About the 1-UP Hair Tie
Many can use the 1-UP Hair Tie, even if:
- You have broken your arm or wrist
- You have paralysis in the hand, arm or shoulder
- You do not have hand(s) or arm(s)
- You have other upper limb mobility challenges
1-UP Hair Ties can be used with:
- One Hand
- Residual Limbs
- Two Hands
- Feet
Get a handful of independence – use the 1-UP Hair Tie for:
- Ponytails
- Buns
- Bunches
- or as a Headband
About the creator of 1-UP Hair Ties
In 2009 Holly Franklin launched a range of special hair ties which are used by those living with a variety of upper limb differences such as fellow amputees, those living with paralysis, people with breaks and sprains, and many more other conditions that limit a person’s ability to perform a task as simple as a ponytail.
“After losing my hand in 2005 due to a congenital vascular condition, I had to learn how to do a whole host of things with one hand – tie shoelaces, eat a big burger, peel a banana. One thing kept frustrating me, and that was putting my hair up into a ponytail. It seems such a simple thing, but I couldn’t find anything that worked.”
“I searched the internet for ages and I could only find ‘how to’ instructions for pony tails that involved door knobs, laying backwards on a couch and other methods.”
Not finding any readily available solutions that didn’t require a degree in contortion, she cobbled together her first one handed hair tie.
Over time and with various sources of inspiration, Holly landed on a design that works – the 1-UP Hair Tie.
“I got to thinking, there must be many hundreds of girls, women and a few guys out there who are keeping their hair short because they don’t have an easier solution. I wanted to let people know that there is one less challenge in their daily life.”
Since 2009 Holly has created a variety of designs with her varied audience in mind. There are detailed instructions for multiple methods of creating a pony tail for a variety of upper limb differences.
Holly says the best thing about the business is the feedback she gets from customers: “I had a message the other day from a lady saying “I just put my own hair up for the first time in my life! You have no idea how excited this made me.””