What job do you do that is hair friendly?

[Mal]

I just went to work with my dreads in, I got sent home for being unprofessional, yet some guy with massive hair flaps (bad emo hair) can have that. Mmm... annoying!! And I even had it pulled back all nicely, oh well! And then they were like Why did you do that and I said I wanted to and I had been planning on this for months, and I got rostered on even though I said I couldn't work so I basically said STFU haha. *tear* I wish people would accept our hairs, then people wouldn't be so judgemental

[catcall]

i used to work with coustomer service on the phone, but i got fired last month. They didn´t need me anylonger. i applying for university this fall.

[LadyDecaying]

i work at Clares it a an accessories store they love them and the kids like them too

[Letty]

I work in a crap takeaway, My boss doesn't care what I look like, as long as I'm quick and hygeinic!

[BloodHoney]

I currently hold the 'customer service' position in a warehouse for a specialty food website. I have visible facial piercings, 4 gauge lobes, multicolored natural dreads, high undercut.. the owners couldn't care less. I dress in boring shirt and jeans though because I handle of lot of incoming shipments and get very dirty.

Before then I have worked in video stores, a sandwich shop, a used bookstore, sex shops, a clothing store, inbound call center.. my appearance had never been an issue. Very fortunate for that, indeed!

Nonetheless, I still feel constricted. Unless I look outrageously fabulous, I'm not totally at ease in my own skin.

[Zeddread]

Student, but I work at Animal part-time, and they don't care what piercings/hair we have thankfully

[Mal]

Update on my post before, I told work I couldn't work until the 5th due to being away, I was getting about 4 - 5 shifts a week. I have always done my work well, and I haven't ever been scolded or anything. So I ring up today for my shifts, hair out and everything, no work for the week. Next shift 17th, then the 25th. What the hell? This is so unfair. I told them they would be gone, I have NEVER done anything wrong to deserve this. I know that they do this when they want people to quit/pissed them off. What should I do? I need the money. Right now I'm looking for a new job.

[AmberLilith]

I'm now looking for a job... my last two jobs were in call centres so they were great about my hair and many piercings...
I worked for a market research company, then for an energy company -the energy company were great -when we asked about coloured hair and dreads, i got the amazing response that i'd always wanted to hear from an employer: 'That would just be another form of discrimination' so they were fine with it!
Unfortunately i'm not there any more.
I had an interview with Sainsburys: their policy on piercings is terribly strict so I didn't even get chance to ask about hair...

[brandalynn]

Since self employed wasn't an option, I chose full time parent.

My OH and I run our own business running shops at Renaissance Festivals. While we do this, we also take turns going to school so one doesn't have to sacrifice more than the other, and our son doesn't have to go too long without seeing one of us. We sell dreads, costumes and all sorts of stuff, so of course, we wear our products and strongly encourage our employees to do the same. We are currently trying to move some of the shop to the web so money isn't so tight during our off seasons and we won't have to travel so much.

[illumina]

I work in a public library and I also teach first and second year university students. I'm really lucky that both jobs are happy with me wearing dreads and they have no problem with me having a couple of facial piercings (currently nose and monroe/madonna but I also used to have a lower lip piercing). When I started working in the libraries I had the piercings but it was before I discovered the joy of dreads! The first 'interesting' hair I had was wool braids in greens, blues and purples and they had no problem with that - I didn't ask, I just went in one day with braids in - so I took that as a green light and went ahead with putting some roving in. At the time I was working on a casual basis and went in to a lot of different libraries and none of them had a problem with it. I'm now working part-time in a small village library and although I had a few curious looks and interesting comments from customers the first week or so, everyone's been really lovely. All the staff, and at least some of the customers, were rather disappointed when I took my last set out just before Christmas! My department at uni doesn't mind what I wear to teach and they know I'm a great teacher whatever I happen to look like. Some of the students think it's cool, some think it's weird and some don't care. I've never had a negative reaction there either.

Sorry for the massive post! Once I start, I can't stop

[OpheliaImmortal]

I currently work part time for a game retailer. They HATE any sort of alternative appearance. Even the handbook hints that you should be "normal". Boys are supposed to be clean shaven, and you're only allowed one piercing per ear, no facial piercings, no visible tattoos and no unnatural hair colours. I'm waiting to hear back from the regional manager as to whether or not I can have dreads.

It's really getting me down, I can't express myself in this place and it's killing me. All I want is to be myself. I feel really weird without my usual gear.

The only reason I'm staying there is because I need money, and nowhere is hiring right now. Stupid god-damn recession.

[daystar]

I work at a call center in customer service (customer retention specialist to be specific ), so I am completely free of any stifling dress code. I've got 1/2" earlobes, snakebites, a septum piercing and I haven't had a "normal" hair color since I've worked here. One of my friends in Quality Assurance has a blue mohawk and he recently got his nostril pierced, and people generally get to be themselves here.

[tazzyface]

As of today, I am officially a uni student

[TrickyMcVomit]

I work in an adult video rental facility. Compared to all you teachers and such, saying it like that makes selling porn videos sound a little less dirty. I love my job..I can do my hair however I want (bright red, undercut) wear anything I want (no sandals or sweat pants) I can swear on the sales floor...

but I usually wear a hat, rarely makeup and nothing too attractive I don't want any of the creeps to get any ideas or ask any more stupid questions than what they ask on a regular basis when in a retail store..."How much is this?" "What time does the place across the lot open?"....or the dumb comments about my hair...although the regulars don't even notice...

lots of us with the company (or used to work here) have tattoos, peircings, natural dreads, a few guys are in bands, one guy had a hearse!

I did work at a Dollar store for a year where they let me keep my hair, and the dress code wasn't too strict...shirts had to have collars (in the colder months I wore band shirts over polos) and no blue jeans....although any other color jean was acceptable? And they allowed me to wear capris and I have leg tattoos...but the pay was crap so I went back to the porn store. =0)

[VixenSingsBlack]

I work in a public library and I also teach first and second year university students. I'm really lucky that both jobs are happy with me wearing dreads and they have no problem with me having a couple of facial piercings (currently nose and monroe/madonna but I also used to have a lower lip piercing). When I started working in the libraries I had the piercings but it was before I discovered the joy of dreads! The first 'interesting' hair I had was wool braids in greens, blues and purples and they had no problem with that - I didn't ask, I just went in one day with braids in - so I took that as a green light and went ahead with putting some roving in. At the time I was working on a casual basis and went in to a lot of different libraries and none of them had a problem with it. I'm now working part-time in a small village library and although I had a few curious looks and interesting comments from customers the first week or so, everyone's been really lovely. All the staff, and at least some of the customers, were rather disappointed when I took my last set out just before Christmas! My department at uni doesn't mind what I wear to teach and they know I'm a great teacher whatever I happen to look like. Some of the students think it's cool, some think it's weird and some don't care. I've never had a negative reaction there either.

Sorry for the massive post! Once I start, I can't stop

I teach at Uni too, and I am VERY jealous of your situation! I think my superiors my freak... maybe that's just my fear though. I had to go in during winter holiday for a paper work mishap, and one of my colleagues didn't even recognize me with my mass of green/red colinette! I'm dying a streak of my hair blue soon; we'll see how that goes. At least it's the school colors!

At graduation this May I plan to bust out some dreads--by then ALL my responsibilities as the Uni are OVER.

[bingeandpurge]

I picked "Customer service face-to-face" because I'm a bartender/waitress. I've never worn any more than a few loose extensions to work, mainly because I always wear it up when I'm there, but my natural hair is bright purple. (Always up because if someone finds a purple hair in their eggs there's no way I can blame the cook!)
I work in a pretty small town and it's a bit of a redneck bar/restaurant, as the morning 9-to-5 shift I mainly only get older couples having breakfast & lunch and the alcoholics who start drinking early. Strangely enough for such a conservative town, everyone seems to love my purple- especially since I clearly own the color. Most of my work clothes are purple, and so is all my jewelry, hair accessories, makeup, etc. I'm "The Purple Girl." I guess it sort of ended up being my schtick.
Eventually I'll test out dreads on a night off there, or an employee party or something, and see how my bosses react. I have a feeling they wouldn't mind too much, as long as I'm clean and polite and don't drink on the job or steal it seems like I can get away with anything.

[illumina]

I teach at Uni too, and I am VERY jealous of your situation! I think my superiors my freak... maybe that's just my fear though. I had to go in during winter holiday for a paper work mishap, and one of my colleagues didn't even recognize me with my mass of green/red colinette! I'm dying a streak of my hair blue soon; we'll see how that goes. At least it's the school colors!

At graduation this May I plan to bust out some dreads--by then ALL my responsibilities as the Uni are OVER.

Yay, go for it! One of my friends dared me to shave my head for graduation but I love my long hair too much (plus, I don't think it would suit me). Instead, if I do ever get my PhD finished, I think I'll go for massive, crazy coloured dreads at the graduation

EDIT: I know I'm really lucky. I'm so thankful that everyone's so accepting.

[rainbowbanana]

does anyone have any suggestions about places i can apply, where theyd be ok with my hair? (desperately needs a job) because i really dont want to have to take out the dreads/shave it off.

[Bomber]

I work in an adult video rental facility. Compared to all you teachers and such, saying it like that makes selling porn videos sound a little less dirty. I love my job..I can do my hair however I want (bright red, undercut) wear anything I want (no sandals or sweat pants) I can swear on the sales floor...

but I usually wear a hat, rarely makeup and nothing too attractive I don't want any of the creeps to get any ideas or ask any more stupid questions than what they ask on a regular basis when in a retail store..."How much is this?" "What time does the place across the lot open?"....or the dumb comments about my hair...although the regulars don't even notice...

I occasionally help out in my friend's porn store and I've got to agree with this. As my friend is the manager, and she has her lip and nose pierced, I can look however I want but we tend to look as casual as possible because it just makes it easier.

[crazy_spork_i_am]

I work as a full time in house artist for a social networking/gaming site. They've been pretty lax about the way I dress and my hair and they'll also encourage it. My CEO encourages me to be myself which I find pretty cool and no one has told me to tone it down or anything for the past three years I've been working there. I also work alongside my husband as my partner at work so the company I work for is pretty unconventional a lot of the outfits I post in the 'What I Wore Today' thread are usually outfits I wear to work and when I go out :3

[synthetic-creature]

Im a full time parent and college student in forensic science as I want to be a scientist, needless to say I get some strange looks, as I also have large visible tattoos and obvioulsly what you used to be gauged ears... lol... I dont think that in my profession, or the one one i will be entering any how is going to allow my beloved rainbow dreadies... >.< but Im going to make a bunch of wigs... so it would make me feel like me when I have the time and I can take it off to be professional me.


any other suggestions at how to do this easier.... id love!!!

[Goglu]

Actually I've been working for 3years for a convenient store and I've been working like an assistant manager there for a while(working with cash and paying bills all that stuff)... They never had bad things to say about my hair XD I only got one old man telling me ''You are scaring me'' So I looked at him , smiling and said ''Dont be afraid, you'll get used to it!'' And he did, now he's speaking to me everydays so...Well maybe the fact that I'm not in a really small town like before helps alot, because in the small city where I come from, I couldnt even be engaged with platinum blonde and pink accent... Thats ridiculous!

[fangbanger]

I couldn't pick any of the options because I don't think any of them apply to me.

At the moment I work in the New Business Development Dept at the Head Office of a nationwide office supply company.
Since I've worked for the company I have always had my bright red hair,a nose ring and a labret and I've ALWAYS worn black to work and later got a medusa.
For a period I wore bum length red wool dreads to work too.

I've worked in a few different sales teams, doing over the phone customer service, cold calling etc, but now my job is more corporate and I deal with the Salesmen and Business Directors face to face.

Before working in Office Supplies I was a Manager of a Photo Development Shop, and my hair was always changing back then... but I have to say they didn't like my piercings, at all.
I got out of removing my piercings ( sometimes ) by using clear acrylic body jewellery, but most of the time I had to take it out, which I didn't mind. What I did mind was the HORRID SAINSBURYS STYLE work uniform

I understand people that aren't willing to compromise the way that they look just for a job, but its silly of a company to reject someone because of their image, especially if they can do the job better then say, some average joe.
I feel this is why I have been so "tolerated" by my employees; I come to work to do work, not to have a chat, surf the net , make friends, use the company phone, whatever.
I naturally push myself to work hard and I believe this shows in my performance.

I don't know what advice I can give to people or whether my job is truly hair friendly, but I'd like to think that I've earned the privilege to style my hair how I want for work, by working hard and trying to prove peoples misconceptions wrong.

[paran0ir]

I'm working in HMV at the moment. When I started I had just blonde dread extensions, and always tied them back, but over the years my hair has got bigger and a lot more colourful. I've always had blonde as a base, but am planning on going completley red in the next week or so, and haven't told my manager, but I think he'll be OK with it. If not, then it was a nice experiment My only gripe with working there is that he doesn't allow me to wear any facial piercings, but tattoo's on show are fine

every hmv must be different then ,cause up in newcastle (where im from ) ive seen loadsa people who are workin there with facial peircings !!!!

I worked at the flagship hmv on Oxford St in London for a while, and they're fine with a lot of things - piercings, dreads, bright colours, mohawks... though a colleague dyed their hair green and she got sent home for it, apparently according to hmv HR, it's totally at the individual store mangers discretion, so that's why it varies so much from store to store

[lizzieish]

My previous job was totally hair and tattoo friendly - they shouted at me if I went in and I didn't have my bright pink dreads in! I didn't wear loads of make up because well...I was at work! And took out piercings for safety reason which didn't bother me.

It was in the Customer Service face to face section.

Currently looking for a new job and have toned down my look - I take out my piercings and hide tattoos for interviews and now have white blonde hair, which I actually love so I haven't found having to conform an issue.

I dress how I always have, that'll never change, but make sure if I am handing out CVs etc that I look the part and make sure I am well dressed.