![Close-up cropped shot of a woman’s head with electrifying hair, isolated on a white background. The girl holds in her hand a comb to which the hairs stick. Hair care concept](https://media.nbcchicago.com/2025/01/GettyImages-2152920803-1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=320%2C180)
Close-up cropped shot of a woman’s head with electrifying hair, isolated on a white background. The girl holds in her hand a comb to which the hairs stick. Hair care concept
Winter time can lead to everything from dry skin to chapped lips, particularly in the brutal temperatures being experienced across the Midwest this January, but what about your hair?
Turns out, it can impact that too.
According to hair product company Redken, "staticky hair happens when your hair builds up an electrical charge."
It can happen from wearing hats, where the material rubs against strands of hair, or it can even happen from dry winter mornings.
"If there isn’t any humidity or moisture in your hair, like on a dry winter morning, the charge causes your strands to repel from another like a magnet," Redken reported. "Electric charges don't flow through water, so the lack of humidity typically found in winter months makes hair static more prominent. This also explains why dry and damaged hair is more prone to hair static."
Fellow hair product company Prose also noted that cold weather is a staticky hair culprit.
“It’s also caused by exposure to wind and drier weather," Holly Dear, hair artist and owner of House of Dear Salon in Dallas, Texas, told the company. "The pH balance is off due to dehydration and the breaking down of the cuticle.”
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Many have taken to social media to complain about their winter hair troubles.
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So what can you do about it?
One scroll through popular social media apps like TikTok will result in a variety of "hacks" for static hair.
Some suggest dryer sheets, others use tin foil, and many use a variety of hair products to try to tame the frizz.
According to Prose, there are a few things you can do to prevent staticky hair during colder months.
1. Use a hydrating shampoo
2. Don't skip conditioner
3. Apply a leave-in hair product
4. Steer clear of drying ingredients, like high levels of alcohol,
5. Don’t wash your hair too frequently
6. Use the right brush, particularly ones with natural bristles
7. Opt for anti-frizz products
8. Choose your tools wisely. Ones with infrared technology may help with some static-prone hair
9. Start fighting static hair immediately
Redken also suggests hair oils can help in some cases, using an ionic hair dryer and opt for silk or satin material for hats.