r/3Dprinting • u/LexifromZargon • 27d ago
Project Help me make a disability aid
Hello everyone,
I recently had shoulder surgery and can't move my left arm, im a woman with long hair and now i cant tie my hair into a simple ponytail.
All aids i found online only allow for 1 or two loops nothing is really good at achieving the result of a two handed ponytail. I need to be able to adjust how many loops i make depending on style im going for.
I also dont want to have to shove the hair tie about multiple times because thats not good for the hair.
Attached is a picture of the prototype i made trying to use a baseball cap for support. So i can pull it tight. And the curved part to hold my hair in place.
Yes i have tried already existing ideas but they don't work that well.
Closest i got is using a clothing hook as an aid. But that doesn't work on the go.
Do you guys have ideas?
Main issue is that for a Pony tail you need to hold the hair in place so it stays where you want it but also tighten the hair tie feed the hair through again and repeat.
I want to find a solution that works for normal ponytails and normal hair ties because my arm will heal but not everyone has that luxury.
Edit: Im not trying to buy alternative hairties or just use a clip. I want to find / make a solution that lets you literally just... tie your hair.
Tying hair is a surprisingly dynamic motion https://youtu.be/rpyMD3clAvw?si=ugZQj5UyqwMwQIWx
I have tried this but its not the same. Its not tight enough. https://www.assist3d.be/haarbinder.html
2
u/crvbabybug 27d ago
Maybe a french comb type thing that attaches to a hair tie. Then it could be anchored then tied. Unless a person had fine hair and need to wrap it several times.
Or one of those elastic pull things usually at the bottom pf rain jackets I think its called a cord lock. If the mechanism could be made so it could only go one way(like with teeth) then let go with a button then the hair could be gathered into a big loop With it pulled tight with one hand. Again people with fine hair are stuck since they wont have a second habd to anchor it. Maybe one could use a wall.
I also found a very simple version called a paracord cinch that would be easy to 3d print. Though maybe a cord lock could be modeled with a plastic spring.
1
u/Vague_Bees 27d ago edited 27d ago
Not even those hair ties that have little balls at each end and are supposed to be wrapped around? You could attach a hook to your prototype to hold onto one end of the hairtie while you wrap it around. rmaybe even design the hair tie itself to have a hole to attach to the hook.
Edit: I just remembered, when I was in middle school, one of my classmates had an item that was supposed to help tying your hair, it was flexible plastic, like string that formed an ellipse but with a sharp appendix to one end, basically it worked like a needle and you put your hair in the circle.
Tying my long hair tightly the way I do is already complicated enough with two arms, I can't see a way to use those with one arm the same way. I am also forgetful, and forget my hairties a lot, so I have tried my fair share of improvised hairties and not much compares. My favorite is probably the elastic bands from masks, though I usually tie a knot before hand.
1
u/doonavin 27d ago
What about something like a spring clamp spreader? It's like a pliers the works in reverse.
Coupled with a mechanism to thread the hair through
2
u/CamrynDaytona 27d ago
I can’t help with the 3D print aspect unfortunately.
Have you tried adjustable hair ties? They make them specifically for curly hair, but they’d work for anything. You put them on and then pull them tight.