crackling hair, shocks from car doors.... any advice??

[Spink]

argh I hate this time of year when I am possessed by the devil of static. My hair is flying around everywhere and sticking to my face, and I have to touch the car with an elbow before I open it or I get a huge electric shock

How do I make it go away? We don't have carpets in our house, I don't wear shoes with rubber soles- it seems to happen wherever I go. BOOOOOO

I realise that in the scheme of things this is not really a problem but blimey it annoys the monkey out of me..

i am very staticky too - got loads of shocks the other day whilst holding a balloon & pushing a shopping trolley.... i have curly hair though so that's not affected. would like to know how to stop it. presumably you have to earth yourself.

Why is it this time of year? I got a shock from an elevator in a shop the other day, so did dd2. And dd1's static hair is driving her crazy

There is something you can buy like a thin rubber strip thing taht fixes to the back of your car somewhere, it trails along the grounda little and stops shocks. I had one, it did work. Thats not hugely helpful is it? IF you go to Halfords or similar, I'm sure they'll know what I'm on about!!

maybe I could wear one of those strips, like a tail...

the shocks are actually not as annoying as the hair. I have to tie it back, and even then, the bits at the front wave around like antennae. If they are not plastered to my forehead!! a few years ago, pantene I think did a product called winter hair (or something), that helped, but it seems to have disappeared from the shelves..

we need scientists to give us answers! Where are the mumsnet scientists???

...

it is all the energy generated by the thoughts of all the shite to get organised for xmas.

imo

brain activity, all of us put together.

dont mind me had 3 glasses of vino.

I have this too - shopping trolleys are a piggin' nightmare!

arent leather soled shoes meant to be helpful

second what hoxton chick said - jsut a thin strip of rubber that can be fixed to your back bumper.

You can get a leave in conditioner for fine flyaway hair - think it is by Sunsilk ( not sure if you have that brand in the UK but there must be an equivalent). Use it on dd1's hair and it keeps it calm.

I used to suffer from this terribly, then I discovered that if you use LEAVE IN CONDITIONER WITH SILICON IN IT it seems to solve the problem entirely. I know that makes no logical sense but I use Boots Coconut spray leave in conditioner and it just seems to disapate the static so it can't build up.

You can also try rubber soles, antistatic bracelets etc. But they don't seem to work as well as the hair spray thing. Incidentally I think it's caused by low air pressure and water in the air causing a magnetic charge.

I gave 3 shop assistants shocks the other day with my bare hands. Am I the next 'Heroes' character?

arghh - I'm always getting shocks from the car door !

maybe i don't get static hair as i have so many products weighing it down....

Do you condition your hair/put fabric conditioner in your washing machine?.. I think its all to do with lack of moisture...
conditioner and fabric conditioner should cure it...

including lots of conditioner. but no fabric conditioner (, am boring myself here).

I will try the leave-in conditioner... mmm, coconut.. has the added bonus of smelling like summer. thanks, whomoved.
and at pirategirl - I love drunk mumsnetting

It's caused by the dry air. Because it has been so cold recently, there is very little humidity in the air. This allows a lot of static to build up, and when you touch something metal, it discharges.

Perhaps you could lean against a car door before you put the key in?

changing sheets on beds in work is a nightmare 28 beds plus patients going home during day so beds to change again = lots of shocks a day.

scienceteacher - I have an elbow-before-hand ritual for opening car doors which seems to do the trick...

I think I adopted a similar routine when we lived in the middle of the US - lots of static there in the freezing winters.