How to keep hair from shedding around the house?

[xoerincolleen]

I'm living in an apartment with 7 other girls, and I have the longest hair. Lately, a couple of the girls have been very vocal about finding an occasional strand of hair on the sofa or on the floor, saying how "nasty" and "disgusting" it is, and always pointing out that it's probably my hair. It's always a big deal to them and they act like it's the grossest thing in the world!

Now, I know that a lot of people are grossed out by hair and I try to be considerate of that. I always clean out the drain (usually full of other people's hair, too!) after every shower. When I brush my hair, I do it next to the trash can and pick up any excess hair I see that might have shed. I pick up any strands I see when I comb it and throw them away, and I pull my hair back when I cook so it doesn't get in anyone's food.

It still manages to bother people, though! Once a girl found a hair on the back of a chair and literally yelled "Ewwwwwww, (xoerincolleen), WHAT DA HELL IS THIS?" then pretended to vomit. It's just a completely over the top reaction. Sometimes when I'm doing my hair, one of these girls will say something about how I'd better not get it everywhere or something to that effect. It's not like this happens every day, but when it does, it makes me feel 1. awkward and bad about myself and 2. guilty that my hair shed and bothered someone.

Do you guys have any advice with how to minimize shedding? I'm really trying to be vigilant in keeping it under control but it's difficult to keep track of every single hair. Plus, it's not like my hair is falling out all over the place. I think that my hair is just obvious because it's the longest in this apartment and it's pretty light.
And honestly, I think they're being a little irrational! I'm not the only one who's hair sheds, and does an occasional shed hair on the sofa or my bedroom floor really warrant such a strong reaction?

[DancingQueen]

I know what you mean, my friends are completely overreacting, whenever they find a tiny little hair. A lot like your friends, as it sounds. Once, a friend of mine found a tiny hair in a buffet, and she refused to eat anything after that. :rolleyes: I don't get it, its just hair. :)

Oops, forgot something. The only thing I can think of to stop it, is to keep your hair up around the house, and when you brush it, make sure all the loose hair get out an into the trash can. :)

[leslissocool]

My only advice would be updo's. Keep your hair up for a couple of months at home and see if they stop complaining about the shedding. When your hair is up it doesn't end up everywhere.

To me those girls sound so rude! I'd understand finding it in food (it grosses me out, even if it's my own) but on a chair??? What the heck is their problem?

If they continue to complaint after you've kept your hair up for a while, then maybe it's time to confront them or get new roommates. You can't live in a house where people think your hair is gross, what about their hair? Do you get all grossed out if you find a thick black hair on a chair?

Sorry, those girls would not last in my house for a second, we have 3 heads of really long hair...

[SpinDance]

You are already picking up the ones from when you brush or wash, so it sounds like the only remaining ones are those that just fall out. Shedding is natural, and it will happen every day whether we want it to or not. The best way to keep sheds from falling out randomly is to have your hair up or contained somehow. A simple updo or braid will give you control of when and where the sheds will be removed from your still attached hairs. I really don't see why anyone would be shocked to find hairs that have been shed, it happens to everyone. From where I sit as long as there aren't any in my food, I'm good! ;)

[Amber_Maiden]

Sounds like you need new room mates. You can't prevent your hair from shedding that much... How about wear your hair up in a bun more often around the house?

[xoerincolleen]

Thank you all for your advice! It didn't occur to me to keep it up all the time, I hate my face with my hair up, but I will try keeping it in a braid or something when I'm just hanging around the house. Hopefully that will help and the comments will stop!
I'm studying abroad right now, so I'm only in this apartment for another 6 weeks. Otherwise, I'd probably be re-evaluating my roommates!

[BlazingHeart]

Updos and braids are really all you can do, unfortunately. Do you guys vacuum regularly? That would help, too, as the hair would be in the vacuum instead of on the floor. If you and your roommates are willing to vacuum more often, it might help defuse the situation a little. This sounds like a really unpleasant situation, you have my sympathy.

I'm lucky that my fiance's only reaction to finding my shed hair is amusement that it's so long. If anything, I'm the one who gets annoyed, because my skin is so sensitive that it itches and tickles and bothers me until I find it and get it out of the way. Our roommate had long hair in her teens, so she really isn't bothered either.

~Blaze

[Madora]

Brush or comb it well the first thing when you get up..and do it in the bathroom where you can see all the fallen hairs.

Put your hair up (which is actually more protective of the delicate ends) so any hairs cannot escape and cause comments. I'd also recommend a drain strainer for both your tub/shower/bathroom sink to keep hair from going down the drain and causing problems later.

[katsrevenge]

Braid it if you like. Point out that you are doing it for their benefit.

And then tell them to shut the ... up and grow up already. Insert favorite bad word.

I used to live with two short haired but hairy guys and they were always finding my hair in the most...personal... places. Apparently the stuff would just float around till it stuck to one of them. They thought it was hilarious. We vacuumed and swept regularly.. but hair is hair. It gets everywhere.

[spidermom]

As others have said, have your hair up when you're in common space. I'm "not allowed" in the kitchen with my hair down, so I know how it is.

It sounds like you're doing a good job being considerate of others. At the fitness club, I am constantly finding other people's hair on the floor or stuck to the wall of the shower stalls, and it boggles my mind. I wouldn't think of doing that! Or maybe I should say that I DO think about it, and that's why I get a paper towel and wipe up any remaining hair when I'm finished in there.

[Fairlight63]

Also look for hairs on your clothes, I find that after combing my hair & cleaning all up I will look on my sweater & there are a few hairs. Some sweater material attracts hair like a magnet.

[MychelleC]

I warned my husband before he moved in that I can clog a shower drain like few people and my hair is always going to be everywhere. If he ever makes a comment I remind of the warning.

You don't shed any more than they do, your hair is just longer so it is more noticeable. When you find one of their hairs you should scream bloody murder and run around the house flailing your hands and gagging. Maybe they will take the hint.

[Merlin]

I think you need do nothing, you're making an effort and only leaving the occasional hair, they're being unreasonable really. Everybody loses hairs, you have long hairs which are naturally visible. Perhaps avoiding leaning over the stove when one of them is cooking might be diplomatic but frankly:

Just smile and wave girl, smile and wave....

[AnnaJamila]

I warned my husband before he moved in that I can clog a shower drain like few people and my hair is always going to be everywhere. If he ever makes a comment I remind of the warning.

You don't shed any more than they do, your hair is just longer so it is more noticeable. When you find one of their hairs you should scream bloody murder and run around the house flailing your hands and gagging. Maybe they will take the hint.

:lol: I believe this is the appropriate response! :lol:

[NotInPortland]

You're being more than considerate as it is. Hair sheds naturally and there's nothing much else you can do about it. I wouldn't be putting my hair up purposefully just to try and stop the hairs getting loose, screw that! Tell them shedding is natural and you're already doing as much as you can to keep it at a minimum, and then just ignore their reactions from now on, they sound like a bunch of immature children.

[DreamDance]

You don't shed any more than they do, your hair is just longer so it is more noticeable. When you find one of their hairs you should scream bloody murder and run around the house flailing your hands and gagging. Maybe they will take the hint.
^This lol.

The last time I grew my hair out (about down to my hips) I lived with a hair-a-phobe. She complained about finding my hairs everywhere so every time I found one of her hairs, I collected it in a little baggy. By the end of about week I had enough to leave a nice little collection on a table for her. When she went nuts I just pulled one hair out and looked at it (She had chin length, very curly 3b hair) and said, "ew... You should really control your hair shedding!" We lived quite peacefully after that. Although, she could also take a joke, proceed at your own discretion :)

[KwaveT]

You don't shed any more than they do, your hair is just longer so it is more noticeable. When you find one of their hairs you should scream bloody murder and run around the house flailing your hands and gagging. Maybe they will take the hint.

I also agree with this reaction. This is only way they are going to realize how over the top their behavior is. You should not have to put your hair up all the time in an attempt to prevent their childish behavior. You are already doing everything you can to keep your hair from being on everything.

[teal]

I'm living in an apartment with 7 other girls, and

Stop right there! RUN FOR THE HILLS! :laugh:

Seriously, though, they're being quite rude. "Vomiting" when they find what appears to be your hair? Well, they'd better get used to "vomiting" every day every time they look in the mirror or put their hand to their head!

Advice? If they give you a "gross" comment, suggest they shave their heads as they are also contributing to the problem.

Brush your hair in your room or bathroom, and sweep or vaccum as soon as you're done. Have your hair in updos as much as possible. This won't affect your shedding, it'll just keep it contained until you let it down again.

By the way, don't let them get to you with comments. Sounds like there's a bit of pack supremacy going on here. If you let them bully you, they will treat you like that until you leave. Stand up for yourself now and head this crap off at the pass.

[Metallia]

I think you need do nothing, you're making an effort and only leaving the occasional hair, they're being unreasonable really. Everybody loses hairs, you have long hairs which are naturally visible. Perhaps avoiding leaning over the stove when one of them is cooking might be diplomatic but frankly:

Just smile and wave girl, smile and wave....
This- I absolutely guarantee they are shedding as well, and don't notice it because their hair is shorter. They need to get over it.
They'd die in a minute in my house. You should SEE what gets picked up by my vacuum! It makes me want to double check that I still have hair on my head, there's so much.

[Yame]

Thank you all for your advice! It didn't occur to me to keep it up all the time, I hate my face with my hair up, but I will try keeping it in a braid or something when I'm just hanging around the house. Hopefully that will help and the comments will stop!
I'm studying abroad right now, so I'm only in this apartment for another 6 weeks. Otherwise, I'd probably be re-evaluating my roommates!

6 weeks! At this point I'd probably be leaving my sheds all over the place just out of spite... hahaha
Especially considering the fact that you clean up other people's hairs from the shower drain!

In all seriousness though, wear updos at home for the rest of your time there, and continue doing whatever else you have been doing (except cleaning up other people's hair: start pointing it out to them, too!). Can't guarantee it'll stop the comments though, because whatever hairs you've already shed are probably still laying around, and there's always a chance someone will find them eventually. One of my friends who broke up with his girlfriend months ago says he still finds her sheds in his place.

[spidermom]

I did have a "friend" make a point of telling me (while eyeing my hair distastefully) that it makes her squeamish to find other people's shed hairs on her furniture. I didn't go over there more than once after that.

I don't much like my own hairs after they shed, however. The idea of saving shed hairs (which I know some people do) kind of makes me squirm. It would be like saving shed skin cells or scabs to me.

[xoerincolleen]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who thinks they're acting absurdly. I do want to stay on their good side, though, because we all go to the same small college and have a number of mutual friends. It's really only 2 of the girls that are bothered by it, but they are just so dramatic! It is taxing!

We have a cleaning lady who vacuums, so I have no control over that, but I'm going to put my hair up more often and will probably say something about *their* shed hair the next time they something about mine.

[Rockmoss]

Wow how catty. I'd probably make a joke out of it myself. If they found one and made a big deal, I'd freak and say, "oh my god, thank god you found it! it's been missing for weeks!" On a related note, I recently found a hair in my food (when it was in my mouth, bleh), and pulling out 20 inches of hair from my mouth was horrifying.

[CariadA]

Wow, that sounds like an unpleasant living situation.

I your plan of wearing it up more sounds good.

Every time DH finds a shed hair of mine, he puts it back on my head and says, "return to sender". He doesn't like them much. I vacuum a lot any way because of dog hair so that helps. And I wear my hair up or in a braid whenever I'm home.

[Rybe]

Wow, they need to grow up and suck it up. I feel lucky, the power of my husband's long hair and my long hair combine to destroy beater bar vacuum cleaners...Ahhh the telltale scent of burning rubber...

I agree with the other posters saying to give them crap about their sheds. We all do it. The only time it gets to me is when it gets wound in our dishes scrub brushes...bluh I don't even know how that happens...

[Melisande]

I also think they're making a big deal out of nothing. Yes, you should point out to them that they don't shed less than you do.

My daughters, one of the cats and I have long hair and we shed quite a lot. I keep silicone brushes and sticky lint cleaners around the house to pick up hairs from sofas, chairs and upholstery. I also go through the house with a broom - I don't like vacuuming, brooming is so much easier.

But in spite of my efforts, and in spite of keeping my hair up at nearly all times, you can still find my hair around. And everybody else's, too. That's what hair does - it grows, it sheds.

Your friends' hair is no exception. Friends? Temporary room mates with ugly manners.