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vincent_cervant
March 18th, 2011, 12:11 PM
First off I'm loving all the information.

Here is the problem I'm having. I work (as much as it pains me to admit it) in a fast food restaurant.
I have to be around a lot of oil. In fact I'm usually the one they have filter and change the oil, which can only assume is not the good kind of oil for hair. My hair is gross when I get home. I have been CWC when I get home for the past month and it seemed to help a lot, however in an hour or so it feels kinda stringy and dry. Nowhere nears its once former glory before I worked there. If I'm lucky enough to get two days off the second day it feels awesome after I wash it. On top of that I am forced to put it up in my hat. :( I have been rotating between ponying slightly to the left, slightly to the right, the middle, and braiding it and flipping it up in my hat in an attempt to minimize damage.
I guess I have two questions

Is there anything else that I can try to get my hair back to its silky smoothness that it once had, on a regular basis?

Can you suggest some other ways for a male to tame his hair in a "professionally and socially" acceptable manner that doesn't involve ponying? If it was up to me I would just use sticks and say thank you when a customer tells me my hair looks like a girls.

If it helps, 1c/2a F ii/iii BS (still slightly awkward to say that):)

Fingolphin
March 18th, 2011, 12:21 PM
You certainly could use sticks or buns if you want to! Of course the only real stricture is that you feel comfortable with it. When I worked at a large home improvement store, I almost always wore it in a bun. Would they let you wear some kind of bandana? You could put it up in that to protect it from all the grease in the air.

ETA: Yeah, in a store like that I got occasional comments from some of the real "Marlboro men" or whatever, :) but after a while the regulars and the coworkers just see that you do a good job and forget all about it.

krissykins
March 18th, 2011, 12:26 PM
Seconding the bun suggestion. Or is it possible for you to wear a hat? That could work too.

ETA: Yes, you already wear a hat. I'll silly. :silly:

But I still say buns. Buns with pins. That way people won't say your hair looks girly.

CarpeDM
March 18th, 2011, 12:27 PM
I think hair sticks would be cool :)

polette
March 18th, 2011, 12:31 PM
I worked in restaurants as a cook/chef until a become a stay at home ma, and I never had the heat, greasy atmoshere, or skull caps I wore effect my hair condition... Granted, I would have to shower more often, so I would recommended deep conditioning treatments.
I am going to assume that your current issues are because of the products you are currently using, and not fryer grease. If you are wearing your hair up (I hope so :p) then you really shouldn't be getting it grimy. What else changed when you began to notice the texture difference? Did you change to CWC? Have you changed your conditioners, or shampoo?

Oh, one last thing, I always wore skull caps, or chef hats, but I usually wore a bandana under it to keep my hair from going all over the place... You could braid or pin your hair how ever you pleased, then wrap a bandana around your head and put your hat on. I enjoyed doing so for sanitation reasons, and it also keep me cooler, keeping all the stray aways off my neck and face.

Fingolphin
March 18th, 2011, 12:32 PM
I think hair sticks would be cool :)

I think they would be too, OP. I can't wait to try them when my hair is long again. There are some amazing pics in some of the male members' albums of styles with hairsticks. Check them out! :)

CarpeDM
March 18th, 2011, 12:38 PM
You could also braid your hair, no?

princessrose
March 18th, 2011, 12:47 PM
A bandana under your hat is a good idea. I work in a restaurant as well and I find that simply using a lot of conditioner keeps my hair from getting greasy. Maybe try just washing your hair with water at night if you wash and condition in the morning, and using a leave-in to moisturize throughout the day?

bunzfan
March 18th, 2011, 12:52 PM
I think a braid would look cool if you have enough hair to do one.

Schefflera
March 18th, 2011, 01:07 PM
I surmised from the original post that the hat was required, and I personally am not wild about trying to coordinate hair sticks with a hat. If I were combining a bun with a hat, I would use pins.

Xandergrammy
March 18th, 2011, 01:23 PM
Have you ever seen something that I think is called a "pony scrub"? I know trolleypup wears them and they look good and keep the hair cleaner, I think.

CurlyCyndi
March 18th, 2011, 01:49 PM
Argh that sucks I hope you can figure out what works. I would probably put all my hair up in french braids. Usually when I am trying to protect my hair in public I wear a wig or hat. I bought a small wig kinda a little above chin length.. It's comfy and protects my hair... I think your hair would still smell but i don't think the grease would penetrate through the wig.. And http://cgi.ebay.com/Short-Straight-ChinLength-Bob-China-Doll-Style-Wig-Wigs-/300439194697?pt=US_CSA_MWA_Wigs_Extensions&var=&hash=item8bb2ec95bc#ht_5304wt_907

Alvrodul
March 18th, 2011, 03:08 PM
Welcoe to LHC! :flower:
Like the others here, I can join in the chorus that suggest you look into braiding to keep your hair tidy and out of the way during the day.
For your other problem - your unhappy hair - I recommend that you clarify your hair, and then follow up with a SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) to add moisture. The grease in the air at your workplace is likely to be as bad as the most coney products out there for buildup! :blueeek: And if you are using a sulfate-free shampoo, I think you should consider using one with sulfates instead, to get rid of the buildup of grease from the kitchen.
Oil, like cones, can act as a barrier to moisture - it can keep the moisture from escaping your hair, but it can also keep the miosture out. And like cones, oil can also require periodic clarifying - and the grease that gets into your hair in the kitchen is not the sort of oil you really want in your hair.
Good luck with getting your hair happy again!:)

walterSCAN
March 18th, 2011, 09:40 PM
... I'll help you learn to french/ dutch braid if you want, your hair is long enough for it, but isn't the rule 'no hair on the neck'? :/ The braid would definitely be on your neck...


ETA--> Welcome!! Hope you like it here! :cheese:

vincent_cervant
March 19th, 2011, 03:23 PM
I actually asked if i could use sticks today. They said no:( Other people have tried to where a bandanna and they have been told to take them off. We have a fairly strict uniform policy. As for me being comfortable with buns I'm fine with it. I actually find it to be a compliment when they say my hair looks like a girls. It means I have at least been doing something right. I will try to learn how to bun, every attempt so far has failed. It used to obey me but as it grew longer it adopted my own personality. I tell it to jump and it just laughs at me.

Thanks for all the help!!! I've got some research to do.

Firefox7275
March 19th, 2011, 03:43 PM
Welcome! :)

I second the suggestion to clarify, I also wondered if the oil plus conditioner were causing build up. Another option might be to try Ktani's coconut oil shampoo method as that might create a barrier between your hair and the oil. It also means you can shampoo the lengths regularly (hopefully) without damaging your hair.

In the UK it is not permitted for companies to have different regulations based on gender in terms of dress code and appearance, so if a female can wear a neat bun so can a male. However that is too often ignored and won't be the same worldwide. Spin pins/ hair scroos seem to be well thought of on LHC and I get the impression they are super easy to use! They might help you quickly and invisibly put your hair into a bun as you change into your work clothing?

Dina L.
March 19th, 2011, 04:01 PM
I will try to learn how to bun, every attempt so far has failed.
Maybe try the spin pins, 2 of them already holds a bun quite stable.

spidermom
March 19th, 2011, 04:07 PM
I'd suggest coconut oiling your hair, then braiding, then tucking under the hat. The coconut oil should keep your hair from absorbing grease. It might help even more to wet your hair first. Good luck!

CarpeDM
March 21st, 2011, 12:59 PM
I'd suggest coconut oiling your hair, then braiding, then tucking under the hat. The coconut oil should keep your hair from absorbing grease. It might help even more to wet your hair first. Good luck!

I second this idea :)

Also don't feel bad about the bunning, I still can't make a bun work!

vincent_cervant
March 31st, 2011, 07:46 PM
Thank you all of you. Not quite back but its getting there.

selderon
March 31st, 2011, 08:39 PM
LOL! Vincent, I like you already!

There are some good bun how-tos on YouTube. AnaheimBallet has one called "Bun 411" that details three ways to create a bun. They are extremely stable and tidy-looking when finished.

vincent_cervant
April 6th, 2011, 10:58 AM
LOL! Vincent, I like you already!

I needed to see something like that this morning. Thankyou

vincent_cervant
April 7th, 2011, 05:47 PM
OMG. I just woke up from a nap after I washed my hair. while i was in that not awake but not asleep state. I kept trying to figure out how in the world I manage to get a piece of silk on my pillow. When I realized it was my hair I instantly reached over and turned my computer on. Thank you thank you thank you for all the advice. :D:D

selderon
April 7th, 2011, 08:34 PM
Hee hee! Hooray!

Alvrodul
April 8th, 2011, 03:58 AM
Wonderful! It is always great to hear that someone has benefited from information found here on LHC! :cheer: :happydance:

Pierre
April 8th, 2011, 04:41 AM
Hair scroos or spin pins are good for buns, also Flexis which I wear all the time. There are lots of styles of Flexis, so if they're picky about decorations there should be at least one style they're okay with. Flexis hold for days. Another way to hold a bun is a fork, but I've never tried it.