I love winter. I love snow; the festive spirit everyone seems to have; that Christmas is just around the corner; the Christmas songs playing on almost every station, store, and restaurant 24/7 for an entire month.

I also LOVE watching my all time faves such as Home Alone (I and II) and A Christmas Story and the idea of sipping hot chocolate in front of the fireplace with a good book (I say idea because my family is Filipino and, by nature, talk loud and have an innate love for the one good thing on earth: karaoke). Plus, my mom and the vacuum are bff’s. It goes without saying

My one MAJOR issue with winter, however, does not involve slush filling up my shoes at the start of a very long day, or slipping and falling on my ass at school in front of countless people, or getting stuck in a snowstorm and getting home only to find that my mascara had run all the way down to my chin (how very avant garde! Now if only others would realize that was the look I had been going for in the first place).

NO, it’s hair static (see, there was a point to this post, after all ).

What’s the science behind static hair?

Well, simply put, static hair is caused by the less moisture in the air during the cold winter months. Hair that is not adequately moisturized will then pick up loads of the electrical charge in the air giving way to static hair. But for those who want to get into the nitty gritty of hair static here’s an excellent explanation without going all Einstein on you:

Static electricity occurs when friction causes atoms to gain or lose electrons, thereby changing their charge. Atoms are all made up of protons, electrons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge, electrons are negative and neutrons have no charge. Atoms usually have an equal number of protons and electrons and maintain a neutral charge. When the proton/electron balance is off, this causes the atoms to have a positive or negative charge. In the world of chemistry, opposites attract–so when the atoms become charged, the positive atoms are attracted to the negative atoms. This is why brushing your hair, on a cold dry day causes hair static. The friction of brushing charges the atoms–in your hair and the brush–and the hair becomes attracted to the brush. The same thing can occur with hats, hair accessories and even your hands.

Now that we have a basic idea of how static hair is caused, here are some tips and tricks to avoiding static hair:

• Deep condition your hair at least once or twice a week. Added moisture will help stave off science fair hair. However, too much will leave your hair limp and dull so using clarifying shampoo once or twice a month may be a good idea.
• Whenever possiple, allow your hair to air dry (something of an impossibility given my monstrous hair). If you are in a rush, then try using ionic hair dryers that do not suck out all the moisture from your hair. Sephora has some wonderful ones, but Conair offers some great and cheap alternatives at a fraction of the cost
• DO NOT WET YOUR HAIR. I find that this exacerbates the problem
• Carry some leave in conditioner in a travel spray bottle with you. Not only will you prevent the onset of static hair, but you will also ALWAYS have that amazing hair smell.
• Carry some dryer sheets with you. If you don’t want your hair to smell like Alpine Breeze, Linen Fresh, or some other, there are unscented ones available. I actually learned this from my science teacher back in highschool, but never really put it to use. It really does work!
• If none of the aforementioned tips float your boat, why not put your hair up in a low bun. It’s hassle free and ultra chic!

- Mary
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