Argh! Winter dryness and static

[Horsetuna]

Its both driving me NUTS! My scalp is sooooo itchy, and the static makes my hair look like I rubbed a ballooon in it (Its also making working with my wool interesting) What are some good ways to ease the dryness and static? I have patted my hair down with water but it never stays. And my scalp hurts from scratching.

[Alix]

I don't know how good they are for your hair, but dryer sheets help with static. Just rub them on.

[horseprincess]

Ummm I'm having the same problem!! =[

[Marjolein]

I'm in the same boat. I'm so electrically charged, that every time I stroke my cats I zap them - poor kitties :kitten: .

I'll follow this thread hoping for some great tips!!

[aenflex]

I have heard the dryer sheet one before. Also, how about a light oiling? Does that help? It's been over a decade since I've dealt with it, the climate I live in currently does not ever get dry. I almost forgot what it's like having that static sound and hair flying up all over everything.

[MinderMutsig]

Try oiling or Kimberlily's defrizz spray. They both work wonders against static.

[Igor]

I have had good results decreasing static after switching to CO washes… Other than that try fabric softener and moisturising your skin more often. Having clothes move against dry skin builds up static electricity

[Yozhik]

I agree with Igor on the CO washing! I tried it successfully for the first time last night, and it was wonderful. I glopped a lot of conditioner on my scalp and I could feel the cool relief of my poor dry skin . . . it was bliss!

Today -- little frizz and extreme smoothness even though we had wet snow and slushy puddles. :)

[MNoelH]

You could always get a humidifier for your home. When I would visit friends up north, they would simply boil some water on the stove to add moisture to the air. I would make a pass through the kitchen when my hair was standing on end (the shadows were much fun) and stand near the steam which would subdue it for a while..

I also carried a dryer sheet in my coat pocket at all times. I would just take it out and wipe my hair with it every once in a while.

[rusika1]

I have the same problem, plus my hands are sandpapery so my hair snags on them when I try to do something with it.

I try to remember to oil my hands (jojoba or coconut, but I've even done this with lotion) and then, before it all soaks in, smooth it over my hair. This also works to combat staticky clothing, just use a little more lotion than you would on your hair.

[Coan-Teen]

Lotion is the best solution I've found. Find a very basic, plain lotion and a add a few drops of essential oils for scent. Rub it into your hands until mostly absorbed and then run your hands through your hair. It's the only thing I've found that works, plus it's very nourishing. It may take a few tries to find the right amount so as not to give you the greasies but when it works, it works.

HTH.

[Kristin]

I second oiling and CO washes. You might also try a little aloe gel to smooth down the flyaway staticky pieces.

[Horsetuna]

thanks. I'll try oiling more. I'm told not to oil the roots/scalp, but I think if your scalp is THAT dry then its okay to huh?

My entire body has been itching like crazy from the dry, although I think maybe I'm using too much soap too.

thanks for the advice.

[Horsetuna]

Well, tried the CO only, got a horribly itchy scalp that didnt smell very clean.

gonna try putting a little bit more cocoanut oil in the hair, especially on the ends.

[megpeg]

CO washing, lotion for the body (I really pile it on if I'm going to be wearing a sweater or something that generates lots of static; and I put my sweater/shirt on before the lotion fully soaks in.), humidifier for the air, oiling and drinking plenty of water (last tip is just good for you lol.)

I live in a really dry area and have hardly had any issue with static this year so far.

[Akiko]

I keep a small amount of water in an atomizer and mist my hair whenever it feels dry or static.

[Sinisiew]

The humidifier that some people mentioned is a great idea but remember that itching scalp and fly away hair is the symptom, not the problem. For long, dry winters I find that adding more natural fat to my diet and drinking more water helps my scalp a lot, keeping my head covered in a good 100% pure lambs wool cap whenever I go out protects my scalp from drying out too which helps with itching. Scalpmassages also help since they increase the production of natural oils, which keeps your scalp (and your roots!) protected.

As for looks, heh to be perfectly honest I basically have my hair up and oiled all winter. If i can't make it look good because of flyaways at least I can protect it from drying out.

[milagro]

I'm so electrically charged, that every time I stroke my cats I zap them - poor kitties :kitten: .


The imaginary picture made me lol :D

I get static sometimes when I pull over some wool sweater. I guess my silk pillowcase contributes to this, I recollect school silk/wool experiment :) So I'm very careful to always smooth my hair with wet hands when I wash my face etc in the morning. That eliminates "the charge".

[Hana212]

Since I live in Australia (and it's currently summer here) and I've never really had to deal with snow.. I do deal with dry hair a lot and static.
I bought an anti-static horn comb off ebay which helps and I've heard something about rubbing your feet on the ground.. on rubber? or maybe it was not on rubber.. I'm not sure but i learnt it in science class years ago - google it maybe??

For dryness.. I made up a home solution the other day.
I mixed sorbolene and olive oil together and warmed it up in the microwave. I then applied this to my hair (particularly the ends by dunking them in the bowl) and I sat with it on for a couple of hours before washing it off.. with LOTS of conditioner.

This seemed to help alot.. sorry but I didn't measure out the quantities, and they don't really mix so keep a spoon in the bowl and keep stirring... :)

hope this helps!

[Bast]

I've discovered that my hair likes the slightly-more-than-occasional deep oil treatment when it gets really dry outside. I am very prone to oily hair, but just glop it all on, wrap it up a la Igor's sexy smurf, and let it sit for an hour or so. Then I do a super CWC - conditioner on everything, scalp included, light washing of the scalp, conditioner on the length.

Yes, when it dries, it does end up looking greasy slightly faster, but lightly oil just the length and put it up, and even after the next few washings I found that the benefits stuck around. Then I put some oil on my skin. (I used olive for my hair, jojoba for my skin, and everything was happy, not super-dry, and not staticky!)

[Ana-Laura]

I'm in the same boat. I'm so electrically charged, that every time I stroke my cats I zap them - poor kitties :kitten: .



That really mad me laugh because I'having the same problem with my cat. My poor kitty jumps every time I touch her.

[Darkhorse1]

I zap my cats, I zap horses, my car zaps me. It's lovely ;)

Try head and shoulders--the zinc is healing and I've not had an itchy scalp since starting with it this past summer.

For static, I just put my hair up ;) I did find that a body spray worked once--it obviously had oils in it--I did find that Joico's leave in conditioner works for static, but it weighs hair down too.

[Armelle]

I completely understand. I'm about ready to soak my hair in oil and wrap it up until Spring!

[LHCMAN]

Air conditioning, fireplace, and space heaters can really dry up the air. Not really good for the skin, either.

[Garnetgem]

Am in the same boat this week i sprayed some leave in conditioner it really helped,as for dry scalp there are many scalp moisturizers about but i am yet to try one of those.

[Groovy Granny]

I have used more oil in 2 weeks with the onset of this cold weather than I have all year ......2-3 times a DAY....AND IT SUCKS IT UP! :agape:

In fact I find I am now oiling and bunning even when I go out ....something I never thought I'd do, because I love my hair down/half up in colder seasons!
But at hip length with fine, dry silver fluff, it MUST BE CONTAINED :p I wear a hood if it is blustery to stay warm.

I shouldn't be surprised....I do not have oily hair and in Winter can stretch washes a week.
The longer my hair is, the drier it is because the length drinks up any moisture/oil I add.

I also must tweak my care products....avoid clarifying.... and use silver shampoo only once a month if needed.
I am double conditioning in the shower, and adding oil on damp hair and during the day as needed.

Always a learning curve....thank goodness I can adjust in my older age :o

[lapis_lazuli]

I have used more oil in 2 weeks with the onset of this cold weather than I have all year ......2-3 times a DAY....AND IT SUCKS IT UP! :agape:

Same here, Groovy Granny :p My hair is eating all the oil this winter.

[meteor]

I have used more oil in 2 weeks with the onset of this cold weather than I have all year ......2-3 times a DAY....AND IT SUCKS IT UP! :agape

Ha-ha, I'm with you and lapis_lazuli! :hifive: Oil just disappears within seconds in my hair this time of the year, no matter how much I use. :lol: I had a situation recently when I wanted to use up a big old tube of conditioner and I ended up slathering about 100-200 ml on dry hair that hadn't been washed in days... to my surprise, it came out looking fresh and moisturized instead of uber-greasy. I really need to start slathering on oils & conditioners more heavily to combat this winter dryness.

[Groovy Granny]

Ha-ha, I'm with you and lapis_lazuli! :hifive: Oil just disappears within seconds in my hair this time of the year, no matter how much I use. :lol: I had a situation recently when I wanted to use up a big old tube of conditioner and I ended up slathering about 100-200 ml on dry hair that hadn't been washed in days... to my surprise, it came out looking fresh and moisturized instead of uber-greasy. I really need to start slathering on oils & conditioners more heavily to combat this winter dryness.

Glad it's not just me :wink:

I was in a quandry what to do/use lol

I probably should have used my Shea Moisture conditioner as a leave in too....but I am just afraid of staining again.

If the product is WHITE is there less chance of that happening meteor....as opposed to the shampoo which was amber colored?

I rinsed it out this time, but used to use it as a leave in with good results...except the staining of my white/silver :p

[meteor]

Glad it's not just me :wink:

I was in a quandry what to do/use lol

I probably should have used my Shea Moisture conditioner as a leave in too....but I am just afraid of staining again.

If the product is WHITE is there less chance of that happening meteor....as opposed to the shampoo which was amber colored?

I rinsed it out this time, but used to use it as a leave in with good results...except the staining of my white/silver :p

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that yes, warmer-colored products have a potential for staining really white or silver tones, plus, the more oils and conditioners you leave in, the darker it is likely to look temporarily, until the oil is washed out completely (even if the oil is transparent, e.g. coconut, though amber-colored, like mustard oil or argan, can be even more of a problem). My hair is already too dark for this to have a huge effect, so I don't notice, but silver is notoriously hard to maintain stain-free. I hope more folks will chime in on this! :D

Have you tried strong chelating & clarifyingpacks/shampoos and silver products like the Shimmer Lights line? :) Also, I've heard that white vinegar rinses help marginally, but I can't tell since my hair is too dark. Also, honey supposedly contains some natural chelators that bind to iron, which is helpful for removing rusty tones from mineral build-up (iron in water), but that may still result in tones that are too yellow for silvers... :hmm:

By the way, this is such a great topic, and I hope other folks will jump in with their solutions on how to keep while looking white! :D

[Groovy Granny]

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that yes, warmer-colored products have a potential for staining really white or silver tones, plus, the more oils and conditioners you leave in, the darker it is likely to look temporarily, until the oil is washed out completely (even if the oil is transparent, e.g. coconut, though amber-colored, like mustard oil or argan, can be even more of a problem). My hair is already too dark for this to have a huge effect, so I don't notice, but silver is notoriously hard to maintain stain-free. I hope more folks will chime in on this! :D

Have you tried strong chelating & clarifyingpacks/shampoos and silver products like the Shimmer Lights line? :) Also, I've heard that white vinegar rinses help marginally, but I can't tell since my hair is too dark. Also, honey supposedly contains some natural chelators that bind to iron, which is helpful for removing rusty tones from mineral build-up (iron in water), but that may still result in tones that are too yellow for silvers... :hmm:

By the way, this is such a great topic, and I hope other folks will jump in with their solutions on how to keep while looking white! :D

I did the Joico Chelating/clarifying to remove the stains...successfully....and routinely use a silver S&C, though I am scaling back on both a bit because my hair is so flyway from the cold dry air, and those products are drying even with a good conditioner after in humid weather.

I am just wondering if a white product like SM conditioner that does contain argan oil can still stain, because it works great in the winter.
I did stop using the stronger SM shampoo that was amber colored, thinking that was the main culprit.

Thanks for the feedback...I will keep a watchful eye.

[sillyme]

I hadn't really thought about it, but I usually have an awful time with static, especially in the winter. But not this winter! Happily, my CO routine that I started in November must have taken care of that this year. Just another reason for me to stick with COing. :)

[Groovy Granny]

I hadn't really thought about it, but I usually have an awful time with static, especially in the winter. But not this winter! Happily, my CO routine that I started in November must have taken care of that this year. Just another reason for me to stick with COing. :)

Hmmm now that's an idea for the Winter!:hmm:

So you 'wash' with a conditioner,rinse it out and then leave some in?

Do you need to clarify often?

I have always used sulphates and cones; I once tried the deva products and my hair hated it.

I just don't want it to rebel and start a shed :p

I should go find the CO thread :eyebrows: