Unnatural colored hair dyers

[lacefrost]

where do you work?

Does your job let you have crazy hair colors? And if it doesn't, do you hide the colors? How do you hide them?

[slz]

I am a high school teacher and my first time at school with green is in one week - but last year I talked to my direct superior about my intention to dye green but that I'd be afraid of the students' reaction and she said "oh they'll get over it after 3 days don't worry". And concerning my boss's reaction, he saw me green when school was over and didn't seem too phased about it. In any case I know I can count on my immediate superior who used to be a trade union delegate and will stand right behind me should any discrimination occur. Not written in the work contract ? It is allowed, period.

[julliams]

I'm a flute teacher and whilst I do sport a natural haircolour, I'm totally confident that if I went any kind of unnatural colour, it would be well tolerated. I don't think I would be discriminated against, in fact I think they would think it went with the territory since musicians often have quite "out there" hair in the media.

[Neneka]

I am a student and will be at least 5 years. :)

[pink.sara]

My hair colour changes fortnightly between, White, pink, purple or blue. All cartoon bright. I have stopped dying my whole head though and now just maintain about a 3rd of it bleached and dyed.
Until last year I worked as a civil servant for the government in a huge muti-regional control centre, as long as my hair was tidy and clean the colours didn't matter to them.

After the recession made us redundant I started work as an asset reunification specialist in a huge legal firm that manage international shares and company takeovers. Its pretty standard issue for everyone to be "suited and booted" at all times and many of the women are scarily stiff and formal looking so my huge purple sock bun is a bit out of the norm but still accepted. My boss actually commented the other week how I always look so "polished" mainly because I wear smart shift dresses, tights, heels, and minimal jewellery. Little does he know my sleek sock bun is SO sleek and shiny because it's full of coconut oil most days ;)

I think as long as you yourself are professional, tidy and well presented your hair has very little bearing on your job role and will not prevent you achieving.

[kettle]

When I dyed my hair green, no one at work cared. I was a little worried that they would, and even checked with my manager that it would be okay, but she was just intrigued and amused! I currently work in care. Even my little old ladies barely commented on it. For the most part I think people couldn't care less what colour your hair is, as long as you're good at your job.

Not sure what the rules are at my new job yet. I've no intention to dye again anytime soon, but I imagine, as long as hair is tidy and presentable, they'd be okay with it. I'd hate to be in a job that had any say over what I could and could not do with my hair.

[Miasen]

My boss couldn't care less about my hair. I work in a grocery store, and customers always gives me compliments when I show up with purple or green or whatever hair. :) We're very relaxed around here though, no one says anything about my facial piercings either.

When I finish school next year I'm aiming for a job in a public library, don't see that anyone will have problems with my colour then either. :)

[patienceneeded]

I teach middle school and no one would care. Several teachers in my building have sported blue or green or even pink hair and no one was bothered by it. The students generally react positvely as well, it's fun.

[LaceyNg]

when i worked at a Subway we werent allowed to have unnatural hair colors or facial piercings. or nail polish, for that matter :/

then igot a job in a factory, and that was awesome b/c they didnt care at all about any of that. it always cracked me up b/c my job entailed a lot of emailing between people i'd never met, and when they'd come to the company for an anual meeting they were always SO suprised to see that i was all tattooed, pierced, and dyed :)

i had a friend who always had hot pink hair, and wore a brown wig to work. i have no idea where she worked though.

[Ashenputtel]

I'm not working right now, but at my old job (in a real estate management cie) I would have been allowed. I think I had only a streak that would be permitted though.

The big boss hated tattoos and piercing and he was really mean and manipulative. Cutting my job was the best thing that that mean man could have done for me.

I'm never gonna go back in an office and I'm thinking about going to study to help kids with special needs.

[ladylovecraft]

I work in the medical field (RN) and 99% of places, brightly colored hair/piercings/etc just wouldn't be tolerated. So I have my nuclear red hair and wear a blonde wig to work that I put up. I've tried it the other way around (having normal hair and wearing wigs when I can be 'me') and it just didn't work for me. I like waking up with bright red hair and being able to go through the day knowing that part of me is intact.

I also think it'll help when my hair gets especially long and I'd have to hide it anyway.

[tweetylonghair]

I work at a school and they dont mind, in fact when I started last yr the principal asked me if i was going through a midlife crisis and I just started laughing.. The kids love it and they advise me on what color or colors I should do next.

[VitaR86]

I'm surprised so many of you are teachers and work in schools that don't care about the hair. When I was in school. No one could have bright un natural hair. I got in trouble once for wearing a clip in purple extension.

I am a nail tech in training. Most salons don't mind the colors.

[Jeno86]

I work at Target. I've had purple, blue, green and a few others. I haven't had a problem with any of my hair colors. The worst I've gotten is my boss walking by, freezing "Your hair is purple" and then just walking away. She thought it was funny.

[agoddess2die4]

I work at Target. I've had purple, blue, green and a few others. I haven't had a problem with any of my hair colors. The worst I've gotten is my boss walking by, freezing "Your hair is purple" and then just walking away. She thought it was funny.

I've worked at Target, I can't imagine those colors with the bright red shirts they make you wear. Makes my brain boggle. hehe

As for me, I've never gone too far out of the realm of of natural colors, my most daring was this:
http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr47/a0goddess2die4/picresized_1314736220_edits.jpg

It was actually even redder in normal lighting (ahh, my "creative" picture taking skills when I was 19). I was an accountant at a woodworking firm, pretty conservative so I wasn't allowed to have too crazy of hair, but everyone loved that. It was an office of mostly older woman and they seemed to enjoy watching my hair transformations, as I was quite fond of hair dye at the time.

As for other people, when I worked at a community college one of the admissions advisors dyed her hair pink or purple temporarily for something...but it turned out to be not so temporary. :D It amused most people there, but when I asked if I could do something like that it was strongly discouraged and I didn't want to make any waves.

[spidermom]

I work for the local hospital, but my work station is in my own home, so anything goes. If I feel like it, I work in my pajamas.

[Wheatland]

When I worked as a waitress at IHOP I had bright pink hair. My boss made it obvious that he didn't like it but he wasn't about to fire me because I worked really hard.

I'm also very intrigued that so many teachers here have unnatural color hair! That's awesome!

I went to an arts magnet high school so at least 1/3 of the student body had weird colored hair at any given time. It was fun. But none of the teachers ever partook (I think I'm using that word right?)

[girlthursday]

I work from home so anything goes. Yay!

Previously I've worked as a bartender, a lifeguard, a copywriter, and a farmer with no issues at all with my crazy hair.

But at Whole Foods, Einstein's Bagels, and First American Flood Data, I was given a lot of crap about my hair color. Some managers just pressured me about to change my hair but others forced me to change it or be fired. :rolleyes:

I've also not gotten jobs because I wouldn't change my hair color.

I have unnatural colored hair since I was in high school. Some people love and some people hate it. I've been told it's distracting or that our customers won't take me seriously or will not be comfortable with me because of my tattoos, piercings, and hair color. But it's a part of who I am and, to me, it's worth the hassle.

[Áine]

The last couple places I worked didn't have any policies about unnatural hair colors. I probably could have gotten away with crazy colors if I wanted to.

[Jeno86]

I've worked at Target, I can't imagine those colors with the bright red shirts they make you wear. Makes my brain boggle. hehe

That's why I wear more of a maroon than red ^_^. Maroon and black really.

[Xandergrammy]

I work for the local hospital, but my work station is in my own home, so anything goes. If I feel like it, I work in my pajamas.


I am so envious.

[ericthegreat]

I'm a hairstylist, so I'm in the perfect career for wild, crazy out of this world haircolors and styles. Every other hairstylist I know also dyes/bleaches or does something wild with their hair, its in our nature.

In fact, I think you'll have to search extremely far and wide to find a hairstylist who DOESN'T dye or hasn't dyed their own hair.

[Lady Dragon]

When I was a college student, worked at an adult store, worked at a printing press, and worked at a cool burger shop I had wicked coloured hair. These days I've stopped dying it but not for work so much as for my own goal of having past my shoulders natural hair. :)

I think if I get to my goal I'll dye a couple wicked coloured peek-a-boo streaks in it.

[Auburn_locks]

I'm studying to be a pharmacist in the UK and my lecturers have explicitly said that tattoos, piercings and wild hair colours are definite no-nos as it's not 'professional'. However, it really depends on who employs me and their opinions on it. Of course, I can have tattoos and piercings as long as they're covered up but the hair might be more tricky! I have worked with people who work in jeans with tattoos though so I think nowadays it would be more acceptable.

[lacefrost]

All of these are SO awesome. Please keep them coming folks :)

[Arashi]

But at Whole Foods, Einstein's Bagels, and First American Flood Data, I was given a lot of crap about my hair color. Some managers just pressured me about to change my hair but others forced me to change it or be fired. :rolleyes:

I'm surprised to hear you were given trouble about hair color while working at Whole Foods! Nearly all of the employees at my local Whole Foods here are heavily pierced, covered in tattoos, and have unconventional hair. Bright unnatural colors, mohawks, people with long hair on one side of their head and completely shaved on the other.. just to name a few. Not to mention the clothes they get away with.. like gigantic knee-high crazy-tall platform boots with about 934834857 buckles. I think it's awesome and have been considering applying for a part time job there because of it. :b

(sorry for hijacking, I don't currently have unnatural colors in my hair, nor do I have a job)

[girlthursday]

I'm surprised to hear you were given trouble about hair color while working at Whole Foods! Nearly all of the employees at my local Whole Foods here are heavily pierced, covered in tattoos, and have unconventional hair. Bright unnatural colors, mohawks, people with long hair on one side of their head and completely shaved on the other.. just to name a few. Not to mention the clothes they get away with.. like gigantic knee-high crazy-tall platform boots with about 934834857 buckles. I think it's awesome and have been considering applying for a part time job there because of it. :b

(sorry for hijacking, I don't currently have unnatural colors in my hair, nor do I have a job)

Yeah, I was surprised too because I had pink hair and 5 facial piercings and 5 ear piercings when they hired me and I asked them if it was going to be an issue. Their company policy is no face piercings (except for one small nose stud), no more than 2 earrings, and only natural hair color. But I've seen tons of people who break those rules. I guess it depends on the store manager. :/

Edited to add: Aside from the trouble I had with that, I felt like Whole Foods was a really good place to work. I've also had several friends who have worked there for years and years and love it. Definitely apply if you're looking for a job.

[metricfuture]

I work in an independent pharmacy. I've dipped my toe back into the odd color pool occasionally and my boss doesn't mind at all (though if I got a bit too out there, I'm pretty sure I'd just get more lab days with a head covering). He's even told me that the tattoos and piercings aren't an issue, but I wear 3/4 length sleeves under my scrubs and take out my labret at work because they seem to make some of older patients a bit uneasy. It's not like it's a huge effort, so I don't mind.

[BabyRay33]

I had pink and purple streaks at my nape. My job is one of those places where they might not like something like your hair color, but they can come up with a reason to fire you at any time...that has nothing to do with hair color. So I kept mine hidden for the most part. I loved my pink streaks though...I find myself thinking about getting some more...but not bleaching first...

I was moved to another office and they are much more lax here, I'm sure I could easily get away with it. My manager doesn't care at all...and the upper management here is much more chill.

[BabyRay33]

I've worked at Target, I can't imagine those colors with the bright red shirts they make you wear. Makes my brain boggle. hehe

As for me, I've never gone too far out of the realm of of natural colors, my most daring was this:
http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr47/a0goddess2die4/picresized_1314736220_edits.jpg

It was actually even redder in normal lighting (ahh, my "creative" picture taking skills when I was 19). I was an accountant at a woodworking firm, pretty conservative so I wasn't allowed to have too crazy of hair, but everyone loved that. It was an office of mostly older woman and they seemed to enjoy watching my hair transformations, as I was quite fond of hair dye at the time.

As for other people, when I worked at a community college one of the admissions advisors dyed her hair pink or purple temporarily for something...but it turned out to be not so temporary. :D It amused most people there, but when I asked if I could do something like that it was strongly discouraged and I didn't want to make any waves.


You remind me of Jennifer Lawrence in this photo! So Pretty!

[purple dust]

Not written in the work contract ? It is allowed, period.

Erm... contracts don't say anything about sexual things with students, do they?

Just kidding.

[Sagi1982]

I had my hair dyed black and dark green some years ago while I worked as a shop assistant.
Never had a problem with that - my customers often asked for that green haired one ^^.

[katha]

Erm... contracts don't say anything about sexual things with students, do they?

Just kidding.


They don't need to. There are laws for that.

I know you were kidding, but this was neither funny nor necessary nor did you make a valuable contribution to this discussion. Attention? Well done, sure got mine.


On topic:
I wish I'd dare to do some really unnatural colour, but I don't think people would like it.. and after some time, I probably wouldn't like it either. I like my hair the way it is, most of the time, but I'd love to do some experimenting once in a while. :)

[Chetanlaiho]

I work in an oldfashioned toy store and my bosses seem really kind of chaotic and relaxed most of the time xD We have one doll that has black hair with pink streaks and when I commented I kind of wanted my hair like that my boss joked that I 'had only toy cars to play with when I was younger' which I thought was funny ;).

I do plan on making my hair black and platinum and maybe dying the platinum part pink later on but for that I would ask permission first ^^

[Sarez]

I know this is archived. But, I just dyed my hair a pretty shade of green :D My employer is pretty chill with hair colours; they can't discriminate against hair colours, tattoos or peircings. This is the first time I've not only had the $$$, but dyed my whole hair one colour, as previously only had coloured streaks in.

[Jo Ann]

My boss knows by now that, if I come in with white hair, I'm going to dye my hair again :) His only question is, "What color is next?" I've also had the most interesting conversations with other folks about hair colors and I compliment others about the color(s) of their hair.

Anyone else find that they put forth an extra effort to take care of their customers? If for no other reason, than to focus attention to your work performance rather than your hair color.

[Sarez]

My boss knows by now that, if I come in with white hair, I'm going to dye my hair again :) His only question is, "What color is next?" I've also had the most interesting conversations with other folks about hair colors and I compliment others about the color(s) of their hair.

Anyone else find that they put forth an extra effort to take care of their customers? If for no other reason, than to focus attention to your work performance rather than your hair color.

I love that he now asks, "what colour?" when he sees your white hair XD

Also, I work in corporate, and when talking with customers, it's over the phone or email, so they can't see me. My last job in customer -facing retail, I was working at an arts and crafts store, so the customers expected different coloured hair from staff.

[Kat]

when i worked at a Subway we werent allowed to have unnatural hair colors or facial piercings. or nail polish, for that matter :/

then igot a job in a factory, and that was awesome b/c they didnt care at all about any of that. it always cracked me up b/c my job entailed a lot of emailing between people i'd never met, and when they'd come to the company for an anual meeting they were always SO suprised to see that i was all tattooed, pierced, and dyed :)

i had a friend who always had hot pink hair, and wore a brown wig to work. i have no idea where she worked though.

Yeah, it was like that waaaay back in my McDonald's days too-- women could only have one piercing per ear, and men none-- and these days I see people in service jobs with all sorts of tattoos and piercings. Things sure have changed.

I had one job at a bank (though not public-facing) where I wasn't allowed my nose piercing (this was before I had the industrials or my small wrist tattoos). I made a "retainer" by painting an old nose screw that had lost its rhinestone with peach nail polish. The HR manager came by one day, looked at me, and said "Kaaaat..." while pointing at her nose. "I put a flesh-colored stud in it," I said. "Oh, okay." So I'm guessing she really didn't care if I had it, as long as I could plausibly say I tried to hide it since it was technically against the rules? (Even though it was clearly still obvious...) (I was hired with it, and it was at least a couple to a few weeks before she saw it for the first time anyway, so clearly it wasn't THAT big of a deal.)



I'm surprised so many of you are teachers and work in schools that don't care about the hair. When I was in school. No one could have bright un natural hair. I got in trouble once for wearing a clip in purple extension.

I am a nail tech in training. Most salons don't mind the colors.

Yeah, I'm surprised by how many schools are cool with it, too. I assume most aren't private schools, though...


In my job now, I don't think we have any rules against body mods. I'm not sure we've ever had anyone with hair dyed fun colors, but I do have a coworker who has a side shave, with the rest of her hair dyed half black and half red, and no one seems to worry about it. I'd love to dye my hair fun colors... but... A. wouldn't want it forever and would find it hard to change colors (having to either cut, bleach a bunch, or dye a darker color next), and B. my hair is crappy enough that I'd be afraid bleaching it would be at least semi-disastrous. I've been braiding some fun parandi into my hair, though. Would love to get some long, brightly-colored strands of Kanekalon (though I've no clue how I'd braid it into my hair, as I find the parandi challenging sometimes).


But, I'm not sure how it would fly at dance competitions. I don't think the dress code specifically has rules about hair that is not a "natural" color, but a lot of people seem to interpret it to be conservative about hair color, style, whether nail polish is allowed, etc. (Jewelry is not but I think that's largely about safety-- nobody wants someone's necklace to break and Go flying under their feet while dancing or something. {And, probably nobody wants someone blinging themselves up hoping it will make the judges "notice" them either, which is a problem in some dance styles, and I kind of appreciate that our dress code does keep that from happening.} There's always a lot of worry on forums about "but my daughter just had her ears pierced and can't take the studs out for X number of weeks!" Usually leads to people covering earrings with pieces of band-aid or whatever. I quickly quit worrying about it. When my dancing is good enough that a judge starts worrying about my nose piercing, then maybe I'll think about it... Surprisingly, my teacher hasn't said anything, but I've gotten lectures about nail polish {how can they even tell?? My hands are mostly either in fists, or fingers pointing upward, and from that far away who can see that my nails are black??} and I'm sure if I showed up with brightly-colored hair, I'd hear about it too...)

[Messyhair]

Working as a retail pharmacist for a chain store, it's specifically in the contract that we can only have "natural" hair colours. I would argue that finding an all-natural-yet-not-a-colour-nature-intended pigment would be fine, but I never tried it. Oddly enough, our store sold many shades that would be considered "unnatural".