How to Get Rid of Static in Hair

When your hair is plagued with static, you might find it impossible to hold and maintain a decent style. Before you give up completely and hide your locks with ponytails and hats, try a few of these suggestions for getting rid of that excess frizz and static.

EditSteps

EditTraditional Hair Care Products

Use a moisturizing conditioner.^[1] Even the most basic conditioner can hydrate your hair, which prevents it from getting too dry and inviting excess static.
- Use the conditioner every time you shampoo your hair for best results.
- If you choose a conditioner that contains silicone, the silicone in the conditioner supposedly neutralizes electric charges in your hair. By neutralizing these charges, the conditioner cuts down on the static electricity in your hair.
- If conditioner seems to make your hair feel weighed down or greasy, at least use it on the mid-lengths and ends of your hair, where the strands tend to be the most dehydrated. Near the base of your scalp, you natural oils may keep your hair hydrated enough.
Only shampoo every other day. Keeping your hair clean is important for general hair care, but keeping your hair too clean can cause it to become overly dry, thereby making the static worse.
- Shampoo cleans your hair by bonding with the oil and dirt molecules weighing it down and stripping them away. Unfortunately, when you strip these natural oils out of your hair, your hair also becomes drier and more prone to static.
- By giving your hair a full 48 hours in between washings, you keep enough oil on your strands to naturally hydrate them without letting them get too dirty or greasy.
- When it does come time to shampoo, opt for a hydrating shampoo instead of a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoos strip everything from your hair while moisturizing shampoos only clean away the surface level of dirt.
Use hair spray with caution. A little hair spray can tame your flyaway locks temporarily, but too much can cause more harm than good.
- Standard hair sprays contain alcohol. Alcohol is a drying agent, so as a result, drenching yourself in hair spray will cause your already dehydrated hair to dry out even further, making the problem worse.^[2]
- If you do decide to use hair spray, spritz your brush or comb with it and run the bristles through your hair while it is still damp.
Apply a hair serum. Hair serum coats your hair with a protective layer that prevents the excessive loss of moisture. Less moisture loss means less static.
- Serum works best on damp to towel-dry hair. After washing your hair and letting it partially dry, apply 3 to 5 drops to the palm of you hand. Rub your hands together to spread the serum before running your hands evenly through your hair.
- You do not need to rinse the serum out of your hair.
Try an anti-frizz cream.^[3] If you have fine or straight hair that tends to be exceptionally prone to frizzy static, applying a bit of anti-frizz cream to your hair might be one of your best moves.
- Add a small dollop of cream to the palm of your hand. Gently rub your hands together to evenly spread the cream over both hands.
- Rub your fingers and palms through your hair, focusing on the tips of your hair. This will distribute the anti-frizz cream through the most static-prone area of your hair.
- Avoid putting too much anti-frizz cream on your scalp, especially if you have fine or straight hair. These products tend to be too heavy for find locks, and when they mix with the natural oils of your scalp, your hair can look greasy and flat.
Consider using a conditioning spray. If your hair is of medium density or a wavy texture, a rich conditioning spray containing silicone or other moisturizing ingredients is a better option.
- Wash your hair as usual and apply the conditioning spray to your hair before you dry it.
- A conditioning spray can help you to lock moisture into your locks before the air around you has a chance to steal that moisture away.

EditThe Right Hair Tools

Use a comb instead of a brush. Hairbrushes create more friction in your hair and combs create less friction.
- A wide-tooth comb has teeth placed far enough apart to reduce the amount of friction. By contrast, a brush has bristles that are held close together, so electrical charges in the form of friction build up faster.
Opt for a comb made of metal. While combs are better than brushes, metal combs are even better than plastic combs.
- Plastic combs supposedly contribute to the static problem.
- Metal combs cause the electric charges building in your hair to discharge, thereby reducing the amount of static present.
Invest in a natural boar bristle brush.^[4] Even though combs are generally better than brushes, when you do use a hairbrush, you should choose a brush made from natural bristles instead of plastic bristles.
- Natural brushes do a more effective job of spreading your natural oils through your hair. These oils will coat each strand of hair, locking in the moisture and preventing a good amount of static.
- As an added benefit, your hair will also look shinier and smoother.
Partially dry your hair using an ionic dryer. Ionic hair dryers cut down on the amount of time and heat used to dry your hair. As such, your hair is exposed to less dry, hot air, minimizing the amount of moisture that gets lost.
- Additionally, ionic dryers supposedly neutralize electric charges in your hair. These electric charges are responsible for static, so the dryer cuts down on the overall amount of static directly.
- When you blow dry your hair, stop once it reaches a partially dry, partially damp state. Let the rest of it dry naturally by air. Your locks will lose less moisture this way.

EditUnconventional Techniques

Mist your hair with a little water.^[5] This is a quick fix, and unfortunately, only a temporary one.
- Fill a spray bottle with a fine-mist nozzle with water. Tuck this bottle into your purse when you leave the house.
- When you notice excess static frizz, give the flyaway strands a few quick spritzes of water and gently pat them down into place. Only mist your hair, though. Do not drench it.
- The water will give your hair a quick boost of moisture that can keep your hair going for another hour or so.
Keep a dryer sheet with you at all times. Dryer sheets can be a surprisingly helpful and effective tool to use against last-minute surprise static. Carry one in your purse or pocket to help tame your frizziness on the go.
- Rub a dryer sheet on your brush or comb before running the hair tool through your locks.
- Keep your combs and brushes wrapped in dryer sheets during high-static conditions and times, like in the middle of winter.
- Worst case scenario, you can even rub a dryer sheet over your hair to put last minute flyaways in their place.
Tame the frizziness with a little lotion. Lotion is another tool that can be useful for waging a last minute battle against frizzy, static-infested hair.
- Place a dollop of lotion into the palm of your hand. Lightly rub your palms together to spread the lotion over your hands without rubbing it into the skin.
- Only use a small amount of lotion. Too much can weigh your hair down too severely.
- Run your fingers through your hair to spread the lotion. Focus on the ends and any areas with notable flyaways.
Run a humidifier in the same room. If static-ridden hair is a frequent, daily problem for you, especially during winter or another dry time of year, a humidifier could provide you with some form of long-term solution.
- In winter and other low-humidity conditions, the dryness of the air can steal moisture from your hair, causing it to be more prone to static.
- Running a humidifier in any room you intend to spend a long time in can add moisture back into the air and, as a result, back into your hair.
Trade rubber-soled shoes for leather shoes.^[6] Leather shoes allow you to ground yourself, reducing the amount of electrical charge on your hair and clothes.
- Rubber soles, on the other hand, cause your clothes and hair to build up electrical charges. As these charges build up, your hair is more prone to static-related frizz.