Any advice for how to soften a blood clot/scab in long hair?

[csziggy]

As I related elsewhere (https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181203177) while in the hospital last weekend I fell and bashed my head - no concussion but a small abrasion that bled for almost two days. I was not stable enough for the nurses to try to clean the wound and with my long hair, bandages wouldn't have stayed in place. Now I have a scab of hardened blood about .5" x 1.5" stuck in my hair.

Since getting home from the hospital on Monday I have taken a shower every day (as part of my instructions from discharge) and washed my hair but the scab is not dissolving very fast. I'd love to get it out of my hair, though it really is not bothering me otherwise. Any suggestions other than washing it daily?

[Kali]

1. soak in cool/cold water

use a wet wash cloth and then maybe put a shower or swim cap or just wrap in a towel.

[csziggy]

2. I figured that is the best choice

But my showers have to stay short and with the fall I jerked my neck so keeping cold water on my head makes my neck and shoulder muscles spasm.

Since I can't go anywhere for two more weeks, I guess I will keep up with the daily showers and hope that it will dissolve in that time. It is starting to break up but I am feeling good enough that it is getting annoying.

To me this is the worst part of recovery - I am feeling better and wanting to do more than my body is ready for!

[Kali]

4. it will come out eventually even with warm water

but as I am sure you know, heat tends to set blood. also if you fiddle with it while dry it will start to crumble and fall apart.

[csziggy]

6. I've been picking at it, but the area is still very bruised and sore

Nothing like it was last weekend, but I have to be very careful when shampooing it. Today was the first day I could really feel around the laceration to figure out the size of the scab. Oh well, the only people who see me are my husband, the physical therapist, and my friend who feeds my horses and cat.

Maybe by the time I visit the doctor it will be out and I can wear my cap again. I felt naked driving home from the hospital without my cap on!

[dawg day]

3. You might try a poultice soaked in water with dissolved baking soda (several tablespoons)

There's something about the chemistry that will dissolve the clot, I think, and baking soda is very benign.

[csziggy]

5. I'll see if my husband can help with that!

Though he's got to be gone all day tomorrow and I won't get my shower.

We have some gauze pads and plenty of baking soda - it's just a matter of how to hold it in place to let it soak. It was really funny at the hospital - the nurses kept wrapping up my head with gauze to keep me from bleeding everywhere. But my head is shaped like Charlie Brown's - round as a beach ball. The wraps would slide right off, even when they tried a chin strap. Eventually they gave up and put an absorbent pad under my head. That's one reason the scab is spread across a good area of my hair.

[dawg day]

13. Think about covering your pillow tonight with a trashbag-

Then wrapping your hair (just like after a shampoo) in a towel, but the part of the towel there over the clot is soaked with bakingsoda-water. I don't know if you can sleep that way! But you'd get hours of the soda working on the clot.

[Cracklin Charlie]

7. I was thinking the same, only with epsom salt.

The epsom salt is also very good for treating wounds, in a low concentration.

[csziggy]

10. Oooh - but I'd have to buy some epsom salt

I used to buy it in half gallon milk carton sized containers to soak horses' feet but the last of mine was in the barn that burnt to the ground a couple of years ago. Do they sell it in smaller amounts?

Thanks!

[3catwoman3]

8. Peroxide is great at getting blood out of clothes - it foams up...

...and lifts the bloodstains right out. After the scab is wet, try putting some peroxide on the scab. I wouldn't leave it too long, unless you want to bleach your hair (I have no idea what color your hair is).

A good way to test this, if you can get a little piece of the scab out of your hair, would be to pour some peroxide on the piece and see what happens.

Good luck!

[abqtommy]

9. Yes, Hydrogen Peroxide works wonders

in cleaning out wounds or blood on surfaces. It's a good idea to leave the peroxide in your hair for a short time before rinsing well with water, though when I was young my step-brother was disappointed that using peroxide on his hair didn't do much. Better safe than sorry!

[csziggy]

11. I'm not sure I want to bleach my hair

After years of being a boring light brown it has darkened to nearly brunette. When I was a teenager a friend with similar color hair tried to put in highlights with peroxide and it was not pretty.

But if the scab does not come out, I may get desperate!

[3catwoman3]

12. Here is one more thing you could do to test this idea.

If you could spare 3-5 strands of hair, put them in a dish with peroxide, and check them every few minutes. Then you would be able to tell how soon any color lifting took place.

I think the peroxide would have to stay in contact for some time.

[cynatnite]

14. I got 15 stitches in my head and the blood wasn't tough to get out...

I used warm water and it came out after a few days.

I was sore and didn't want to spend a lot of time trying to get it out. The blood will eventually come out, but using soapy warm water helped mine. Plus it felt good. It was mostly gone after three washings.

[csziggy]

15. I've been using shampoo and warm water

But today was the first day I could really feel around the area since it was badly bruised - had to get a CT scan to make sure I didn't get my fifth concussion.

I'll just have to keep working at it, I think.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

16. Csziggy, here are some thoughts for you....

People use peroxide, enzyme-based detergents and even ammonia to soften and remove dried blood from fabrics. However, any of those would be hard on your scalp and hair, and could do harm to your wound scar tissue.

What I would try is to attempt to re-moisturize the clot using a gentle skin-compatible product such as coconut oil, olive oil or any number of the good cosmetic seed oils such as jojoba, argan, or grapeseed oil to soften the clot so it can be just washed out of your hair. Thinner oils would be best. You could just dab it on pretty heavily and cover with a cloth, towel or head-wrap for quite a while, and it might need to be refreshed a few times as it soaks into the clot's mass.

Even a good moisturizing hand or body lotion may do the trick. Again, re-apply often to keep the clot moist with lotion.

Just trying to save you more suffering.......

[csziggy]

17. Oh - that's a good idea though keeping a wrap on my round head is next to impossible

I might try what worked after my sleep apnea study left gunk in my hair from the sensors - at the beginning of my shower I doused my hair with conditioner and let it sit during the shower. Then at the end, I rinsed my hair and shampooed it and all the sticky stuff washed right out.

The only problem is that I can't pin up may hair like I did then - the laceration is right where I normally put my hair clip, but maybe I could pin it higher so the conditioner would be over the laceration. My hair is pretty dry from being washed daily so some conditioner would do it good anyway!

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Try rubbing meat tenderizer on it ... or contact lens enzymatic cleaner.

Both contain proteolytic enzymes, but I'm not sure how well they'll work on fibrin. Of course, they might work on keratin (hair) too !

The little pills used for soft contacts can be crushed with a little water to make a paste.

ETA: Bromelain, from pineapple, is used in some meat tenderizers, and is known to break down fibrin. Ditto for papain, which is used in some contact lens cleaners.

[blogslut]

19. Personally?

I would leave it alone and let it work itself out naturally. Keep the area clean and if it becomes swollen, reddish or full of puss, tell your doctor.

[csziggy]

20. That's sort of my inclination - it's healing well

And the now flap of clotted blood in the hair is beginning to lift away from the scalp with no pain.

I probably will put some hair conditioner in tomorrow - since I know my hair will be washed the next day. I normally don't use it since my baby fine hair gets limp when I do use conditioner. It's just getting dry from washing almost every single day.

[blogslut]

21. I take it all back

I did some reading and this looks smart and correct:

https://www.aad.org/public/skin-hair-nails/injured-skin/wound-care

1. Always keep your cut, scrape or other skin injury clean. Gently wash the area with mild soap and water to keep out germs and remove debris.

2. To help the injured skin heal, use petroleum jelly to keep the wound moist. Petroleum jelly prevents the wound from drying out and forming a scab; wounds with scabs take longer to heal. This will also help prevent a scar from getting too large, deep or itchy. As long as the wound is cleaned daily, it is not necessary to use anti-bacterial ointments...

I am guilty of believing the myth that wounds need air to properly heal.

Still, don't pick at the scab.

[csziggy]

22. Good research!

The only picking I am doing is at the dried blood saturated area of hair below the laceration - I am leaving the laceration alone. I may try a dab of petroleum jelly on the area but I can't wash it until tomorrow and I really don't want to get petroleum jelly on my pillow when I sleep.

I'm hoping if I can break up and loosen the dried blood that accumulated on the hair, it will work loose sooner. I have to use gentle shampoo - I react to any other kind.

The instructions for the surgical incisions are to wash with soap and water, cover with a light dressing - the several days they gave us some dressings that sealed better, but my skin is still inflamed from the adhesive on those. Nothing is to be applied to the incisions for now. On April 22 I go back to have the staples removed and the instructions may change then.

[blogslut]

23. Got any spare old pillowcases that you don't care about?

Or maybe wrap your pillow in an old towel or something? Go the extra mile and bag it in plastic then cover it with something old?

[csziggy]

24. THe towel idea is good - it would soak up any petroleuk jelly

And I do have one I have been using to cover my neck & shoulders while my hair dries so I don't get muscle spasms.

I am still sleeping/resting about 18 hours a day - great for healing but kinda boring.

[blogslut]

25. Yeah, I hear you.

Sleep and rest are great until they're mandatory.

You are getting better and that is the best thing.

[dlk]

27. Try Baby Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil or a Similar Type of Oil

If you gently massage the oil into the scab, it will slowly loosen it.

[csziggy]

28. I've decided to use what I have on hand

Eucerin Original Healing Formula. It has: Water, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Ceresin, Lanolin Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Piroctone Olamine.

I use it when my hands are very dry and it does wonders for my skin so I rubbed some of it in the scab and where the blood is dried into the hair.

[dlk]

29. Good Idea to Use Something that Won't Damage Your Hair

Peanut butter is oily enough. I’ve used it for cleaning gum out of things. It makes a bit of a mess, though.

[Cold War Spook]

30. Do you own a dog or can borrow one?

I had a deep hole just under my knee. I didn't want it to heal from the outside in so I let one of my dogs lick it until it was soft. He then pulled the scab off. He then licked the inside. When the scab grew back each day he would repeat until eventually the hole healed properly. Yeh I know, you shouldn't do it. I eat with the same fork I feed my dogs. On trips, in the car, we drink out of the same bowl. They clean out my nose. We sleep together. My wife sleeps in another room.