How to fix your scrubs in a crisis

As a nurse working with the public, it’s important to look professional. So while anti-bacterial hand gel and a wallet are essential to keep in your bag, a nurse’s best friend can be a small collection of items that will keep you looking pulled together when your day…um…unravels.

Here are the bits and pieces that I always have readily accessible for my fashion emergencies.

Toupee Tape
Sewing Kit
Stain Wipes

Toupee tape
Next time there’s an award show on TV, check out how many actresses on the red carpet are wearing strapless dresses. I can assure you that most of them have some toupee tape on to keep everything in place!

Toupee tape, which really is designed to affix a toupee, is double sided. It comes in a variety of widths. The strips are approximately 1½ inches wide by 3 inches long. A perfect size for your purse!

When I was a costume designer, we must have gone through dozens of boxes of toupee tape on every show. It’s one of the greatest quick-fix items I know. For example, the tape can be used to hide unsightly bra straps. Just use a piece of tape on your bra strap and stick it to your clothing to keep the bra strap in perfect alignment.

If you’re wearing a scrub top that hangs open a bit and you’re not in the mood to give your patients a show when you bend over, just put a piece of toupee tape on one side of your top where it gaps, and secure the scrubs straight to your skin. Voila! No more risks of “exposure.”

Did your scrub pants come unraveled at the hem? No time to sew it back together? No problem. Just tape a piece of toupee tape on the inside of your hem and press the hem back in place on your scrub pants. You’re good to go. (Just remember to remove the tape before washing or dry-cleaning your clothing.)

You can find a tin box with 36 double-stick strips for about $9. It’s a reasonable price and, again, it can fit easily into your purse.