Picture this: after hours of pampering, you leave for your party. Hair and makeup done, you trudge your way across town to your event, only to spend the first five minutes taking off hats and scarves, and the next five minutes in the bathroom trying to tamp down your hair. After all that, all of your hair strands are sticking up ruining your look. Is it hat hair? Is it the cold? What is this phenomenon that makes hair appear as though you’ve just rubbed a balloon all over your heads?
Staticky hair can be frustrating, and especially prevalent during the cold, winter months. But it’s not a stylistic dealbreaker. Ahead of the winter party season, experts weigh in on this hair-bending phenomenon–and how to avoid it.
Meet the expert
- Maria McCool is a long-time hairstylist, salon owner, and founder of Calista Tools hair products. Marisa Garshick, M.D. is a board-certified dermatologist and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Cornell-New York Presbyterian Medical Center.
What causes staticky hair?
When it comes to staticky hair, it’s helpful to take it back to science class to understand what’s going on. A reminder of the basics: everything is built up of atoms, which contain protons (which are positively charged), electrons (which are negatively charged), and neutrons (which are neutral). Usually, positive and negative charges are balanced. But when that’s not the case, the extra charge needs to be released, and nature will let us know at the expense of your hair.
“Staticky hair occurs when there is a build up of an electrical charge and two things rub against each other, causing the transfer of an electron,” says dermatologist Marisa Garshick, M.D. For example, let’s say you’re wearing a hat and it’s rubbing against your hair. Over time, the electrons move from the hat to your hair, creating an imbalance of charges caused by the friction. Charges that are alike repel each other, so with this many electrons in your hair, each strand is going to want to get as far away from the other strands as possible. The end result? Staticky hair.
So why does this happen more during the winter? Hats are still a summer outfit staple, from baseball caps to wide brimmed sun hats. The difference is in the air. “When there is moisture in the air, the electrical charge is not as pronounced as the electrical charge lessens when it goes through water,” says Dr. Garshick. “For this reason, in the winter months, when there is less humidity, there is an increased risk of static.”
“Another one that a lot of people don’t think about is indoor heating,” says hairstylist Maria McCool. “Because heating systems pull moisture from the air, indoor heating in the winter can worsen the dryness and add to the static.” She adds that the brushes we use can also be a factor. “The bristles of your brush can transfer electrons to your hair and increase the static, specifically when made of synthetic materials.”
How to prevent staticky hair.
As you prepare for your holiday parties, it’s important to remember that hope is not lost when it comes to your well styled party hairdo.
The first step to preventing hair static is reducing friction. “Using silk or satin lined hats may be less likely to cause static as there is less friction on the hair,” says Dr. Garshick. “They may be a more gentle material compared to a more abrasive knit hat.”
Keeping hair hydrated can also help. “When it comes to hair products, I always recommend more hydration in the winter,” says McCool. “Moisturizing shampoos, conditioners, and hair masks are incredibly important during the winter months to both prevent breakage and cut down on static.” Dr. Garshick also suggests adding moisture to the air itself. “Using a humidifier can help to boost moisture in the air and as a result, may help to reduce static in the hair.”