Hi Wrapunzelistas! So, with inflation on the rise and the ongoing quest for the Almighty Dollar, most of us head wrappers find ourselves in the workplace for one third of our day! I would like to take this opportunity to talk about all of the successes, mysteries and yes, sometimes awkwardness of head covering in the workplace. Not all of us are blessed with working at Wrapunzel Headquarters, where we cover our heads regularly and happily, and always earn a compliment or two in the process! After all, it’s what we DO! But out in the ‘real’ world, many of us struggle each morning with what to wear on our heads with a work uniform or as part of a work dress ensemble. Does your workplace have uniform requirements that may warrant certain types of head coverings? How do your coworkers react to your headwraps? How do you feel when covering on the job? This article is meant to answer these questions and more, and to flush out many possible workplace situations, making covering at work less daunting of a task.

In a recent post on the Wrapunzel Community Group Page, we gathered a lot of information from women who head wrap on the job. Interestingly, most were nurses – one of the careers where those involved inherently cover due to the requirements and germ-conscious environment of the healthcare field. Historically wearing nurse hats and nowadays wearing workplace-issued scrub covers and elasticized ‘caps’ to contain their hair, most of the women who posted their experiences spoke of wearing headscarves and the amazingly uplifting effect that head wrapping has had on the doctors, fellow nurses and even patients that they encounter on a regular basis. Always making sure to wrap neatly with a No-Slip Headband or Shaper with a grippy velvet band and in a contained fashion – no tails here – these wrappers reported only positive reactions from those with whom they worked. Some of them even mentioned choosing their headwraps daily based upon what they felt would make patients smile and feel brighter.

Everyone wants to, ultimately, feel their best and most confident during their work day. Choosing colors or patterns that ‘represent’ ones personality is the goal. This helps us put our best foot forward – we feel great, those around us will feel great too. We feel productive and professional and so will our coworkers. Our clients will feel as if they are well cared for. We will exude an aura of strength and knowledge. We wind up being a positive example to ourselves and others.

Here is an indispensable video from our own Naomi Rose about Haircovering in the Professional World. Naomi Rose discusses a bunch of tips and tricks to help you feel rock solid and confident as you navigate wrapped job interviews and days on the job in different types of workplaces. And in this video, Andrea also gives some amazing suggestions on how to present yourself professionally while wearing a headwrap.

If you work in an office in Health or Legal, Administrative or Corporate professions, there is an unsaid ‘policy’ of how one should dress – and therefore cover their heads as well. It seems intuitive to wear neutral and subtle colors, to shy away from too much sparkle and to create a neat and subtle look that will put others at ease. Your entire being should make your coworkers and clients feel safe and well cared for.

Just imagine you’re headed out on an interview for your dream job. You recently started covering and you’re just not sure what to wear – on your head – to go along with your ‘power suit.’ First of all, most power suits will be made in a color that is from a softer, more neutral palette. Bold and bright colors that make you stand out are not necessarily a good choice here. Black, navy blue, shades of brown, grey, tan all can work well. You should strive to match your head covering to your suit, dress or outfit. It should homogenize with your entire look and not draw too much attention. A little bit of texture, sparkle or gentle color to complete the look (so that it won’t seem too uniform) will give you success. You will feel strong, self-assured and ready for the tasks at hand. You will feel “put together,” and this is the most important. A complete, complementary look that showcases you and not necessarily your outfit is what to shoot for. You’re going to be great!

And how should your headwrap be tied? It should be neat and clean, with simple lines. Not too many knots, twists or bows for this – something more plain and workplace appropriate. For example, if you’re working in a preschool setting, a wrap with tails isn’t a good choice when there are cute little hands on you all the time! Something smooth and all tucked in like a Regal Wrap or Fan Wrap is a perfect choice for any professional situation.

Here are some stories from members of our Wrapunzel Community about their wrapping at work. Melissa Laurel tells us “as far as my wraps, my boss is all for it. I’ve posted here before that he even says he likes when I wear sparkly ones.  I wear pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want, in regards to how I cover my hair. I haven’t tried really big super turban wraps. I think that would probably be pushing it for a Front Desk position, but Regal Wraps, low buns, veils, Beginner’s Luck, and snood/beanie slouchy type hats have been perfectly fine. I wear a variety of prints and colors, and I try to coordinate that with the clothing I wear each day.” Again, the theme of coordinating your workplace wraps with your outfits. Seems the best way to go!

And Sarah Jo says, “I work in large financial services in their Compliance department where the dress code is dress professional, suits and ties, that kind if thing. I haven’t received any negative feedback, but I did get respectful questions when I started. My answer was always the same, “It’s a matter of self care for me.” When I started to wrap in the office, I tried to keep it somewhat simple and not do big wraps. Every once in a while I’ll do tails. Another compromise is using a false hair piece over a bun and doing half wraps. The more it became part of who I am, the less of an issue it was. It’s just part of how Sarah Jo presents herself to the world.”

So in summary of things, wrapping in the workplace is, for a good part, dictated by your type of work and the people you encounter on a daily basis. Presenting in a ‘put together’ way is foremost and will give you a confident, strong and secure outlook to face your day, leaving those around you less concerned about your wrap and most concerned about you and how you do your job. Have a great work day every day, Wrapunzelistas!