Can I put my hands in your hair?

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Have you ever been asked, "Can I put my hands in your hair?"

At work, the other day, I was asked just that.

A CNA said, "Your hair is so gray and shiny and looks so soft. Can I just put my hands in your hair?"

I said, "No, you cannot put your hands in my hair. I do not know if your hands are clean or where your hands have been!"

She got offended and said, "Well, I don't know if your hair is clean!"

I said, "That's beside the point."

WTH is up with that??

I have had people come up and just start touching my hair, and I wish they would NOT do that!

Anyone else ever been asked that or just have someone come up and start running their hands thru your hair?

How do YOU handle it?

I can't stand it. It makes me sick to think where their hands may have been.

Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

I guess I am strange too... I find it relaxing.

Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

At least she asked! I get this all the time from patients, but they don't ask. They just reach out and stroke my hair next to my face. Ewww! I know just where those hands have been either. I think

the girl that sits behind me in peds is obsessed with my hair and i have stopped bothering turning around during class because she starts messing with it. by the end of lecture i have pigtails, braids or some other kind of updo she decided was cute that day on my head.

This person that messes with your hair should switch to cosmotology major. How much attention can she be paying in class when she is fixing hair? She will be coming here posting about how she flunked a test because the mean instructor put all kinds of things on it that had never been taught in class.

:angryfire

Specializes in oncology, trauma, home health.

I've had someone at work actually come up while I was charting and take my hair out of the elastic and start messing with it. What I really hate is when (and it seems to be the male-nurses who do this) come up and give me a back-rub. Boundaries please!

Specializes in Emergency, Nursing Management, Auditing.

people ask me this all the time because i have long, curly reddish brown hair and for some reason they want to always touch it. um, only if i know you... i hate when people who barely know me ask me! i know it's a compliment, but really, *** am i supposed to say to that? lol

I hate that!!!! I have long red hair and people are always putting their hands in my hair and then they ask me if that's my natural color. Yes!!! That's why I have freckles. I feel like a dog being petted except I don't like it!!!!

Yeah, and can you rub my belly and scratch behind your ears while you're at it? Boundaries, people!!! :-)

Specializes in ER.
I guess I am strange too... I find it relaxing.

Ditto. A lot of my coworkers will play with my ponytail and I have a few friends who will kinda tug on it as a greeting when they come up behind me, as I do to them. Of course, these are all people that I'm fairly close to, both at work and at home. I like it.

I guess it's sort of a compliment, but off-putting at the same time.

It never ceases to amaze me how people feel entitled to touch other people's tattoos....I only have 2 small tattoos and so normally I get passed over, but I have lots of friends with big tattoos and "sleeves" on their arms and it is AMAZING how many perfect strangers think it is acceptable to touch their tattoos or even lift up the sleeve of their t-shirts to see more of the tattoos! I guess it's a little different because tattoos are "voluntary" and so maybe the strangers feel like they shouldn't have gotten the tattoos if they didn't want people touching them, but still: Duh, ever heard of BOUNDARIES?:bugeyes:

Specializes in Med/Surg.

My daughter has c/o a girl in her class asking if she can touch her hair---my daughter replies "No" and then a little while later, she feels this girl touching her hair.

Has happened several times this year! YUCK!! I cannot imagine wanting to touch someone elses hair!!!!! I don't like combing pts hair at work---to me it is the equivalent of asking "can I touch your feet?"

*shudder*

I have Dreadlocks that are almost to my booty. My family and I moved from New Orleans where Dreads are very common for men and women. We live in Escondido, California now. Not only do I get the "Can I touch your hair?" but I get stares and the all famous "What is your hair made of ?" or " I guess that that is not your "real"hair , is it?". The one that really sends my blood pressure in the pre-hypertension zone is that I get compaired to Whoopi Goldberg from "The View". Beautiful woman, mind you but we look nothing alike. What I have grown to understand is that particularly living in Southern California, many people are not exposed to other cultures, except at work or outings, and that they get alot of ideas about folks on the internet or, the almighty television. How I deal with it is 1) "My hair is made from Mommy and Daddy's DNA." 2) "My hair is just as real as yours." 3) "Whoopi is beautiful; thank you for the comparison." With some people, you just have to be firm and polite; or not , if you so choose. Case in point, when I said "Hell, no you can't touch my hair. Do I look like a Shetland pony ?":hlk:

Specializes in ER.
This person that messes with your hair should switch to cosmotology major. How much attention can she be paying in class when she is fixing hair? She will be coming here posting about how she flunked a test because the mean instructor put all kinds of things on it that had never been taught in class.

:angryfire

:confused:

Why do you assume that? Not everyone needs to stare at the instructor during lecture. I used to doodle in class during lectures...I'm talking lots of trees died because of my habit! But I was still listening and my grades were just fine.

Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I was at work one day and I had my hair in a loose ponytail due to a headache. (I wanted my hair up and outta the way but not tight for that reason.) I had just gotten done with my first 2 assessments and was charting them and one of the day shift RN's walked up behind me and started "fixing" my ponytail. Pulling it real,real tight. I kept asking her to quit. Finally after she did I told her in no uncertain terms that She could do whatever she pleased with her hair, but she was pulling my hair TOO TIGHT and to LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE. She asked my what my problem was and I told her to stop because she was making my headache worse.

I never never want to play with someone elses hair. However EVERYONE likes to play with mine. I just don't get it. I have natural blonde hair and everyone just wants to play with my hair.

I also have everyone wanting to put makeup on me. I don't wear any. I cannot stand it. If I am going out for a special occassion fine, but not just for work.

I wish people would respect boundaries.

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