A 17-year-old male developed a swollen painful scalp hematoma after having his hair braided. This extensive hematoma was drained, but then reaccumulated. Because of this unusual complication, laboratory testing for a bleeding disorder was performed. This patient was diagnosed with type 1 von Willebrand disease. To our knowledge, this is the first case of von Willebrand disease presenting as a subgaleal hematoma. von Willebrand disease is a common inherited bleeding disorder which should be considered in patients with unusual bleeding.