Electrically Charged Hair

Why is your hair electrically charged? It is the same principle as a magnet: opposite electrical charges attract each other, and equal charges push each other back. The hair is attracted by a comb, a brush or a sweater because its static electrical charge is opposed to those objects’ static electrical charge.

And why is it more electrically charged in the winter? Because the more the air is dry, the less it is a conductor and the more objects can charge themselves. Now, In the winter, the air is much dryer than in the summer. To understand this, it is important to know that the the air's volume diminishes when it gets colder, which reduces its pourcentage of humidity. Moreover in the winter, the lack of humidity inside houses with artificial heating exacerbates the phenomenon.

Inversely, when the air is hot, its volume expands and its poucentage of humidity increases. It then becomes a better conductor, which leads to the charged objects releasing their electricity. In climates with strong hygrometry, the electrically charged hair problem does not exist.

What intensifies the electrically charged hair problem

- Excessively detergent shampoos - Hot air hair drying - Intensive brushing during hair drying - Cosmetic action (perms, straightening, colouring…), which decrease the cuticle's ability to absorb the air’s humidity.	They dehydrate the keratin
- Synthetic material and fabric: combs, brushes, sweaters, bonnets, stockings and especially the contact of soles on rug. - Drying clothes in an electrical dryer.	They do not absorb the surrounding humidity and thus turn into electric conductors

Solutions we recommend
- Brushes and combs made of natural material: bore, horn, celluloses, iron, carbon…
- Shampooing once instead of twice, with a soft shampoo producing little foam, localised near the scalp rather than the points.
- A moisturising conditioner, applied throughout the hair’s length, and left for at least 10 minutes before rinsing.
- Open air drying is advised in order to fight against electrically charged hair. If, however, you use a dryer, prefer tepid to hot hair, and wait 5 minutes after drying before you start combing or brushing your hair.
- In the winter, putting some water next to the heat source will humidify the air and make the hair easier to brush.
- A trick: a few drops of water on the hands, that you bring close to your hair, without even touching it, is enough to free it from its electrical charge and make the brushing easier (because the fingers’ humidity neutralises the difference in electrical charge).

Treat your Hair to the French Touch!

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