Can You Dye Your Hair in Prison?
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Although prison life is different, inmates can’t let go of some personal traits and instincts, such as makeup, beauty, and appearances. The prisons allow inmates to use makeup and dye their hair to keep up their appearances.
However, hair dye products and other beauty products are limited in jails. The inmates have to be creative to develop improvised products they can use to dye their hair. The inmates’ innovative methods of coming up with these products aren’t always safe. Some even risk using contrabands, knowing very well it might land them in more trouble. Some prisoners use oatmeal to make face masks, watercolor paints for eyeshadows, and the hair dying; some use Kool-Aid powder.
Despite the freedom of dying your hair in prison, there is a set of rules that guides how and what color to use when doing so. Inmates are not allowed to dye their hair in such a way that will alter their recognizable appearance.
Can Inmates Get Hair Care from Salons While in Prison?
In the United States, you’ll find some standard utilities at least in every correctional facility. Such utilities are inclusive of a salon for female correctional facilities and a barbershop for their male counterparts.
Male Correctional Facilities
It is worth mentioning that these facilities are not always a guarantee. Prisons lacking barbershops have barbers who go round all the inmates’ units to cut short their hair following a scheduled pattern. The hair cuts are, however, not as fancy as you might imagine or expect. It’s usually a basic cut.
Male inmates shave their hair for obvious reasons. They must be neat whenever they have court appearances.
Female Correctional Facilities
It’s no secret that women are more concerned with their beauty and appearance. Female inmates are no different; they need those beauty products and hair products. Due to limitations in the supply of these products, the female inmates improvise and do anything to get the makeup and hair products they need.
Female correctional facilities have salons where the inmates will go to do their hair. The prison also offers vocational programs in cosmetology. This is a program the inmates attend to learn more about cosmetics and how they can manage themselves. To get services at these centers, you have to make an appointment with a stylist. The stylists are former inmates who have gained a license to work at the salon.
The inmates get no further service other than a haircut, trim, or hair dye. The number of stylists and facilities at the salon is limited, and it would take some time to secure an appointment.
Those who choose not to wait for long for their appointments at the salon opt for the cosmetology school. Here, services are faster than at the salon; you wouldn’t need to wait as the students are many and resources are also enough. The downside to going to the cosmetology school is that their stylists and service providers are still learning, and they might deliver low-quality services.
Haircuts are done for free once every six months. However, all the other services come at a cost.
Other than a haircut and color, you could also get the following services in the salon:
- Scalp massage
- Manicure
- Pedicure
- Relaxer
- Perm
Tricks Inmates Use to Get Beauty Products
Getting beauty products in prison is a tricky adventure. The commissary has limited options for beauty products, and there isn’t a consistency of products they offer. However, inmates have come up with tricks and hacks that help them get the beauty products they need.
Below is a list of creative ideas they apply to get their beauty needs:
Kool-Aid for Color
Kool-Aid is a powdery, sugary, and brightly-colored drink beverage. To use it:
- Stir the Kool-Aid powder to dissolve it.
- Stop mixing when you see a dark, ominous paste.
- Put some more conditioner to the paste to reach the volume that will be enough for your hair.
You should then dip your hair into the mixture. It will adopt a bold tinted, and bright look.
Inmates use Monistat 7 to Grow their Hair
Inmates seeking to grow long hair in prison usually use Monistat 7 to boost their growth. Monistat 7 is a treatment for vaginal yeast infection and should be available in the commissary shop. Pregnant women also use it for treatment purposes.
Despite these drugs causing side effects such as burning, swelling, and irritation, the inmates don’t mind using them to get the much-desired length.
Finger Coils and Bantu Knots
Finger coils and Bantu Knots are common hairstyles in female prisons. The inmates use homemade gel to keep the coils attached in place.
Candy for Beauty Regimens Maintenance
Candies are easily accessible in commissaries. Inmates take advantage of this and use candies to create various cosmetic products. The inmates, for instance, use Jolly Ranchers to create hair gel. They soak the jolly rancher in water then mix with body lotion to form the hair gel.
The outer shells of M & M candy consist of corn syrup and sugar and are buffed to have a shellac appearance. Other ingredients include milk, chocolate liquor, and cocoa butter. When soaked in hot water, they form a lip stain.
The peanuts in the candies can also be crushed and mixed with lotion to form face masks.
Pencil as Rollers
Inmates use pencils to curl their hair. To use this method, wrap your hair around your pencil and make sure you have water or gel. Leave the hair to dry, and the hair curls will emerge.
Cocoa Butter and Strawberry jelly for gel Making
Hair gel is essential in keeping your hair healthy. Inmates do not have access to this hair gel and therefore have to become creative. A popular method is mixing cocoa butter with strawberry jelly to make an improvised jail.
The mixture is safe for use as it doesn’t pose any side effect risks to the inmates. The cocoa butter in the mix reduces the jelly’s stickiness property making it render.
Cornrows
Cornrows are the most common improvised hairstyle in most prisons. It does not need many ingredients like the rest of the products, as you’ll only use your hands to craft the style. You can consider this style if you don’t want to attend to your hair regularly. It is used both by male and female inmates.
The necessity for making beauty products is shampoo and conditioner. These are the basic requirements for hair maintenance. You can be creative enough and make gel and use it to twist your hair or create braids.
How to Dye Your Hair
Prisons allow inmates to dye their hair at their will. However, some rules guide how the inmates do so.
Below is a set of rules that guides how the inmates dye their hair:
- Limitation on the color preference. The inmates are only allowed to dye their hair based on the primary colors that look natural. Any other fancy colors and designs are not allowed.
- You’re allowed to dye your hair black, blonde, brunette, or red. Other colors are out of the question.
- Inmates are supposed to maintain their initial hair color; You are not supposed to alter the colors now and then. A blonde inmate can not dye her hair brunette. Those wishing to change their hair color must get approval from the officials responsible for their case.
- No inmate is allowed to dye their hair in such a way that alters their recognition. The dye should be basic and only slightly change your appearance so that your recognition remains the same.
Conclusion
Yes, prisons allow their inmates to dye their hair. However, there are guidelines on how and when the prisoners are supposed to do so. Male correctional facilities have barbershops where the inmates can get a haircut. A free haircut is available after every six months. No fancy styles though, it’s kept simple.
On the other side, female correctional centers have salons where the inmates can go and dye or trim their hair. Specific colors such as black, blonde, and brunette are the only allowed dying colors. No inmate is, however, allowed to change the color of her original hair. The prisons also do not allow inmates to dye their hair such that they alter their recognitions.
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