Wet Hair Don't Care?

[2BRN123]

So I'm a curly girl (very). I'll soon be starting clinicals and would like to avoid even having this discussion with my professors unless I have to.

As many curly haired people know, there is a fine line (often dictated by a .10 point change in barometric pressure or wind direction) between having beautiful springy curls and looking like a bat-**** crazy bag lady.

Now, many of my curly haired brethren rely on air drying their hair (which for me can take anywhere for 1 - 8 hours lol).

Is it totally unprofessional to show up to work in a medical setting with wet or partially wet hair? Is that allowed? Unsafe?

There is a long discussion about this on a naturally curly hairstyle site I participate in, but most of the discussion is focused on office jobs, which doesn't really apply to this type of work, so I figured I'd ask here!

[SweetPEI]

I'm mixed with tons of curls too. My daily routine involves washing my hair (shampoo or just conditioner) and putting a leave in cond., and a"frizz free" pomade, blow drying for 5 minutes and then air drying with the windows down on my way to school (45 minute drive). My hair may still be wet, but only I know that since its super curly. If I need my hair out of my face, I use a head band, ponytail, bun or use clips. I flat iron every now and then, but I don't really like too much direct heat on my hair, so this works for me. If I want a super neat bun, I fully blow dry my hair the night before, throw in some big pin curls and just apply my frizz free pomade, brush it back and put it in a bun in the morning.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

I flat iro the parts around my face only and then put it up into a bun or ponytail flat ironing the ponytail if necessary. Think of it this way if your putting it up into a bun anyways you don't need to wash everyday to make it "look good"

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

Also buy a bunch of the shower/processing caps at a beauty supply store.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Many, Many moons ago, I paid to get a perm since those days the Curly look was hip. However, since it was down below my shoulders those days, I had to put it up in a pony-tail. Although, when it was a humid day I looked like Donna Summer caught in Storm!!!! that was the end of my experimenting with my hair. Needless to say, as long as you keep your hair nice, clean and pulled back, away from your face you shouldn't have any problem, now I leave you since I feel a song coming on "Long beautiful Hair"...

[video=youtube_share;gdLLyDTgNIU]

[Jammin' RN]

HAHAHAHAHA! Love the tune Gitano! To the OP, I don't think it's silly for you to ask this question. You want to look professional. :) That's admirable!

Many, Many moons ago, I paid to get a perm since those days the Curly look was hip. However, since it was down below my shoulders those days, I had to put it up in a pony-tail. Although, when it was a humid day I looked like Donna Summer caught in Storm!!!! that was the end of my experimenting with my hair. Needless to say, as long as you keep your hair nice, clean and pulled back, away from your face you shouldn't have any problem, now I leave you since I feel a song coming on "Long beautiful Hair"...

[video=youtube_share;gdLLyDTgNIU]

[sauconyrunner]

I have definite hair issues. While I am not supposedly of mixed ethnicity, my hair seems to have not gotten the message... Always went to work with it wet. Still do some days. But I probably should not.

In school, you are going to have to find a way to have it appear dry...if you can not bun it.

[macalania54]

I'm black and have a dense kinky afro. Because how curly my hair is I only really need to wash it about 3 times a week, and when I do I often do it in the evenings. So just echoing what several other people have said, it could be helpful to cut down on washing your hair everyday if that's what you do, and washing your hair at the end of the day.

and just a tip, I hate blow-drying but sometimes don't wanna wait to air dry, so I invested in a microfiber towel. I was a little skeptical at first but a good microfiber tower really sucks a lot of the water out of your hair fast!

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

When I was in school, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we had to have our hair off our collars....no pony tails allowed. AND we had caps. I had long curly hair. I'd put it in a bun on the top of my head and bobby pin it. Then I'd pin on my cap. It was good for a few hours, then it started to 'un-bun' and my cap would lift off my head. The doctors loved to laugh at me.These days, I ask the nurses who work for me to pull their hair back. And none of them would think of coming to work with wet hair.

[SweetPEI]

Curly hair will always be "in" for me. Its what my hair is naturally and I love it. The longer, the more work, but I wouldn't have it any other way. OP, just be prepared to budget your time as you grow it out during nursing school

[sbostonRN]

I don't have curly hair but I have very thick wavy hair that takes forever to dry. I haven't had the time or energy to blow dry it since 2006 or so. I've either gone to work with it wet and pulled back or unwashed every day for my entire professional career (7-8 years). No one has ever said anything to me about it and I've even gone to job interviews with wet hair (pulled back). So I don't think it's a big deal at all. Since your hair isn't long enough to pull into a ponytail/bun, I would just style it with mousse or however you normally do it, and wear a headband. Just make sure it's not dripping wet and I doubt anyone would even notice.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

I think really curly hair looks different wet than non curly hair. As long as it's not dripping, it just looks heavily jelled to me.

[TopazLover, BSN, RN]

A word of caution for those with long hair put wet into a bun all the time: I once had a student that got a fungal infection of the scalp from the wet hair. A bit like trench foot only in the center of the bun. Make sure you get air into the hair at least once in a while. If you are going to work with wet hair, putting it up in a bun and working all day it seems like a 15 hour wet head is likely. Do that a few days in a row and you could easily be heading for issues involving wet scalp.

I use to wash my hair, go to work with it wet, take it down during break, brush it out and put it back up. never had any issues raised to me nor did I have wet head issues. For what it is worth: I had another student that always wore a wig so she did not have to worry about her hair getting dirty at work. She just cleaned the wigs.