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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Brushing hair in public places? The stuff on our heads?

56 replies

Feminine · 14/11/2013 14:59

Is it that my Mother just annoying me? or is it bad manners to bring out ones hair-brush and give it a good going over...whipping it in to a fluffy ball-no matter where you are?

The cafe,

The street?

The bus?

This is a lady who prides herself on good manners. When she does this though, she seems to have no respect for those sitting behind/around her?

I am positive she would have told me not to do it when I was younger Confused

I think it should be done in the powder -room Wink

OP posts:
SirChenjin · 14/11/2013 22:09

Just because you don't mind doesn't mean it isn't disrespectful or antisocial. Save your skin and hair shedding for the privacy of your own home.

livinginwonderland · 14/11/2013 23:07

I've never seen it happen. I brush my hair at work in the loos sometimes if it's been windy on my walk in, but I wouldn't do it anywhere else. Just seems unnecessary you end up with your elbows everywhere.

LittleBearPad · 14/11/2013 23:18

Brushing seems fine to me. The girl I sat next to recently who was biting her split ends off and spitting them in to the floor of tube I did judge though. 'Twas minging.

BackforGood · 14/11/2013 23:25

I just love the fact you felt you had to specify in your title that you were talking about the hair on her head Grin

mrsWast · 14/11/2013 23:28

you should NEVER brush your hair in public. my nan taught me that. mind you, she also told me that women with ankle bracelets were prostitutes, so your mileage may vary.

giraffesCantGoGuising · 14/11/2013 23:36

I bloody hate people putting on deo in public places - sends my lungs in to a coughing fit

jellyboatsandpirates · 14/11/2013 23:44

What the hell's wrong with brushing your hair?! Confused Picking your nose, yes. Loud snorts into a hanky followed by a loud "A WHOOOSHOO" sneeze into the air to be wafted about, yes. Could see your point.
Were they doing it around food? If so, I can see your point. If not, YABU.

lessonsintightropes · 15/11/2013 00:02

Mmmm, love the fact MN is anonymous. I do my face on the train in the morning but I'm usually in an empty carriage where no one can be upset. And occasionally I brush my hair too but not often. My rules are never deodorant, nail clipping, eyebrow plucking, but make up is okay if you're not within a few feet of someone else. I do live in London and think there are slightly different standards down here (wouldn't do this up north). Ready for a flaming!

RevengeWiggle · 15/11/2013 05:56

I would brush my hair in public if I was outside, not in a crowd or on a bus or anywhere it's going to leave stray hairs somewhere annoying. It's a bit disgusting to be shedding hair all over people.

RevengeWiggle · 15/11/2013 05:58

lesson I've seen women doing their makeup on a train/bus 'up north' why do you think it's OK in London but not the north? I've put my lippy on on a train myself.

EmmaBemma · 15/11/2013 06:12

I've never needed to brush my hair in public - even when it was long, I brushed it once, in the morning, before I left the house, and that was it for the day. Now it's cropped short I don't even own a brush. That said, I was amazed the first time I saw a thread about this - had no idea that public hair-brushing was such a faux-pas! Doesn't bother me in the slightest. Everyone merrily goes round shedding skin cells and probably tiny bits of snot and saliva and phlegm and whatever else anyway.

SpecialAgentFreyPie · 15/11/2013 06:17

I wouldn't do it anywhere food is served but I used to do it in public often, it was an anxiety release for me.

That's why I always have my hair braided now!

Crowler · 15/11/2013 06:35

I can't imagine brushing my hair in close quarters with someone sitting in proximity. Isn't this kind of attention-seeking behavior?

Thants · 15/11/2013 06:35

But as we have seen on this thread sirchenjin more people think it's fine so it isn't anti social!
I may personally not like people smoking in public but that doesn't make it anti social. Just my personal taste. Same with this.

SirChenjin · 15/11/2013 07:55

No, most people think it's either not fine/hadn't thought about it/don't own a brush. The ones who think it's totally fine anywhere are in the minority.

nooka · 15/11/2013 08:07

I really don't like people putting on eye make up anywhere near me because they are poking around at their eyes which makes me feel really uncomfortable. Brushing hair I don't really care about unless they are poking me with their brush. I've never seen hair or skin floating around in any great volume.

Thants · 15/11/2013 08:07

If they hadn't even thought about it then obviously it doesn't bother them! Unless someone had seriously bad dandruff or hadn't brushed their hair in a long time it would not cause a mess. You see people get ready all the time on public transport by doing their hair or makeup and I've never seen anyone tut, stare or ask them not to. Anti social activities usually get called up and this doesn't ergo it isn't anti social. I can't see why this bothers you so much.

AgathaF · 15/11/2013 08:25

Yuck. I wouldn't like that at all. Common sense tells you that you will get stray hairs floating around and landing on other people. Worse if you have dandruff.

Not surewhy people need to really. Can't they just sort it out in the morning at home then leave it alone for the rest of the day? Wouldn't occur to me to take a brush out with me.

KerwhizzedMyself · 15/11/2013 10:08

Just because people don't ask people to stop, doesn't make it not anti social. I think it's rank and when you can see the hair (and dandruff) falling from the persons head and sometimes land on you, it's disgusting. I wouldn't ask someone to stop though because I'm wary of asking the wrong person and getting a punch for my trouble. I just move so the gross person probably continues in a little bubble of "yay it's okay to put my body sheddings on other people".

UriGeller · 15/11/2013 10:10

She's obviously decided she doesn't give a fuck!

Can't wait til I get to that stage Grin

Thants · 15/11/2013 11:10

Bad Weather, time restrictions and the need to be smart for work are the reasons people need to do their hair on public transport.
There was another recent thread about should it matter what we look like a professional setting. Most posters said it should matter a lot! Therefore your gonna get people hair brushing on public transport. You can't have both!

AgathaF · 15/11/2013 11:44

You can though Thants. You should get up early enough in the morning to sort your hair out, and I would think all work places have a toilet that can be used for hairbrushing. There's just no need to do it on public transport/in the cafe/in the lift.

KerwhizzedMyself · 15/11/2013 11:48

You can have both. Whenever I've had to look professional for work and been caught in bad weather, I've never needed to shed hair all over the person sitting next to me. There's plenty of places where you aren't less than a foot away from another person where you can fiddle with yourself.

CuttedUpPear · 15/11/2013 11:54

My mother used to be up in arms at us carrying around combs in our back pockets to fluff up our 80's flicks old gimmer

She was wont to say 'Would you wash your ARMPITS in the street??"
Apparently it was no better than that.

fanoftheinvisibleman · 15/11/2013 12:00

I don't understand why you would. Fine in the ladies though.

The thing that really pisses me off though is deoderant spraying at your desk...just why? There are a few repeat offenders who march back in on a lunchtime, past the toilets and then start spraying their pits whilst others are eating. Grim!

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