Electricity in the air

René's response

"Dear Linda,

If you're wondering what's wrong, first let’s have a little physics lesson.Hair standing up on its own and looking like it wants a divorce from the others is the result of a build-up of static electricity.

Since middle school is a distant memory for most of us, a quick reminder: all matter is made up of atoms, which are themselves made up of a nucleus and electrons that revolve around it.Normally, they all get along well; the positive charge of the nucleus is neutralized by the negative charge of the electrons.But sometimes electrons leave their orbit to play around other atoms that weren’t asking for it and were perfectly balanced until then.And then the drama begins.This phenomenon occurs when two materials rub against each other: electrons move from one to the other, creating an imbalance that is called static electricity.

But what about your hair?Well, it's the same thing.Friction, whether it's from a wool sweater, a hat or a brush, pulls negative electrons from your hair, which then becomes unbalanced.As they are now all positively charged without any possibility of balancing, they repel each other, like magnets, and are irresistibly attracted by the smallest object with a negative charge: opposite charges attract, identical charges repel.

Are we all equal when it comes to static hair?It all depends on your hair and your environment.We tend to say that it’s a winter phenomenon, but this is only half true.It’s mainly a phenomenon that’s exacerbated by dry air, whether it’s cold or hot.Dry air is less conductive of electricity, which prevents objects from discharging and encourages imbalances when they come into contact.Of course, the air tends to be much drier in winter, because cold air is air that has reduced its volume and its ability to carry moisture.But warm, dry air, such as in heated interiors, will lead to the same results!Similarly, dry, fine hair will be an easy target—this doesn't mean that thick hair will be totally unaffected, as it's all about the moisture absorbed by your keratin."

René's advice

Since dryness is the main culprit in this story, you need to find moisture, and for that, there are no secrets: you need to MOISTURIZE. There's no need to revolutionize your routine if it's well adapted to your scalp. If your hair and scalp are in good health, all you need to do is focus on moisturizing more than usual. You should therefore hydrate dry hair every day with a leave-in cream and change up your cream according to the condition of your hair at the time (more or less rich depending on what your hair needs). Avoid overly aggressive brushing and styling, which are sources of friction, and, if necessary, apply a little hairspray or styling spray to a professional brush to tame your hair. Finally, don't forget to act on your environment to humidify the air: a bowl of water on top of the radiator in the winter or a damp towel on the fan in the summer will do the trick.