Personal Grooming in Public?

[snoopygirl]

I was wondering what personal grooming if any should be done in public? I do not do any personal grooming beside applying Purell or lotion on my hands and sometimes lip gloss on my lips if they are cracked. However, I saw a customer in my line today ( and I work in a grocery store) brushing her hair. My first thought was gross thats going to get on customers food. Yes I know most of it is wrapped but when I buy fruit I sometimes don't put it in a produce bag. It just seemed odd that she would chose the line of a store to brush her hair.

[Rose2Bear]

I admit, sometimes I take a few quick strokes of a comb through my hair in public places - including resteraunts    When I first arrive at a resteraunt, especially if its windy, i try to subtly take my comb out and do about three or four REALLY quick brushes, but I would never do it when the food is there. (Yes I realize I MIGHT pull a strand out and it MIGHT float to the next table...) 

So, I guess I feel that if its done quickly then its not terrible, but if someone is just standing there brushing their hair for an excessively long time and especially if it isnt wind-blown or tangly, then it starts to get even more rude and gross as more strands are likely to be pulled out.

[Clara Bow]

Beats picking her nose....
There are mirrors in bathrooms for a reason. That reason has escaped some of our brethren. I'm reminded of the thread a while back about the charming gal who was clipping her nails on the bus.
Bleeeeeccchhhh!

[Chartreuse]

Grooming is not to be done in public, unless absolutely necessary and very minor.  Lip balm application, perhaps some hand lotion, fine.  Doing the majority of your makeup, trimming your nails, doing your hair, picking your nose etc... take it to a restroom or somewhere out of the public view, PLEASE.  As I've said before, much of it really ends up becoming a matter of littering cast-off bits of your body all over the place.  It's tacky, it's rude, it can generally wait, and often it can be disgusting to watch.

[EvilAlice]

I don't know what the actual etiquette rules are about this, but here's what i will do:

A quick clip and file if I get a snagged nail.

Apply lipstick just about anywhere.

If I have a piece of food stuck in a tooth and it's really uncomfortable, I'll try for a minute to get it with my tongue and make a VERY discreet attempt with a toothpick.  But that almost never works and I end up pretty quickly in the bathroom with my dental floss.

I don't feel I have to be in a bathroom to brush my hair, but wouldn't do it standing in a line, or sitting at a table.

Here is one of my big peeves:

People blowing their nose at the table.  It just totally and absolutely grosses me out.  Something about hearing the phlegm in people moving around makes me sick to my stomach.  It has nothing to do with germs on their hands or anything- I am the least germophobic person you'll ever meet. 

But I HATE HATE HATE listening to other people's snot whether they're blowing it into a kleenex, or doing the charming bit where they just keep sucking it back up into their nose.  I want to hand them a tissue and point them to a private area to take care of it and say "it's not going to just EVAPORATE, you know- you have to get it out!" 

Now, people wiping their nose doesn't bother me.  It's the noisy, sound effect laden, honking and rattling and blowing.

[RuneGuardian]

I've been known to run my fingers through my hair quickly if I feel a knot, or nibble on a hangnail if it's really driving me crazy. I don't really mind if people decide to groom themselves in public, so long as their hair or nail clippings don't end up on me. If they want to pick their noses or pick wedgies, I don't really mind. All I can say is I don't want to be around on the day someone decides to change their tampon in public.

doing the charming bit where they just keep sucking it back up into their nose.

I have to say I'm guilty of this at times because I never learned to blow my nose until I was 16, so it's not really an instinct for me to take care of the free-roaming snot by blowing it (and besides, I have heard that blowing it doesn't really help much and can make your sickness last longer). My roomie's boyfriend does it all the time, and he does it really loud. I can handle people sniffing if they've got a runny nose, but when it's loud and long it makes me a little queasy.

[Clara Bow]

All I can say is I don't want to be around on the day someone decides to change their tampon in public.

Do not tempt them...

[kathrynne]

I have to say I'm guilty of this at times because I never learned to blow my nose until I was 16, so it's not really an instinct for me to take care of the free-roaming snot by blowing it (and besides, I have heard that blowing it doesn't really help much and can make your sickness last longer). My roomie's boyfriend does it all the time, and he does it really loud. I can handle people sniffing if they've got a runny nose, but when it's loud and long it makes me a little queasy.

Allergies suck. There's no better way to put it.

I take my regular allergy pills every morning, and they're supposed to last 24 hours. For normal situations, they do last 24 hours, the exceptions being really cold days (whose nose doesn't run then?) or when I've been exposed to more allergen than normal doses of antihistamines can handle--the best example being perfume. I'm to the point now where I feel that if a person is wearing enough of any scent that moving away from them in a restaurant lobby doesn't clear it from my head, it's assault. At that point there is nothing I can do. Either the plumbing stops up completely and I can't breathe or it springs a seemingly neverending leak. Sure, I can add some diphenhydramine, but that takes time to work and will only knock me out in the middle of my meal.

Stopping into the bathroom for a quick nose-blowing doesn't do more than very temporarily alleviate this. I could get up every five minutes to blow, but that's insane. So I'm sometimes stuck being that offending sniffer.

It's not fair to judge on that, though, since I was FINE when I left the house and became sick when someone polluted the lobby. I'd love to say this happens rarely, but it's far more frequent than it would be if people understood that their scents should be noticeable ONLY within a foot or so of their person, rather than following the example of the old Jean Nate "Splash" commercials, where the model bathed in the stuff.

[MrsP81]

I think it is really rude to brush your hair in public - especially where food is such as a restaurant or grocery store. Do it in your car or go to the bathroom. And really...why did she need to brush it in the grocery store??? Nobody cares what your hair looks like.

[Maggie]

To me this is unbelievable but the woman that runs the personnel office in our store eats her lunch in the breakroom with about 6 people and then when she is finished, she brushes her hair with a pick.  Her hair is about to the middle of her back and very straight.  I don't know why she uses a pick nor do I understand why she brushes her hair while the people around her are still eating. 

Obviously this is not something you can go to personnel office about.  Sooooo, who do you talk to?

[MineralDiva]

I would have been tempted to blurt out, "Just what in the E-Hell do you think you're doing?  If I wanted hair on my food, I'd buy it that way!"

Ewww.  Just ewwww!

[sparksals]

I've been known to run my fingers through my hair quickly if I feel a knot, or nibble on a hangnail if it's really driving me crazy. I don't really mind if people decide to groom themselves in public, so long as their hair or nail clippings don't end up on me. If they want to pick their noses or pick wedgies, I don't really mind. All I can say is I don't want to be around on the day someone decides to change their tampon in public.

doing the charming bit where they just keep sucking it back up into their nose.

I have to say I'm guilty of this at times because I never learned to blow my nose until I was 16, so it's not really an instinct for me to take care of the free-roaming snot by blowing it (and besides, I have heard that blowing it doesn't really help much and can make your sickness last longer). My roomie's boyfriend does it all the time, and he does it really loud. I can handle people sniffing if they've got a runny nose, but when it's loud and long it makes me a little queasy.

Was the not learning to blow your nose until 16 cultural?  I've never heard of that before. 

I think you're wrong about blowing making sickness last longer.  If you're constantly sniffling and (sorry, TMI) swalling phlegm, then you are keeping the bacteria inside your body.  It's best to get rid of it, albeit, discretely.

[Rach]

Allergies suck. There's no better way to put it.
Stopping into the bathroom for a quick nose-blowing doesn't do more than very temporarily alleviate this. I could get up every five minutes to blow, but that's insane. So I'm sometimes stuck being that offending sniffer.

I was thinking of posting the same thing.

What does etiquette say I should do? I couldn't actually go anywhere, ever, or eat dinner with anyone if I were not to blow my nose..

[Chonsil]

Any thoughts about grooming while on an airplane? I like to freshen up a little before landing (moisturise, fix makeup, brush hair). I would tend to do these things in the bathroom, but on a plane I feel a little guilty tying up the facilities for so long when there are a lot of other people that need to use them. I just run in for the quick teeth brush and leave. And brushing my hair would only consist of a few strokes to tidy up.....  Is it awful to do the full makeup works if I'm in my seat but discreet?

And I'm one of those with allergies as well, that does need to keep blowing my nose on occasion. I appreciate the sound isn't always pleasant, but sometimes it's that or the eternal snuffle.

[Sophia]

My thoughts:

On an airplane: wait until you are off to do most things.  You could probably brush in front of the exit door.  But, the luggage never beats you there, so you have time. 

Nose blowing:  I would much rather someone blow their nose and get it over with then sniffling.  Sniffling drives me nuts. 

I don't see why someone can't wait until they get to a restroom before brushing their hair.