Why Does TSA Keep Touching My Hair!!! Help Please!!!!

Wow, mscoco, I've never had it happen to me. Maybe it does have to do with the density of those luscious locks of yours:yep: You should ask them exactly what is triggering your search. I'd ask for specifics next time because I'm curious.
 
I don't know if this is true or if it's something the TSA made up to pacify my sister who often experiences the same thing but she was told that the reason why she sets the scanner off is because it registers the dimensions of her fro as being outside of the normal parameters for head measurements. This triggers a search because it is abnormally sized. If this is in fact the case then I guess she should be flattered cause its the machines way of saying you have an unreal amount of hair. lol
 
The machine doesn't detect anything on me when I stand in it but they check me frequently because I either have my hair pinned up in a silk scarf, beanie, a bun or some other protective style. Honestly, I'm not offended. I just expect it now tbh. If I'm not stopped, I get a little pep in my step thinking, yea-yaw, I made it through! :yep:

For how I wear my hair, I can understand why they stop me, they are just doing their job by taking precaution to ensure I'm not hiding anything in my hair. For that, I respect them and applaud them because I'm for safety first, even if that means I get checked in the process. Now, what I wouldn't vibe with is if they checked my hair and nobody else that remotely resembled a pinned up style like my own. I haven't yet witnessed such unfairness so I'm cool with TSA. Now, if you want to talk about how many times they damaged my luggage forcing me to buy more, then I'm ready to give you an earful. Yep, yep.

ETA: When I'm really pressed for time, I'll wear my hair in none search style until after I've gone through checkpoint (i.e., loosely hanging) and pin it up thereafter. If I have time to spare then I'll just wear it pinned up however I want and proceed through checkpoint. HTH.
 
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my hair is searched at certain airports all the time. I dont wear anything in my hair...and it just hangs loose. I'm always chosen to go through the body scanner and when I come out, they search my hair.

On my next flight, I'm going to wear my hair flat ironed to see if it will be searched.
 
mscocoface said:
I think it must be the density of my hair. Because as I said I have had all different styles and also it is not just one airport. I have been to several different states and cities Orange County, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida and all of them stop me.
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Ok those are the airports I am searched at. I haven't been hair searched at LAX before, or any of the California airports.... But Dallas? ALL THE TIME. I am searched in Miami's airport, but not at Fort Lauderdale.
 
I'm thinking of taking the train from now on unless it's an emergency. This is much too intrusive. My sister had this problem recently. A Black woman TSA molester called her over after the scanner to check her bun. I'm noticing Black women are doing this to other Black women. Is this weave checking? I told her to complain to TSA, the airport and the airline. :nono: We can't put an end to this by accepting it, we have to fight it.
 
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I would be sooo tight...but this is the world we live in. Ill be traveling a coupletimes this year and I'm gnna make sure my hair is in small braids or at least bantus so tsa can see my scalp...I think I would throw up violently if one of those officers with grubby hands touched me...
 
lol wave machine .
i ve been working in the airline industry for a long time(11 years) and i think only in the us they checked my hair Once ,it didnt bother me at all ,now, the touching nearby intimate parts eh yes that bother me some. ahah .Don't read too much into it please ,I ve heard some stories girl ..
 
They searched my hair the last time I flew. I had a bun I think. I remember complaining on twitter because none of the white girls had their buns checked....but my bun is pretty bomb! lol It's thick so I'm taking it as a compliment and moving along. The other girls don't need their puny buns checked!
 
aw naw... Ya'll what are we gonna do? If I have to shakeout my twists white stuff, dandruff will fly... Are they going to think the powder is drugs? I don't like this not one bit...
 
Thanks ladies for the comments. Appreciate it. Will keep you posted and I guess get geared up for this when I travel. I have to head to Kansas City and Seattle in the next two weeks and I am going through OC so I know to be ready for it. This just sucks!
 
Ok. This happened to me several times in the past week. I didn't mind it too much. The TSA agent actually didn't touch my hair, just waved the wand over it. I had a big afro, so I guess it was flagged...The agent also asked to touch a woman's ponytail/scrunchie. Just a regular run-of-the-mill ponytail. ::shoulder shrug:: This was in Chicago by the way. I didn't get checked in VA or Boston.

The only annoying thing was that it took like 5 minutes for them to get the wand from the back. If I missed my flight because of that, there may have been fighting words. But not really...I don't want to end up on some no fly list...
 
mscocoface said:
I have been traveling for the past 3 months and I have had different hair styles, pinned up, twists, hair down, twist out, etc. All my hair ornaments have either been plastic or at the most 3 medium size metal hair pins or no hair ornaments at all. Also I am natural.

Every SINGLE time I go through one of those wave machines (I call them stickem up boxes) I am stopped and a lady has to touch my hair. Last week I could not take it anymore and I asked why is it every time I go through this machine I have to get my hair frisked? The lady looks at me smiling and says "Oh a lot of ladies get their hair checked."

Now I would believe that if I had not seen 6 other ladies come through those machines with hair claws, long curly hair, big hair everything BUT my type of hair.

I am beyond frustrated, can someone from TSA please help me understand what in the world is going on? Is it possibly because of how dense my hair is or is perceived to be in that dang machine?

I am going to be traveling quite a bit for the next 3 months so just the thought of this gets me ticked all over again.

Anyone else dealing with this?

Rant over.
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Once you have been tagged by TSA, you will face a pat-down each and every time.
 
I travel every week for work and every week my bun gets patted... Doesn't bother me either.

I usually have a few bobby pins in there so I figured that's why my hair is getting frisked.
 
I flew several times last year without any checks. I put hair into a single braid at the nape. The few women I saw getting checked had big hair, hats or buns.
 
I just wanted to report that my bun set off the alarm at LAX. It was funny because the lady doing the scan calmly told me I had "an anomaly". I looked at the screen and there was indeed a red zone in the head area. She said, "it's probably your hair", gave the bun a quick squeeze, and politely told me to continue through. So strange! My hair was flat ironed which makes my bun thin and I was not using my ubiquitous hair stick. Luckily, the lady was so polite and efficient I was not embarrassed or angry. It was just a strange experience.
 
TSA @ Richmond International Airport always fondles my puff and I don't use any hair pins or anything. This is the only airport that i have experienced this at.
 
My braid and curl has been patted down in Raleigh, Chicago, Philly and Pittsburgh always by Black female TSA agent. I always suspect it's a weave check.

I think TSA needs a primer on black women and hair care practices. I almost got kicked out of the security line for traveling with my bonnet dryer in my carry-on. A siesta had to come interpret it for her colleague, like it was an artifact from an ancient land. LOL!
 
I fly no more than two or three times a year. My curly hair and bun have been patted down several times. Hair up or down, damp or dry. it's super annoying.
 
mscocoface said:
I have been traveling for the past 3 months and I have had different hair styles, pinned up, twists, hair down, twist out, etc. All my hair ornaments have either been plastic or at the most 3 medium size metal hair pins or no hair ornaments at all. Also I am natural.

Every SINGLE time I go through one of those wave machines (I call them stickem up boxes) I am stopped and a lady has to touch my hair. Last week I could not take it anymore and I asked why is it every time I go through this machine I have to get my hair frisked? The lady looks at me smiling and says "Oh a lot of ladies get their hair checked."

Now I would believe that if I had not seen 6 other ladies come through those machines with hair claws, long curly hair, big hair everything BUT my type of hair.

I am beyond frustrated, can someone from TSA please help me understand what in the world is going on? Is it possibly because of how dense my hair is or is perceived to be in that dang machine?

I am going to be traveling quite a bit for the next 3 months so just the thought of this gets me ticked all over again.

Anyone else dealing with this?

Rant over.
Click to expand...


I think they just want to feel it to see what it feels like!!! Maybe they want to know if it's real or not :)
 
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