Preventing Static Electricity in Your Hair

In our last post we talked about preventing dryness in your hair in the winter months. This time we will talk about another hair problem in winter—static.

To understand why static affects your hair so much, you need to recall some of the basic stuff you learned in school about atoms, electrons, and protons. If you missed that particular science class, the Science Made Simple website explains it all very well. We’ll try to summarize here.

Basically, the electrons in the atoms that make up every living thing can move from one atom to another. When they do, they create a positive or negative charge in the atom. (A charged atom is called an ion—a term you have probably heard used in various hair styling products.) Electrons can be moved by being rubbed together, as in when you take off your winter hat or brush your hair. The transfer of electrons to your hair results in a positive charge. Because things with the same charge repel each other, the hairs try to get away from each other, resulting in flyaway hair.

Why is it worse in winter? According to Science Made Simple, summer air is more humid and the moisture in the air “helps electrons move off of you more quickly, so you cannot build up as big a static charge.”

Take all of this information together, and we can see how to reduce static.

Since rubbing increases the positive charge that causes flyaways, you can try to minimize actions like brushing your hair. You can also try a leave-in conditioner to help increase the moisture in your hair so when you take off your hat or scarf, there is less friction and less chance of flyaway hair.

Replenishing the moisture in your hair is also important for avoiding the dryness that makes static worse. For tips on reducing dryness, see our previous post Avoiding Dry Hair During the Winter Season.