Winter Static!

[KittyCatCarrie]

During the winter months my hair gets so full of static I can barely stand to detangle it, without it clinging to my face, mirror, etc. :justy:
Does anyone have any suggestions for battling static? Thanks!

[Nique1202]

I don't think I've seen any static at all since I started oiling my hair regularly and went back to using silicones. I would guess that static is a sign that hair isn't conditioned or moisturized enough, the same way not using a fabric softener (which is a kind of clothing conditioner, after all) makes clothes more staticky. Using a little more oil or more 'cones for the winter might help a good bit.

[KittyCatCarrie]

I'll admit I don't oil my hair. I'm so used to oil being a bad thing, and since I have such straight fine hair I'm afraid it'll just look limp and gross. Do you have any suggestions for a conditioner? And what's a good easy to use oil? I'm such a newbie.

[lapushka]

Moisturize your hair well. Use a good conditioner or a deep treatment mask. Moisture is key in combating static. It is a tight balance with F hair, I know, between not weighing it down & moisturizing it well. You have to experiment a little. Maybe use a leave-in conditioner after washing and a serum/oil. You don't have to use a lot, just 1 or 2 drops, spread through palms and smoothed or scrunched into the ends.

[Nique1202]

For conditioner, it would depend on what you're using now. If you just want to add an oil, though, you can go one of two ways. You could get something at a store that probably has silicones (not necessarily bad, they'll likely help even more with the static and you might only need to use every other wash depending on your hair and routine) but comes with a handy pump top, or get some purer oil (you can try something from your kitchen like olive or canola to start and get fancy with argan or jojoba or whatever later) and get a bottle with an eyedropper to keep a bit of it in so you can get single drops, or a small open-topped container so you can just dip the very tip of your finger in. The idea is to keep it to a bare minimum so you don't over-oil and get that limp greasy looking effect.

Rub a single drop of oil all over your hands (ideally this should just give your hands a light shine and not feel too greasy) and make with the finger detangling. The oil will rub off in tiny amounts onto the hair as you detangle from the ends up that way, exactly where you need it the most. With very fine hair you might not need more than the one drop, but if you do feel like you need a little more then just grab another drop, spread it around, and keep going. Using one drop spread all over your hands this way makes it really easy to stop when you think your hair is on the verge of looking limp. Then you can throw it in a bun or braid and give it time to absorb and redistribute any extra oil, or give it a once over with a bristle brush to redistribute it for you.

[blue_eyes]

I'll admit I don't oil my hair. I'm so used to oil being a bad thing, and since I have such straight fine hair I'm afraid it'll just look limp and gross. Do you have any suggestions for a conditioner? And what's a good easy to use oil? I'm such a newbie.

Your hair sounds just like mine (straight, fine, easily looks limp), I deal with horrible static issues during the winter as well. Nothing to contribute unfortunately, I haven't been able to beat it yet, so I'll be reading this thread with interest! :)

[KittyCatCarrie]

This might be taboo, but I've been using whatever VO5 conditioner my mom has lying around. Once again, so many different conditioners out there I just don't know what to choose. I'll definitely give olive oil a try. Does it have to be a specific type of olive oil? Virgin vs Extra Virgin?

[lapushka]

Honestly, I think whatever you have is fine. I think (well, that might only be me) that olive oil is olive oil - your hair is not going to know the difference.

[ravenreed]

Static usually happens because the air is dry. Heaters tend to dry out the air more than normal. Try running a humidifier in your home.

[AutobotsAttack]

I'll admit I don't oil my hair. I'm so used to oil being a bad thing, and since I have such straight fine hair I'm afraid it'll just look limp and gross. Do you have any suggestions for a conditioner? And what's a good easy to use oil? I'm such a newbie.

Well seeing as how your hair is so long and pretty already by your avatar, I would just keep the conditioner you already use, and try an oil such as JoJoba oil. It's an essential oil so not a lot of it is needed. Maybe like two dime size amounts to the length of your hair in two sections down the middle. Jojoba oil closely resembles the natural sebum oils out scalp produces. So perhaps try that oil? I too have natural fine hair and I find that this oil doesn't weight my hair down whatsoever. Hope this helps.

[Deborah]

Yep, sleep with a humidifier running in your bedroom. This helps a lot.

[Ashflower89]

This is only a short-term fix and doesn't take care of the issue of your hair being dry, but passing a dryer sheet over your hair will get rid of static immediately. I keep one in my purse during winter for when I take my hat off and get the inevitable frizzball.