Natural Hair in the Workplace

One day while perusing a forum I'm a member of there was a thread about hair in the workplace. The poster said she was taken aside by a supervisor and encouraged to do something about her hair if she wanted to move up in the organization. Even the original poster questioned her own hairstyle. Other posters comments ranged from outrage to agreement with her boss to make sure her hair was neat.

This cause me to think about natural hair in the workplace. Here are some tips to help increase your confidence about wearing your natural hair in the workplace. You can also check out my YT video about the subject here.

Consider your workplace culture: If there is a dress code policy, refer to that first. If it isn't in writing, observe those around you and how they dress. There are certain industries that are more conservative than others and in order to advance, you will need to closely assimilate your workplace culture. But don't fret, because there is hope...

Let loose on the weekends: If you work in an environment that is conservative, then let loose with your personal style on the weekends. Wear your biggest fro or twistout and enjoy!

Develop an arsenal of work appropriate hairstyle and accessories: Find styles that are work appropriate to avoid boredom and falling into a style rut. These styles should be able to be achieved in ten minutes or less. Use fotki, flickr, your blog or your computer hard drive to store these styles for inspiration. Also favorite videos on YT to practice and perfect at night and on the weekends.

Practice and perfect your work styles: Practice makes perfect. You do not want to spend too much time in the morning with your work style, so on the weekends or days off practice and perfect the styles. Having these styles perfected will give you confidence about the style and your overall professional image.

Now for some inspiration....