Surgeons and hospital staff must often wear medical capillary networks.
A hairnet is a round cap-shaped piece of netting that is worn over the head to hold hair in place. The hairnets cover the entire head, from the forehead to the nape of the neck. The main purpose of a hair net is to prevent hair from falling into food or other products. Capillary networks are used in the food industry, as well as in hospitals, laboratories, and some manufacturing operations.
Hair nets can be worn by men or women and most hair nets stretch to fit different head sizes. The net has an elastic edge that stretches around for a hairstyle. Longer hair is usually put into a bun or other hairstyle first. Hairnets are available in basic shades of colors like brown, dark brown, black, blonde, and white. The idea of a mesh hair net is to make it appear almost invisible, so the color of the net should match the color of the wearer’s hair.
A domed cap fits like a hairnet, but is made of a semi-transparent material held together with wire. Inflated bonnets are usually white in color and are sometimes called hairnet bouffants. The word bouffant is derived from the Old French bouffer, meaning stew. The pompadour hairstyle is a puffy haircut that was popular in both the 16th century and the 1960s. Puffed caps also have a very domed shape, more so than hairnets. Some hair accessories feature beaded or beaded nets made to fit into a bun, but today the term hair net generally refers to the type used in food service and other industries.
The Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) lists in section 402.11 of its Food Code that “all foods employ
those should use hair fixatives such as hair covers or hairnets…” Hairnets are often sold in bulk packs of 100, 144 or 1,000. Hairnets or padded hats are commonly used in pharmaceutical and electronics assembly applications, as well as in food service businesses.