Spiral hair ties are a snap ... until they do

  

The idea of spiral hair ties sounds ingenious. These little coiled plastic loops are supposed to hold hair (as in a ponytail or half-pony) without creasing the hair shafts. That way, when they are removed, the hair remains sleek and styled.

 

Hey, they kind of work.

 Ever since hair scrunchies went out of style (inciting me to discard a whole Rubbermaid shoebox of those home-sewn fabric gems), I’ve used basic covered hair rubber bands to hold back (or up) my hair. Sometimes I’ve splurged a little for patterned or beaded varieties, but you get the point.

 I purchased a multi-pack of colors, ranging from clear to grey to tan to rust to brown to black. The promotional info calls this collection “gradient colors,” and I guess it’s supposed to correspond to plenty of people’s hair colors. OK, sure.

 Spiral hair ties are not particularly costly. I think I received 15 for about $5.

 But inexpensive and cheap are not exactly the same thing. When a product doesn’t hold up to a reasonable amount of use, then I’d count any price as too much.

 

Snap! Oops!

 Here’s what happened to one of my spiral hair ties – the second time I used it. I didn’t pull extra hard, as many of the various manufacturers' promotional photos demonstrate. It simply snapped when I tried to loop it twice around my ponytail.

 

Here’s an add-on drawback to the spiral hair ties.

 Unlike the traditional hair rubber bands (and scrunchies), spiral hair ties are too small and tight to fit on one’s wrist. And we all know how often we have worn our hair rubber bands that way, despite warnings about their possible effects on circulation and blood pressure.

 

Going back to the basics.

 Guess I’ll go back to the old covered rubber bands. Sure, they make a bump in my hair, but at least I can count on them to hold.

 And by the way. I heard hair scrunchies are coming back.

 

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Wigophobia: Fearsome phobias from A to Z

Have you ever known anyone who wigged out at the sight of a wig? How about someone who nearly toppled over in terror over seeing a toupee?

That’s wigophobia, the fear of wigs.

It’s sometimes called “maliaphobia” as well. This is considerably different from tonsurephobia, which is a fear of haircuts, or cocklaphobia, which is a fear of hats.

Perhaps people are leery of folks wearing wigs, if it means they cannot readily recognize these individuals. Maybe it’s something like the uncertainty of encountering people wearing masquerade party masks or Halloween costumes. It could be the mere concept of seeing a hairpiece that is not attached to anyone's head.

Some folks might be uneasy about the prospect of actually wearing wigs, possibly because this may become necessary under certain difficult or worrisome medical situations. Wigs are often worn after people have had their heads shaven or lost their locks during a serious illness or a strong treatment (such as for various forms of cancer).

More than a few cancer survivors have buried or burned their wigs, once their treatments were finished. Often, this is seen as a symbolic act of victory, not linked to wigophobia, even if they are relieved to no longer need the hairpieces.

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Rhytiphobia: Fearsome phobias from A to Z

Rhytiphobia is one of the primary reasons why cosmetic surgeons rake in so many greenbacks for doing facelifts. People tend to equate beauty with youth and clear, smooth skin.

Rhytiphobia is the fear of getting wrinkles.

It’s not just vanity or the desire to be fresh-faced. Rhytiphobia is a morbid, consuming sort of dread of such dermatological creasing. Some folks with this fear refuse to smile for form dramatic facial expressions, simply to minimize future wrinkling.

The word “rhytiphobia” is derived in part from the Greek word “rhytis,” which means “wrinkle.”

I am pretty sure I don’t have this sort of phobia. I’m not exactly afraid of aging and its effects on my face and form. My complexion is starting to look a little like an urban grid. Add a few scars from basal cell carcinoma removals and odd mole burn-offs, and you get the picture.

Aging leaves a few marks. Even middle-aging leaves some scars. But they only prove our longevity, which is a blessing and not so scary at all. Unless one is rhytiphobic.

On the other hand (or face), for many of us, maybe those creases are just mile markers. Now there’s a new wrinkle.

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Graphic adapted from public domain image

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