Is It Bad to Wear a Hair Tie on Your Wrist?

Few objects this small have come to the attention of a Kentucky surgeon, the American Academy of Dermatology and the committee that classifies the world's headaches. On most days, the hair tie on your wrist is still nothing to worry about.

It has two jobs. It sits against your skin for hours, then it holds your hair for hours more. Each job comes with a short list of things that can go wrong, and a looser band shortens both lists.

Is it bad to wear a hair tie on your wrist?

For most people on most days, no. A band is more likely to cause trouble when it's tight enough to leave a groove, stays on for hours, holds sweat and hand lotion against the skin or has never been washed. Take it off tonight and look. If the skin underneath matches the skin beside it, you're fine.

Can a hair tie on your wrist cause an infection?

It can, though the reports are few. The case behind most of the headlines happened in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2015. A woman who had long worn hair ties on her wrist found a red bump that kept growing despite antibiotics, and she needed surgery to drain an abscess. Her surgeon, Dr. Amit Gupta, said bacteria from a glittery hair tie had likely gotten in through the skin. CBS News reported three types of infection and called the case rare. We couldn't find a peer-reviewed case report or any figure for how often this happens. It has happened, and nobody has counted.

Bands do get dirty. A small 2023 study from Florida Atlantic University swabbed 20 wristbands from volunteers and found bacteria on about 95% of them, with gold and silver carrying the least. As far as we can find, nobody has run that test on hair ties, and there's no reason to assume fabric gets a free pass. A band with bacteria on it isn't an infection, since healthy skin keeps most of this out. Scratched or irritated skin is less reliable.

If a spot under a band turns red, warm, swollen or painful, or a bump keeps growing, take the band off and call your doctor. If you've started antibiotics and it's still getting bigger, call again.

What else can a tight band do to your wrist?

It can press on a nerve or irritate the skin. The superficial radial nerve runs close to the surface on the thumb side of the wrist, and a New York hand surgeon's patient guide lists tight watch bands and elastic wristbands among the usual sources of pressure on it. The result is burning, tingling or numbness over the back of the thumb and first fingers, and taking the band off often settles it. We found reports about watches, bracelets and even handcuffs, and none about hair ties, so read this as the same idea at a smaller scale. If the numbness stays after the band is off, see a doctor.

An itchy rash under a band may be contact dermatitis. The Cleveland Clinic advises calling a provider if a rash blisters, looks infected or hasn't gone within a week of treatment.

Can tight hair ties cause hair loss?

Yes, if they pull hard and often. The American Academy of Dermatology lists tightly pulled ponytails, buns and updos among the styles that can cause traction alopecia, hair loss from repeated pulling at the root, and says the hairline is one of the first places you can see it. Ballet dancers, military personnel and anyone required to pull their hair back for work are among the people it names. A 2018 review says both how hard and how long you pull raise the risk. Most cases can be reversed if the pulling stops early. Left long enough, the loss can scar and become permanent.

The AAD says to stop a style right away if you notice pain, stinging, scalp crusts or tenting, where the scalp gets pulled up into small peaks. Once a month, check for broken hairs around your forehead, a receding hairline or patches where the hair is pulled tight. If you find any of these, see a board-certified dermatologist. The academy's own line is that it's never too early.

The headache has a name as well. The International Classification of Headache Disorders lists external-traction headache, once known as ponytail headache: pain brought on by sustained pull on the scalp, worst at the site of the pull and gone within an hour of letting go. If your head hurts at 3 p.m. and eases once your hair comes down, you've run the experiment yourself.

How can you wear a hair tie without hurting your skin or hair?

Wear it loose and wash it, on your wrist and in your hair.

• On your wrist: loose enough to turn freely, and off once you've been sweating. A spare rides just as well on a bag strap.
• In the wash: no study sets a schedule. The doctors in the Louisville case advised washing ties regularly, and a glittery tie that can't be cleaned is worth retiring.
• In your hair: the AAD says to wear hair loosely pulled back and to use covered bands made for styling hair.
• Over the week: move the ponytail lower, change where it sits, and give your hairline days off. Other offenders are in hair accessories that can damage your hair.

Fabric ties have a small place in this story. Rommy Revson, a Manhattan nightclub singer whose bleached hair had turned brittle, wanted something that wouldn't damage it the way elastic bands and plastic clips did, and in the late 1980s she patented a band of elastic in gathered fabric. She named it after her poodle. A scrunchie in any smooth fabric feels softer than a bare elastic, though we found no study comparing them, and are silk scrunchies better for your hair? takes up the silk question. Whatever it's made of, a scrunchie pulled tight strains the same follicles.

LS Silk scrunchies are 100% mulberry silk, sold as a 22-momme trio (mini, small and medium) and in mini packs. To wash one, hand wash cold, or machine wash on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag with mild detergent, then hang or lay flat to dry.

See the silk scrunchie trio →

Look at your wrist tonight. If the band turns freely, the skin under it matches the skin beside it and your ponytail comes out without a sigh of relief, the surgeon, the dermatologists and the headache committee have no business with you.

Frequently asked questions

Why do doctors warn against wearing hair ties on your wrist?

A tight band worn for hours can irritate skin and hold sweat and bacteria against it, and infection has been reported in a few publicized cases. The advice that came out of those reports is modest: don't wear it tight, don't wear it for long, and wash it.

How often should you wash hair ties?

No study sets a schedule. Wash a tie when it looks grubby or after a sweaty workout, and more often if it lives on your wrist. Ties with glitter or other surfaces you can't clean are worth replacing.

Can a hair tie cut off circulation in your wrist?

A band tight enough to leave a deep groove or make your hand tingle should come off right away. Tingling or numbness on the back of the thumb can come from pressure on a nerve. If it doesn't settle, or you see swelling or a change in skin color, see a doctor.

How do you know if your ponytail is too tight?

The American Academy of Dermatology says that if a style feels painful, it's too tight. Stinging, scalp pulled up into small peaks and a headache that lifts soon after you take your hair down are other clues. Loosen it, and see a dermatologist if you notice broken hairs or a changing hairline.

Does hair grow back after traction alopecia?

Often it does if the pulling stops early, and a 2018 review says most cases can be reversed. Long-standing cases can scar, and that hair may not return. Early advice from a board-certified dermatologist gives you the best chance.

Related reading: How to Protect Your Hair While You Sleep · Do Silk Bonnets Really Work? · Can You Machine Wash Silk?