally use a particularly tight bun that uses hairpins and hair ties. That thing is just not moving.
posted by corb at 10:07 PM on December 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

As a paramedic, an extra super tight bun most days. To keep my hair from breaking, and/or on days I need to fit my hair into a helmet, I switch it up every so often to a French braid with the end tucked under like so.
posted by skyl1n3 at 10:43 PM on December 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

The women and girls in my daughter's judo dojo do either tight buns, or tight (sometimes French) braids (sometimes in two braids, which looks a lot better on an adult woman than you might think) if the hair is too short for a bun.
posted by kmennie at 11:04 PM on December 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

Psych nurse here! I use a bun, usually either low or at a midpoint. Just this last week my hair reached a length where it's long enough to stay in a bun with just a hair elastic.

Our official dress code just says it needs to be off our face.
posted by RainyJay at 11:26 PM on December 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Former locked psych ward counselor - tight bun or French braid tucked under. I tended to use hairspray instead of pins, as it is very easy in my hair for bobby pins to fall out, which would not have been good on the unit.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 3:50 AM on December 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

In situations where hair pins are a no, I have done my hair up in two braids and then wrapped them around my head, then used a blunt needle and ribbon to literally sew the braids in place (to the underlying hair, obviously not thru the skin). Done well, that hair is NOT moving. This can also be done with a bun, but I find it harder. It also doesn't fit well under a helmet. The trick is to fit the hair under protective gear, and not give someone an easy hand hold onto you.
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 5:18 AM on December 19, 2016 [8 favorites]

Response by poster: Hmmm. So maybe I should be doing a tight bun and wearing a kerchief or something over it...

Thanks. I guess maybe now I have to learn how to do a bun. I know how to do a messy bun, but I have no idea how to put my hair up in the first place. I guess I will look up some videos!
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 4:09 PM on December 19, 2016

Haircut is always an option!
posted by oceanjesse at 10:12 PM on December 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

No kerchief! ...just my personal recommendation, but...no.

Take a ponytail, before the hairtie. Twist it, clockwise, around itself, tucking the ends into itself before applying the tie. Then start sticking in bobby pins as you can.
posted by RainyJay at 1:07 AM on December 21, 2016 [1 favorite]