Best way to get GREASE out of hair?

[nakmom]

I work as a waitress in my family's cafe, but here recently I've been filling in for the cook since she can never seem to make it to work :rolleyes: Anyway, my hair is GROSS after standing over the grill for 8 hours. I always have to get a new drink after the lunch rush because there will be grease floating in it. The grease is THAT thick in the air :bigeyes:

So today I started thinking about how this is affecting my hair. I've been CWC once a week and CO the rest of the week. What's the best way to protect my hair from all this nasty grease and what's the best way to clean it after work? I know clarifying shampoos are harsh and should be used sparingly, but should I be using one after days I cook? Or will normal shampoo be good enough? And since I'm washing ALL of my hair on the days I cook, what's a good, cheap conditioner to use to put moisture back into my hair?

Thanks in advance!:flower: I'm heading to bed since I have an early day again tomorrow, but I'll be back to check later! :waving:

[battles]

Are you able to keep your hair up in a scarf while you work?

I'm not sure about wash methods, but Garnier Triple Nutrition is nice for moisture. Cone free and it's about 3 dollars a bottle, which isn't bad.

[Nedertane]

Indeed, I think you ought to at least start out by getting a cap, or hair net of some kind.

[sfgirl]

I had a similar problem making popcorn at a theater when I was younger. My hair wasn't the healthiest, but I didn't really need clarifying shampoo. I just lathered, rinsed, and repeated. Usually shampooing twice got the job done. I'm sorry you have to deal with that, keeping my skin from breaking out was so hard!

[trolleypup]

If it is really bad, a light oil will take out the heavy grease, then you can get the light oil out with something not too harsh...I've rinsed out camellia oil with just water.

[StormVixen]

I've heard grease (animal fats I assume) is VERY good for the hair, soo look at it as an oil treatment :P

I think soaking your hair in conditioner and wrapping your hair in a warm thing wil help to dissolve the grease..

[Kiwiwi]

I suggest covering your hair.
It's also better for a cook to cover their hair anyway, I think :-)

But what has me worried. If the grease is -that- bad (the thing about your drink), what must it be doing to your lungs? :-(

[rock007junkie]

Have you used dry shampoos? They work great when you are in a hurry when it comes to refreshing your hair.

[Amazinggrace]

I would use a clarifiying shampoo once a week, along with a deep conditioning treatment.

When you are cooking I would wear my hair up in a crown braid with a scarf over top.

[Madora]

The best way is to prevent the grease from getting on it...with a scarf (or scarves) that cover ALL your hair.

I do this myself when cleaning my kitties' litter boxes (to prevent the dust from getting on my hair).

It would seem to be to be an easy solution to an onerous problem...and wouldn't involve so much washing time after time.

Also, I would have serious concerns about my health, working in an environment that greasy.

[Amber_Maiden]

i think wearing a scarf over your hair would help, or maybe a hat? I would also keep COing or CWCing.

[torrilin]

Well, for starters I'd look at what kind of grease it is. If you're mostly cooking with a perfectly ordinary oil like olive oil... that's not going to be harmful to your hair in principle. The problem would come in if the grill's heat is so high that it's changing the olive oil chemically. You can tell this has happened if the olive oil gets solid at room temperature after being on the grill. Same goes for most other fats and oils... if it's normally liquid and it gets solid, that's not great. If it's normally solid and it stays liquid, that's not great either. This tends to be more common at temperatures where the oil smokes or spatters... those temperatures also cause fires fairly easily and it's easy to burn yourself by accident.

Like Kiwiwi says, I'd also be worried about your lungs. It's not good for us to breathe air with lots of particulates, so if the oil is spattering that much, it's not healthy.

[nakmom]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I wore a hat yesterday and was called "Mini Mindy" way too many times (Mindy is our cook that shows up when she feels like it). It annoyed me so I don't want to wear a hat. I never thought about a scarf though! I went out and bought a couple, so now I just need to figure out how to wear them :)

And yes, I worry about my lungs, too. Most days aren't too bad, but on really busy days it can be. We're a small town cafe so most of the grease is coming from burgers and bacon. And with the tips I make waitressing it's not worth quitting. I wouldn't make that much anywhere else around here right now. Plus I'm a full-time student and mom, so working for my dad is much more flexible and stress-free for me. :thumbsup: