The heating is on, the woolly knits are out and all of a sudden our hair is floating up towards the heavens like nobody’s business. Why oh why does hair get so static in the cooler months?
And more importantly, is there anything we can do to banish the crackle or are we destined to be static heads for the foreseeable future?
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Karly Edwards, owner of The Room Hair Design in Worcester, and Mary Geoghegan a stylist from KH Hair in Nottingham, say hair becomes static due to a lack of moisture in the air.
“A combination of cold air and low humidity results in static electricity which causes flyaway hair,” Edwards tells HuffPost UK.
And, ironically, the better condition your hair is in, the more likely it is to suffer static. “Basically, dry and more damaged hair does not conduct the electricity, therefore it just doesn’t move at all,” she adds. “So I guess it’s actually only the best of hair that goes static.”
Geoghegan says having the heating on doesn’t help either, as it further dries out our hair. “Hats and scarves rub on the hair and contribute to drawing out even more moisture,” she adds.
“Furthermore, using heated appliances such as straighteners to smooth the hair actually makes the problem worse as, again, it draws moisture out.”
How To Prevent Static Hair
Short of turning your heating off, ditching the straighteners and not wearing adorable hats (or roll necks), what can we be doing to tackle the problem?
Geoghegan recommends using a leave-in conditioner or a hydrating mask such as NanoKeratin. Edwards agrees that a moisturising conditioner should be your go-to product during the winter months – “and don’t over-dry,” she adds.