Don't misunderstand. When I'm at work, I look professional; I even wear a tie most days. I'm just fortunate enough to live in a region that has a fairly casual dress code, and to be in a profession where competence matters a lot more than hair. (They also let me store my bike indoors, because they think it's nice that I don't drive a car.)

Ugh. Professional.

Same here, 'cept I can't store my bike indoors (building management are meanies).

Depending on your job and region's dress code, I can see why helmet hair would be a problem.

Fortunately for me, being in IT, at a support position where I'm constantly crawling around underneath floors running cable, helmet hair is the least of my worries. I was coming to work wearing slacks, a nice button up shirt and a tie and I still do on days where I know there won't be any crawling around, but most days it's just blue jeans and a polo.

I've never worked at a place that wouldn't let mt stow my bike if I wanted to.

Well, I was just asked if I intended to leave the bike storage rack downstairs

I usually keep my bike in the back storage room. One day, I came in and had jump in and do something immediately so I left the bike in the office area in the corner of the room. One of the admins came by and asked if I could move it to the back room because clients were coming in the office. One of my coworkers asked "Why? Dont you want the clients to know that we are a progressive company that facilitates people using alternative transportation?"

Avoid Mirrors?

Ha!

One of the random, heartless jobs I was interviewing for a while back required that men dress 'professionally', which included cutting my hair because It's at about shoulder length - albeit my hair was pulled back in a tail and I had a black headband on for the interview. Well, I happen to be in the process of growing my hair out to donate it, but aside from that, I was kind of shocked at the comment.

I've gone to private schools all my life, so my hair has never, ever been long, and it wasn't until college - go figure - that I had no Idea why hair mattered - how it meant 'clean.' The only reason I ever found to justify it was in military terms, where the hair is cut for uniformity and helmet purposes. I guess this idea of men with short hair trickled over to the 'professional' world after WWI and WWII? Maybe it's founded in early colonial times when only savages had long hair??

So, anyways, I digress. When the interviewer asked me If I was fine with cutting my hair, the only thing I could think of was the receptionists hair. It was down, frizzy, and not at all taken care of, and she was female.


*I did not end up working there.

One of my profs at LU said that our dress code (long since changed) had everything to do with the counter-culture movement in the 60's and 70's- - "If they'd been wearing pinstripe suits and crew cuts, rest assured dress code would be jeans and t-shirts"

I have no reason to doubt him.

A Tie has got to be one of the most useless articles of clothing in the known universe. . . it's like a. . . defective scarf or something.

helmet hair as in flat or sticking up (because of vents)? if it sticks up, wear a cycling cap. if its flat, i feel bad for all of you. my hair is so thick and beautiful that i intentionally make it a little flat just to be modest.

I combine two techniques over which I have very little control... military hair cut (mandatory with the uniform) + advancing age = not much hair to worry about.

AMEN! And the only folks I find routinely admiring them are women. Now, I will admit that women inflict all manner of silliness in their own dress, and much of that probably is as a result of male dominance of the workplace for so long. But as ties are disappearing from even the 'professional' world, women of a certain leaning seem to want to cling to them. I think a tie is a symbol of subservience and enslavement. The boss can force me to wear one, and I succumb because I need the job.

As to the original question: really short hair works wonders, as does a 'hairstyle' that isn't far off from said helmet hair. If everyone is used to seeing your hair a certain way, it just looks normal.

My suits don't fit anymore (too big). Sigh. I haven't had a haircut in. . . 8 months, I think.

I found that my mtb and road helmets have to many vents and my longish (just shaggy really) hair sticks up. but if i wear my aero helmet it has less vents therefor no more helmet hair! plus I get kudos at work.

Working with my curly, long hair and a nice helmet, I need to say my point:

1. Wet hair, will keep it fine for delivery
2. Welding helmet caps or bandannas - I get the caps for free at the welding shop every now and then, thinner bandannas though
3. A Quick trip to the bathroom for some water

That's exactly the way I do it as well.

On the other hand, if you provide enough natural protection, you won't 'need' a helmet that causes helmet hair...

I personally enjoy wearing skinny ties, but I really dislike the fat/thick ones that made their way into the professional world in the 90's and, for some reason, still exist today. Most modern ties are very tacky.

I tried that in the office my desk is in, he didn't want to hear it. So all the green stuff he claims to investors is just lip service, which I get, but you still have to act the part even if it is lip service. (they build McMansions...so you can have an idea of how well we are doing)

We (Boot Camp Platoon) were told it was to help prevent parasites (lice, fleas, tics and such)....Military personnel aren't allowed to grow beards (well, most aren't) because the facial hair will interfere with the seal on gas masks (and I've had the unfortunate experience to find out first hand).

I don't like ties, they get in my way far to much when I wear them.

As for helmet hair, I keep it short. I recently purchased a trimmer and trimmed it to a number 7 for the spring, might go shorter in the summer if it heats up and I have a full time position somewhere. I let it grow out in the fall/winter as it provides extra insulation.