• Question: Why does my hair stand on end when I take off my hat on a cold, dry day?

    Asked by justme to SJ on 22 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: SarahJayne Boulton

      SarahJayne Boulton answered on 22 Jun 2012:

      I have this same problem too! It’s especially bad with beanie hats made with polyester fibre…

      Your hair stands on end because when you take off your hat, the fibres of the hat’s fabric rub against the strands of your hair allowing electrons to move from your hair to the hat, generating an electric charge that doesn’t have anywhere to go (a ‘static’ charge). Your hair becomes positively charges (because it’s lost electrons) and the hat becomes negative (because it gained them)

      Because your hair strands all individually positively charged, they repel each other, the same way that when you try to push the positive ends of two magnets together you feel them trying to push away. Your hair stands up as the strands are all trying to escape each other!! Ha!

      There’s a video here (it’s a bit odd – be warned…):

      The girl at the end does not look pleased.

      This works best on a dry day as humidity in the air interferes with the movement of electrons from hair to hat, as well as helping the strands of your hair stick together a bit better preventing the standy-uppy-ness.
      Hope that helps! 🙂

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