My job is killing my hair...

[catfish]

...:confused:...stupid job.

I work in a very smoky club bartending and waitressing, the job is temporary thank goodness and while I really want to quit for the sake of my health and my hair..:rolleyes: vain much catfish... the money is good and I just dont have a better option right now.

What Im experiencing:
severe dryness
extra tangling
nicotein smoke buildup...eeewww
dullness to the extreme
extra frizzies

What Ive tried and is just not cutting it anymore:
CO washing with VO5 daily (my old standby)
Deep treatments
yes to carrots
biolage balm
oiling hair
wearing up to work

I CO wash daily as I just cant stand the idea of going to sleep with nasty smoke smelling hair. Wearing it up helps with the tangles for sure but not with the smoke. Even oiling pretty heavily before updos didnt keep out the smoke smell.

LHCers what do I do? Should I try cones? Will cones seal out the smoke maybe...I have been cone free now for 4 years, but I'll do anything to keep my hair healthy. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you, catfish

[Chetanlaiho]

I posted a thread about smoke and hair a few days ago and I got a couple of tips, but I'm sad to hear that oiling heavily and wearing it up won't work =(

I noticed the same consequences of smoke as you did (save for dullness, but that may be because I actually don't like shiny hair all that much xD)

Have you tried wearing your hair up in a scarf? It may keep the worst of the smoke out, at least I hope it will (be careful though, I think I heard of someone wearing a pink scarf over oiled hair and the colour stained her hair, and while I love pink hair I don't think that'd end up pretty xD)

I'm also considering getting a coney detangling spray to keep it from tangling and maybe keep the smoke out a bit, I like my hair cone free but this just isn't working :/

[Night_Kitten]

Unfortunately, cones won't help you with the smoke... (Have a smoking uncle, and my hair smells like a sigarette every time I visit him, with or without cones...). As far as I know, there is no product that can prevent smoke from getting into the hair :(

The only thing that can help is a hat / bandana / scarf / other type of hair cover, as it can prevent the smoke from reaching your hair, or at the very least reduce drastically the ammount that does go through to your hair... If you can find something that looks cool and your boss is O.K with it, that's probably the best solution :)

[Firefox7275]

Nicotine build up is greasy so that is where my suggestions come from. You might try either CO-washing with an oilier conditioner - such as Triple Nutrition which is a great detangler - as we already know conditioner removes heavy oilings well? Or gritting your teeth and clarifying with an SLS shampoo, as surfactants are designed to remove grease? If the latter works I would do it weekly because nicotine build up is evil to get off paintwork, you have to scrub with sugar soap (very strong surfactant) which would not be a process you'd want to replicate with hair! Agree with Chetanlaiho about covering your hair if at all possible, maybe wrap your ponytail or bun in a few layers of silk fabric?

ETA: This link might help (http://blogs.hairboutique.com/index.php/2010/07/25/nicotine-stains-in-facial-hair-how-to-remove/).

[Anje]

Honestly, I'd say you should clarify regularly with sulfates, just to keep the nicotine buildup to a minimum. Have you seen the walls of your club?

Do yourself a favor and start looking for a safer place to work. If it's killing your hair, one can only imagine what it's doing to your lungs.

[wvgemini]

I used to work as a Narghile Bartender. Although not nearly as bad as constant cig smoke, it did get pretty thick in there on the weekends. At the time, I actually wasn't doing anything to baby my hair other than conditioner. Regular shampoo (VO5 I think) and conditioner. And my hair didn't seem to be worse for the wear. So maybe a bit of harshness to combat the harshness? Doesn't make too much sense, but it may work :)

[knoxkatie]

I used to work in a smoky bar when I was in college and I had the same problem. I would always always always wash (with shampoo) my hair when I got home (at 3 AM UGH) and sleep in conditioner and rinse it out in the morning.

Have you ruled out shampoo? I know CO is normally better for your hair than CWC, but maybe in your case shampoo would be preferable to smoke?

[AmericanWoman]

Vinegar is often recommended for removing smoke odors from a room. Try rinsing your hair with vinegar before shampooing or CO. 1 -2 tb to a couple cups water.

[elbow chic]

Could you wear a scarf or bandana over it? Even a scarf-bun might at least help keep the nicotine out of your length.

I can't believe it's still legal to poison people like that in public. argh.

[racrane]

I had the same problem a couple years ago. However, it was a sports bar and it was "cool" for me, as a hostess, to wear a baseball cap. I tucked all my hair in the cap. It was well worth it. Granted, it was shoulder length but still.... I hope you find something! I hate smoke!

[Druid of Alba]

You could just wear a headscarf that covers all your hair. And then you could just tie it in a braid, and not have to even wash it, nobody would see it.

[spidermom]

Smoking in clubs has been illegal around here for so long that I'm astonished it isn't illegal everywhere!

I'd try covering your hair completely if I were you. There are some good techniques on "the style underground." My favorite (girl with a pearl earring) uses multiple scarves - try getting through THAT, evil cigarette smoke!

Now, about your respiratory system ............. I hope you're actively looking for another job because I think your hair is the least of your worries in this situation, but I certainly understand needing to bring in some money.

[Intransigentia]

Having scrubbed the residue off the insides of the car windows of a heavy smoker, I'm just going ew, ew, eeeew on your behalf. I hope you find something that works.

Before smoking was banned in bars here, my routine after my once a week pub visit was to strip as soon as I got inside, then head straight to the shower and shampoo rinse repeat. But that's not going to be so good for several times a week. Sympathy.

[sibiryachka]

I notice you mention you've been oiling your hair before putting it an updo... So presumably you're wearing it to work that way, oiled and up? I'm wondering whether oiled hair might actually hold the smoke residue/smell more than unoiled hair would. I have a mental image of those molecules sticking to the oil, if you see what I mean.
With that in mind, it seems to me that pre-wash oiling might be more effective at removing the smoke residue. Worth a try? I'd definitely stay with keeping hair up, and covered if possible, as well.

[Beatnik Guy]

Now, about your respiratory system ............. I hope you're actively looking for another job because I think your hair is the least of your worries in this situation, but I certainly understand needing to bring in some money.

That's what I was about to say.

[dragonchickx]

honestly if you dont like the scarf idea, I like the scarf idea, but you could wear wigs o0?? maybe im not completely sure though.. smoke gets in everything.

[catfish]

Thanks guys, I agree maybe I should just start using shampoo...ugg...I'll try a richer conditioner and see if that helps too.

I asked my boss about a scarf and thats a no go...a wig however could work....hmmmm.

Yes a new non smoky job is defintly what I need, I just keep reminding myself this is temporary...:rolleyes:

I appreciate the tips, thank you.

[Jimothea]

How awful! Money's money though; especially now.

I don't know if you have a suitable "stash" spot for hair things at work, but at one of my jobs we kept a small sheer chiffon bag of lavendar under the back bathroom sink. 12 hour shifts + a boss who required hair worn down = smelly, smelly hair. Periodically we'd run in and rub the bag over and through our hair to cut the smoke smell. I don't know if that makes sense. The bag may or may not have been made of chiffon (was prolly some synthetic knock-off), I can't remember--we got a whole pack of them in the wedding supplies section at Wal-Mart; it held about a cup of herbs, which we changed out when they stopped "doing the trick." Good for city smells too, if you have an outdoor section (oo, yum, the scent of hot pavement and exhaust...lol).

HTH!

[allmixedup88]

Maybe try wearing a wig to work so you can cover your own hair & rid itself from the damage.... There's a girl at my job w/ half green & black hair (cruella style) and she wears a black wig... I had no idea she wore a wig until I saw her take it off one day, lol

[BranwenWolf]

I had to wash with a clarifying shampoo whenever I came back from my ex's house, and use extra conditioner. I use either Biolage or just straight up Suave, and smear on a little extra on damp hair as leave-in.

I second finding a different place as soon as you possibly can. I could never do what you do because I have asthma and vocal cord disorder where my larynx spasms/closes my throat in response to irritants...yes it made visits to the ex's smoky house lots of fun!