You can wash your hair with staples in your head, and in most cases you can do it sooner than you might think. The worry that water will somehow ruin the wound or cause a serious infection keeps a lot of people from washing for days or even weeks, but the actual risk from a gentle rinse is very low. The key is technique: how you handle the area around the staples, what products you use, and how you dry the wound afterward all matter more than whether water touches it at all.
When You Can Start Washing
Most surgeons and emergency physicians allow hair washing within 24 to 48 hours after staples are placed, as long as there is no active bleeding or drainage from the wound. The old advice to keep surgical wounds bone-dry for a week or more has largely fallen out of favor. A retrospective study of patients who showered early after surgery found a wound infection rate of just 0.9%, and the single infection that did occur was traced to the patient’s own pre-existing skin condition rather than to water exposure.1Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research. Safety of early postoperative showering in level-1 and level-2 surgical wounds: a retrospective study That finding lines up with what wound-care specialists have been saying for years: clean tap water running briefly over a closed wound is not the threat people assume it is.
That said, your surgeon’s specific instructions override any general guidance. Some wounds are more complex than others, and factors like the depth of the laceration, the presence of a drain, or underlying conditions such as diabetes can shift the timeline. If you were sent home without clear washing instructions, call the office and ask. A study of discharge wound-care instructions at a teaching hospital found that roughly one in four sets of written instructions were incorrect or incomplete, a rate that only improved after the facility introduced a standardized template.2Oxford Academic. 594 Improving the Accuracy of Discharge Wound Care Instructions in a Teaching Facility If your discharge paperwork seems vague or contradictory, you are not imagining things.
Step-by-Step Technique
Washing your hair with staples does not require a complicated ritual, but a few adjustments go a long way toward keeping the wound clean and comfortable. Here is a practical approach that works for most people:
- Use lukewarm water. Hot water can increase blood flow to the scalp and cause swelling or even minor bleeding around the staple sites. Lukewarm or slightly cool water is gentler on healing tissue.
- Let water flow over the wound. Stand under the shower and let water run gently over the stapled area. Do not aim a high-pressure showerhead directly at the wound. A soft, gravity-fed stream is ideal.
- Apply shampoo away from the staples. Lather shampoo in the areas of your scalp that are not near the wound. Let soapy water drift over the stapled area passively as you rinse. This cleans the surrounding hair without you having to scrub around the metal.
- Do not pick or scrub. Dried blood, small scabs, and crusting around the staples are normal and part of the healing process. Resist the urge to scrub them off. They will soften and loosen on their own with gentle water exposure over several washes.
- Pat dry, do not rub. After washing, press a clean towel gently against the stapled area. Rubbing can snag a staple or irritate the wound edges. If the area is hard to reach, a clean cotton T-shirt works just as well as a towel and tends to be softer.
The whole process should feel uneventful. If water running over the wound causes sharp pain or fresh bleeding, stop, pat dry, and contact your doctor. Mild tenderness and a slight pink tinge in the water are normal for the first few washes.
What Products to Use and Avoid
Plain, gentle shampoo is fine for most people. Baby shampoo is a popular choice because it has a low concentration of surfactants and is less likely to sting if it contacts the wound edges. Fragrance-free or hypoallergenic formulas are another safe bet. The goal is to clean your hair without introducing unnecessary chemicals to healing skin.
Products to steer clear of include:
- Heavy conditioners: Thick conditioners and leave-in treatments can coat the staples and surrounding skin, trapping moisture and bacteria against the wound. Skip conditioner on or near the stapled area until the staples come out.
- Styling products: Gels, mousses, hairsprays, and dry shampoo powders have no business near an open wound. They can clog the healing tissue and make it harder to keep the area clean.
- Hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol: Despite their reputation as wound cleaners, both of these can damage new tissue and slow healing. Unless your doctor specifically told you to use one of them, stick with water and mild soap.
- Medicated shampoos: Anti-dandruff shampoos or those containing salicylic acid, coal tar, or ketoconazole can irritate a wound. Pause these until the staples are removed and the skin has closed.
If your doctor prescribed an antibiotic ointment for the wound, apply it after washing and drying. A thin layer is all you need. Slathering on too much ointment can actually soften the wound edges excessively and make it harder for the skin to close.
Showering Versus Soaking
There is an important distinction between letting water run over staples and submerging them. A quick shower where water flows across the scalp and drains away is a very different exposure from dunking your head in a bathtub, swimming pool, lake, or hot tub. Submerging staples in standing water for any length of time increases the risk of bacteria entering the wound, and the chlorine in a pool or the microorganisms in natural water sources add their own hazards.
The general rule is no submersion until the staples are out and the wound has fully closed, which typically takes a few days after removal. This means no swimming, no soaking in the bath with your head leaned back, and no hot tubs. If you take baths, either keep your head above water or switch to showers until the wound heals.
Dealing With Blood and Crusting
A stapled scalp wound often looks worse than it is. Dried blood mats into the surrounding hair, and crusting forms along the staple line as the body’s clotting response does its job. This can be cosmetically unpleasant, and it is the main reason people want to wash their hair as soon as possible.
The dried blood will gradually soften with each shower. You do not need to get it all off in one wash, and trying to do so usually means scrubbing harder than you should. Over the course of two or three gentle showers, most of the matted blood will rinse away on its own. If a particular area is stubbornly caked, you can soak a clean gauze pad in warm water and hold it against the spot for a minute or two to soften the crust before letting the shower water carry it away.
Do not use a comb or brush near the staples. Even a wide-toothed comb can catch on the metal and pull at the wound. Comb or brush only the parts of your hair that are well away from the staple line. Once the staples are removed and the skin has healed, you can return to your normal grooming routine.
Signs That Something Is Wrong
Washing your hair with staples is straightforward, but you should know what a normal healing wound looks like versus one that needs medical attention. Some redness and mild swelling immediately around the staples is expected, especially in the first few days. The scalp has a rich blood supply, so even small wounds can look angry at first.
Contact your doctor if you notice any of the following:
- Increasing redness that spreads: A growing ring of red skin expanding outward from the wound edges suggests infection.
- Pus or cloudy discharge: Clear or slightly pink fluid oozing from the wound is normal. Yellow, green, or foul-smelling discharge is not.
- Fever: A temperature above 100.4°F (38°C) in the days after a scalp wound warrants a call to your doctor.
- A staple that has come loose or fallen out: One missing staple from a long line is usually not an emergency, but the wound edges may gap open. Let your doctor decide whether it needs replacing.
- Pain that gets worse instead of better: Pain should gradually decrease over the first few days. If it intensifies, especially with swelling or warmth, infection is possible.
Scalp staples were chosen for your wound in part because they carry a low infection risk. A prospective trial comparing staples to sutures for scalp wounds found no difference in wound infection rates between the two closure methods.3PubMed. Staples versus sutures in the closure of scalp wounds: a prospective, double-blind, randomized trial The staples themselves are made of surgical-grade stainless steel or titanium and are designed to resist corrosion, so brief water exposure during a shower does not degrade them.
How Long Staples Stay In
Scalp staples are typically removed between 7 and 14 days after placement, depending on the wound’s location, size, and how well it is healing. The scalp tends to heal faster than many other parts of the body because of its generous blood supply, so removal on the earlier end of that range is common for straightforward lacerations. Surgical wounds from a craniotomy or other planned procedure may follow a slightly different timeline based on the surgeon’s preference.
Removal is quick and usually less painful than people expect. The same trial that compared staples to sutures noted that staple placement was significantly less painful than stitching, and removal follows a similar pattern: a specialized staple remover crimps each staple in the center, bending the legs outward so it lifts free without pulling through the skin.3PubMed. Staples versus sutures in the closure of scalp wounds: a prospective, double-blind, randomized trial You may feel a pinch or a tugging sensation, but most people describe it as far less uncomfortable than they feared.
Do not attempt to remove staples yourself, even if the scheduled removal date has passed and you feel fine. Improper removal can tear the wound open, introduce infection, or leave a staple leg embedded in the skin. A healthcare provider has the right tool and can check that the wound has healed sufficiently before taking the staples out.
Hair Dryers, Hats, and Sleeping
After washing, you may be tempted to blow-dry your hair as usual. A hair dryer on a cool or low-heat setting held at a distance is generally fine, but avoid directing concentrated hot air at the wound. High heat can dry out the healing tissue and cause discomfort. If you can air-dry, that is the gentlest option.
Wearing a hat or headband over staples is a judgment call. A loose-fitting, clean hat that does not press directly against the staples is usually tolerable and can help with both sun protection and self-consciousness about the wound’s appearance. A tight-fitting hat that presses the staples into your scalp, on the other hand, can cause pain and irritation. If you need head protection for work or sport, ask your doctor whether a specific type of covering is appropriate for your wound.
Sleeping can be tricky when staples are on the side or back of your head. A travel pillow or rolled towel can help you position yourself so the staples are not pressed into the mattress. Some people find that a satin or silk pillowcase reduces friction and snagging compared to cotton. Changing your pillowcase frequently during the healing period also helps keep the wound area clean.
People With Longer or Thicker Hair
If you have long, thick, or textured hair, washing around staples presents some extra logistical challenges. Hair can become tangled around the staples, and trying to detangle it can pull on the wound. A few strategies help:
Before washing, gently separate your hair on either side of the staple line with your fingers, creating a loose part. This makes it easier to direct water over the wound without dragging matted hair across it. After washing, let the hair near the wound air-dry rather than twisting it into a towel or wrapping it up. If your hair tends to tangle easily, applying a small amount of detangling spray to the lengths well away from the wound can help you comb the rest of your hair without needing to work near the staples.
People who normally wash their hair infrequently, such as those with coily or tightly curled textures who follow a weekly or biweekly wash schedule, sometimes wonder whether they need to wash more often while staples are in place. You do not necessarily need to change your wash frequency. Keeping the wound itself clean is what matters, and that can be done by rinsing the stapled area with plain water between full washes. A quick rinse under the shower, followed by gentle patting dry, is enough to prevent buildup of sweat and debris without requiring a full shampoo session every day.
When the Staples Come Out
Once your staples are removed, the skin underneath will still be fragile for a while. The closure line may look pink or slightly raised, and the small puncture marks where the staple legs sat will take a few more days to close completely. Continue to treat the area gently for at least another week: no vigorous scrubbing, no harsh chemical treatments, and no direct sun exposure on the scar if you can help it. Sunscreen or a hat protects healing skin from hyperpigmentation, which can make a scar more visible in the long run.
Some people notice temporary hair loss around the wound site. This is usually caused by the trauma of the original injury rather than the staples themselves, and in most cases the hair grows back within a few months. If a bald patch persists well after healing, a dermatologist can assess whether the hair follicles were permanently damaged and discuss options.