Best Hairstyles for Food Service

While TIPS is most famous for responsible alcohol service training, we also teach food safety.  

Today, we’re looking at the topic of restaurant hair hygiene, which is important to know if you work in the industry. Below, we’ll examine the food safety concerns presented by hair, the regulations that impact hair rules for food handlers, and the best hairstyles for food service workers. 

Why Hairstyles Are A Food Safety Issue 

You might think that your hairstyle at work might be something trivial. Why would it be important to have a cute hairstyle for fast food? But the issue is more than just how your hair looks.  

Keeping your hair clean and in place is important because there are food safety risks when it comes to food contamination.  

First, customers are particularly sensitive to finding hair in their food. It can lead them to question the overall hygiene and food safety of the establishment. 

Second, hair contamination increases the risk of foodborne illness. Not only does hair introduce dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria from your scalp, but like any physical food contaminant, it can create a haven for dangerous bacteria to multiply and cause illness. 

If hair does end up in food, the proper procedure is to discard the contaminated food immediately and prepare a replacement dish. Staff should never attempt to remove the hair and re-serve the item. Doing so compromises food safety, violates health codes, and damages customer trust. 

Hair Rules For Food Handlers 

When it comes to compliance, not every head covering or hairstyle counts as safe. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and most local health departments recommend or require the use of acceptable hair restraints in food service, including: 

• Hairnets or bouffant caps 
• Hats, caps, or visors designed to fully contain hair 
• Beard nets for facial hair 
• Kitchen caps, skull caps, or bandanas when properly secured 

The FDA publishes and maintains a document of food service and retail best practices called the Food Code, whose guidelines are often adopted wholesale by state and local agencies. 

The most recent FDA Food Code’s hair restraint rules state that: 

FOOD EMPLOYEES shall wear hair restraints such as hats, hair coverings or nets, beard restraints, and clothing that covers body hair, that are designed and worn to effectively keep their hair from contacting exposed FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES. (FDA Food Code 2022, 2-402) 

Good Hair Care Practices for Food Service Workers 

Beyond restraints and hairstyles, employees should follow good hair care practices to reduce contamination risks: 

• Wash hair regularly to minimize oil and dandruff. 
• Keep hair trimmed or tied back to reduce shedding. 
• Avoid using excessive styling products that may flake or drip. 

Never touch or adjust hair while handling food. If hair needs to be adjusted, staff should wash their hands immediately afterward. 

Managers can support compliance by providing clean, approved hair restraints, and training staff on both appearance standards and hygiene best practices. 

Who Is Required to Wear Hairnets? 

The FDA recommends that hairnet requirements be applied to “food employees,” which it defines as any individual working with unpackaged food, food equipment, utensils, or food-contact surfaces.  

This is a broad category that can apply to most food service positions. It’s common practice for hairnets to be mandatory at the back of the house for roles like cooks, line chefs, and dishwashers. 

The FDA Food Code hair restraint requirement explicitly does not apply to:  

• Counter staff who only serve beverages or wrapped/packaged foods. 
• Hostesses and waitstaff, if they present minimal risk of contaminating exposed food, clean equipment, utensils, linens, or unwrapped single-service and single-use articles. 

As a result, front-of-house staff often don’t wear hair nets, but they are typically required to retrain long hair with a hairstyle that keeps it contained. After all, the 2022 Food Code explicitly mentions that even roles with limited food preparation duties, including hosting staff, waitstaff, and bartenders, can play an important role in the transmission of foodborne illness.  

Of course, any given food employee’s rules will differ depending on their local jurisdiction’s regulations and even their manager’s preferences. Where you work will have its own rules and the final say on how you should style your hair while you’re on shift, depending on the restaurant’s style and what they want to allow.  

Packaged vs. Unpackaged Food Rules 

The rules are different depending on whether an employee handles packaged or unpackaged food: 

Unpackaged food (e.g., cooking, plating, or serving prepared meals): Workers must wear hair restraints that prevent contamination at all times. This includes line cooks, chefs, dishwashers, and anyone touching clean utensils or plates. 

Packaged food (e.g., cashier handling sealed products): Employees generally do not need to wear hairnets or caps, though they should still keep hair neat and tied back to maintain professional appearance and avoid indirect contamination. 

This distinction is important for businesses to understand so that staff requirements match the level of risk. 

Best Hairstyles for Restaurant Staff and Food Service Professionals  

For all of the reasons we’ve already laid out, most restaurants have strict rules about keeping your hair clean, neat, and away from your face. But the specifics of how to wear your hair in food service are often left up to you. 

Let’s take a look at some of the options for food-safe hairstyles. 

For Most Hair: A Ponytail 

You can’t go wrong with the classic ponytail at work. It’s an option for all but the shortest hair lengths, and not only is it great at making sure every strand is kept in place, but it’s incredibly easy to do.  

The first thing you’ll want to do is have a hair tie, scrunchie, or whichever tool you happen to be using to hold the ponytail. For closed elastics, it’s most convenient to put the ponytail holder on your wrist.  

Once you have a holder ready, grab your hair and lift it to your desired height, then comb your hair back while simultaneously grabbing your hair with your dominant hand. Once you’ve combed all your hair into place, put your hair tie around your ponytail.  

Depending on how much stretch your hair tie has or how thin your hair is, you’re going to want to twist and re-wrap the tie around your hair again, until your ponytail is firmly held in place.  You can then touch up your hair with gel or hairspray for an even sleeker look that will keep all hair in place. 

For Medium to Long Hair: A Bun 

Buns can be considered functional, but cute updos for work in a restaurant. While “messy” buns have been popular in recent years, a more practical option for food service workers will be a little neater to avoid flyaway hairs, causing contamination.  

The easiest way to create a bun is actually by building upon a ponytail. Once your ponytail is complete, grab your hair and twist it clockwise, or counterclockwise, until your ponytail feels tight. Then, wrap this strand around the base of your ponytail in the same direction you were twisting your hair until it forms a bun.  

After that, simply wrap a hair tie or scrunchie around the completed bun. If it still feels loose, you can use bobby pins to stick into your hair wherever it feels loose to really secure your bun into place. 

For Medium to Long Hair: Braids 

Braids are another hairstyle that is both fun and effective at keeping those stray hairs away.  

For a traditional 3-strand braid, you’re going to first separate your hair into three even sections. To make things easier, we’ll number these sections as Section 1, Section 2, and Section 3. To start braiding, cross Section 1 over Section 2, leaving Section 1 in the middle. Make sure not to lose track of your sections with your hands. Then, you’ll cross Section 3 over Section 1, and pull all sections tight so as not to have a loose braid that falls apart later. Next, cross Section 2 over Section 3.  

All of these steps are one complete pattern. Continue this pattern until the braid reaches the bottom of your hair. Secure the bottom of your braid with a hair tie; your braid is officially complete.  

Once you’ve mastered the traditional braid, you can experiment with other hairstyles such as pigtail braids, French braids, or updos with a braided headband. 

For Short Hair 

If you have hair that isn’t quite long enough to tie up, there are still plenty of kitchen-safe hairstyles. 

Short hair tips for chefs and other food service workers include:  

• Using hair accessories like headbands, barrettes, clips, or bobby pins to secure shorter hair in place. 
• Covering short hair fashionably with bandanas, caps, or beanies. 
• Wearing a hairnet or kitchen cap. 

Of course, your exact options will be subject to the rules established at your place of work.  

Many men who enter food service have the mistaken impression that wearing a buzzcut or clean fade removes the need to wear hair restraints, but in many jurisdictions, this simply isn’t the case. Hairnets, caps, or other covers are still required to prevent shedding hair, dead skin, dirt, or oil from the scalp from contaminating the food. These measures also prevent you from contaminating your fingers by directly touching or scratching your scalp. 

For Facial Hair 

Hair restraints and food-safe hairstyles don’t just apply to what’s on top of your head; facial hair must be considered, too.  

Many food service establishments will have hygiene codes regarding facial hairstyles. Some employers may outright require kitchen staff to be clean-shaven or to keep facial hair to a certain length. Half an inch is a common requirement. 

For those with longer facial hair, FDA Food Code hair restraint recommendations include beard restraints designed to hook over your ears and cover your lower face. 

Get Food Safety and Alcohol Service Training Online 

In the food service industry, there are special rules for everything from how to wear hair, touch a plate, fill a glass with ice, and check ID. 

These rules can seem arbitrary unless you understand the food safety and responsible alcohol service principles behind them. Modern food service rules are designed to keep both staff and patrons healthy and safe. 

We’ve been providing alcohol seller/server training for decades, and you can often bundle our popular alcohol courses with state-approved food handler training to knock out all your food service compliance training 100% online. Check out our alcohol and food service courses and get started today!