Entertaining Hair Conversations: Let's share!

[Stormynights]

I just put this up over on the You know you are a long hair when... thread, but I thought it should go over here too. It's more of an interaction than a conversation and happened over the summer but I just remembered it and thought the LHC would appreciate it.


I was on jury duty and had to go through security to go up to the courtrooms. I put all the stuff that I thought might set off the metal detector in my bag before handing it over to be looked through. I usually never have a problem with metal detectors because I'm thorough when getting rid of things before hand but when I stepped through it went off. I was like oh, whoops must be my shoes, I haven't worn these through security before.

Took the shoes off, tried again, still setting it off. Ok, removed some jewelry that shouldn't have been a problem, took off my glasses, tried again. Still setting it off. The security guard gets out the wand and runs it over arms, legs, torso. No beeps. He's starting to get annoyed, I'm holding up the line, my fellow jurors are staring at me and my face is turning bright red.

The guard tries the wand again. He's starting to look at me like he thinks I'm concealing something purposely. I said "There's literally nothing on me but cloth. I have two titanium studs in my teeth. That's it."

We just stand there for a few seconds. People watch, I blush some more. Then, a light bulb appeared over my head. I'm pretty sure it was visible. I say "Oh, there are pins in my hair." I think the guard almost laughed. He didn't think that was enough to set off the detectors, but he waved the wand around my head and... beepbeepbeep. Yeah.

He did laugh a bit then. I asked him if I should take the pins out and he was like nah, just go through.

It was about 15 of my 3 inch u-pins in a cinnabun. I have to remember not to use those when I go through airport security next week.

This reminds me of my husband trying to get through airport security. I thought he was going to have to get naked. He had removed even his shirt with snaps and his boots. He was wearing Levi 501 jeans but it wasn't the jeans. It was the little button on the top of his cap. I am glad they figured it out before he had to take his jeans off.

[Laurenji]

yeah, I always just put my hair in a braid, or use an acrylic stick when I'm flying. I'm way too paranoid of setting off the metal detectors with the legion of pins that I would need to hold all my hair up.

[CatsAndCoffee]

A little background: I have always had short hair, since I was little. I reached my longest last year when I got to APL ... Seriously. So, recently I was talking to a friend of mine, who keeps her hair just above BSL pretty much all the time:

Her: Oh, you should do this! *shows me a photo of a platinum white pixie crop*
Me: I love it, but I'm actually growing my hair out right now.
Her: ... Really? Like to your shoulders again?
Me: No, my goal is actually your length, maybe a little longer.
Her: *stunned silence, blank stare, almost a full minute passes* I just can't see you with long hair ... You should keep it short.

[chen bao jun]

I just put this up over on the You know you are a long hair when... thread, but I thought it should go over here too. It's more of an interaction than a conversation and happened over the summer but I just remembered it and thought the LHC would appreciate it.


I was on jury duty and had to go through security to go up to the courtrooms. I put all the stuff that I thought might set off the metal detector in my bag before handing it over to be looked through. I usually never have a problem with metal detectors because I'm thorough when getting rid of things before hand but when I stepped through it went off. I was like oh, whoops must be my shoes, I haven't worn these through security before.

Took the shoes off, tried again, still setting it off. Ok, removed some jewelry that shouldn't have been a problem, took off my glasses, tried again. Still setting it off. The security guard gets out the wand and runs it over arms, legs, torso. No beeps. He's starting to get annoyed, I'm holding up the line, my fellow jurors are staring at me and my face is turning bright red.

The guard tries the wand again. He's starting to look at me like he thinks I'm concealing something purposely. I said "There's literally nothing on me but cloth. I have two titanium studs in my teeth. That's it."

We just stand there for a few seconds. People watch, I blush some more. Then, a light bulb appeared over my head. I'm pretty sure it was visible. I say "Oh, there are pins in my hair." I think the guard almost laughed. He didn't think that was enough to set off the detectors, but he waved the wand around my head and... beepbeepbeep. Yeah.

He did laugh a bit then. I asked him if I should take the pins out and he was like nah, just go through.

It was about 15 of my 3 inch u-pins in a cinnabun. I have to remember not to use those when I go through airport security next week.

It was my jewelry last time.
It doesn't help that I look like I'm a North African, specifically Tunisian. (Every Tunisian I ever met thinks I'm one. When I say I'm not, what I generally get is, so its not you, its your parents, that still counts).
So I get held up at airports anyway. But I don't care and am very very polite--I'd rather be checked than have them let some person with a weapon on.
The checker person put the stick thing near my jewelry and it went wild so then we knew that it was it. The jewelry is gold so that's confusing--oh well...

[trolleypup]

yeah, I always just put my hair in a braid, or use an acrylic stick when I'm flying. I'm way too paranoid of setting off the metal detectors with the legion of pins that I would need to hold all my hair up.

I used to be careful to use a plastic stick, or at least pull my stainless stick out...then I forgot and nothing happened...lately, sometimes the scanner triggers, but not always..."need to check your bun sir" *pulls stick, flop* "sorry, forgot about the stick"

[browneyedsusan]

A little background: I have always had short hair, since I was little. I reached my longest last year when I got to APL ... Seriously. So, recently I was talking to a friend of mine, who keeps her hair just above BSL pretty much all the time:

Her: Oh, you should do this! *shows me a photo of a platinum white pixie crop*
Me: I love it, but I'm actually growing my hair out right now.
Her: ... Really? Like to your shoulders again?
Me: No, my goal is actually your length, maybe a little longer.
Her: *stunned silence, blank stare, almost a full minute passes* I just can't see you with long hair ... You should keep it short.

Been there. Wore a pixie for many years. They ARE cute and fun, but long hair is a whole different kind of fun.
My initial goal was BSL too. Now, it's an experiment: how long can I grow it and enjoy it? Is it ever going to get long enough to get on my nerves? We'll see, eh?

[majesticgoldenr]

It was about 15 of my 3 inch u-pins in a cinnabun. I have to remember not to use those when I go through airport security next week.

yeah, I always just put my hair in a braid, or use an acrylic stick when I'm flying. I'm way too paranoid of setting off the metal detectors with the legion of pins that I would need to hold all my hair up.

Interesting. I didnt even think of it in November for my first flight(s) but I only use four or five of the stainless steel pins, not 15, since my hair is thin.... It wasnt a problem for me, but I'll be careful in the future still

[darklyndsea]

I had my hair up in kind of a roll thing with the ends loose, which is what I usually do to approximate a ponytail since the ends hit at about hip. So I gloated to my brother that even with half my hair up it was still longer than his hair (at waist-ish). I guess he thought that the tail was the entirety of my hair because he said it didn't count. So I dropped my bun to show that yeah, that was half my hair in the bun. So satisfying to be at knee-length and able to do that.

[Ephemia]

I was trying to explain to my sister the other day why I have three (plus a fourth that she didn't see) bottles of shampoo. Normally I only have two, I only have three because one's nearly empty. I don't think she got it.

[AmberJewel]

Not sure if this counts, but people at work keep asking me if I'm Pentecostal since I like skirts and always wear my hair up in a bun at work. I'm like, "Nooo, I wear it up at work because I don't need it getting in everything." I work at a Nursing Home and the last thing I need is for my hair to flop around while I'm taking care of someone. For some reason my coworkers don't seem to comprehend this?