[Science Consultant] Why Does Your Hair Stand on End? A Boxwood Comb Creates Only 1/10 the Static of a Plastic One!
I’m Ken Kuwako, your Science Trainer. Every day is an experiment.
Picture a dry winter day. You run a plastic comb through your hair, and suddenly there’s a crackle and your hair shoots straight up… We’ve all been there, dealing with that annoying static electricity. But why does it happen with some combs and not others? Recently, the production team of Nippon TV’s popular show “Ichigeki Kaimei Variety: Hitome de Wakaru!!” came to me for scientific advice to solve exactly that puzzle.
In this article, I’ll share some behind-the-scenes stories from the TV shoot, and then dive into the tiny world of static electricity between hair and combs!
An SOS from the TV Station: “It’s Rainy Season, and We Can’t Get Any Static!”
The production team’s request was simple: they wanted to test how much difference there is in static buildup between a boxwood comb (tsuge-gushi) and an ordinary plastic comb. The problem was that the shoot fell right in the middle of the rainy season. As you may know, when humidity is high, static charge quickly leaks away into the moisture in the air, and the team was struggling to get the experiment to work.
So I lent them my personal digital static detector and gave them some tips on how to catch the charge right after combing, before it escapes. Even in humid weather, with a little ingenuity, you can make static electricity visible!
Why Does the Comb Material Make Such a Difference? Meet the “Triboelectric Series”
Now for the science. Why do plastic combs generate so much static, while wooden and boxwood combs barely do? The secret lies in something called the “triboelectric series,” a ranking of materials based on their electrical tendencies.
When two materials are rubbed together, one becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged. The triboelectric series lines materials up according to which way they tend to go.
More likely to become positive ←― Acrylic, hair, wood, …, cotton, …, polyester, plastic ―→ More likely to become negative
The key point is this: the farther apart two materials are in the series, the more static electricity they produce.
Our hair sits on the positive side. Most plastics, on the other hand, sit far away on the negative side. In other words, hair (positive) and plastic (negative) are rivals in an electrical tug-of-war. When you rub them together, they fight fiercely over electrons (negative charges), and a huge amount of static builds up. In this case, electrons move from your hair to the comb, leaving your hair positively charged and the comb negatively charged.
Wood (including boxwood), by contrast, sits close to hair in the series. That means electrons move more gently between them, and far less static is generated.
This is also why your hair stands on end. When every strand picks up the same positive charge, they all push each other away and spread out into a big puffy mess.
The Shocking Results! How Good Is a Boxwood Comb?
The measurements taken in the studio proved this scientific principle beautifully.
Plastic comb: about 20,000 volts
Wooden comb: about 8,000 volts
Boxwood comb: about 1,000 to 2,000 volts
That’s right: the boxwood comb produced only about one-tenth the static of the plastic comb! The reason it beats even an ordinary wooden comb is probably that boxwood contains just the right amount of natural oil and moisture, which helps the charge drain away gently.
Sadly, my static detector’s big moment got cut from the broadcast (lol), but it was a really fun experiment that showed just how scientifically sound the old-fashioned boxwood comb is. By the way, I also tried combing my wife’s hair with a plastic comb during the rainy season, and we measured 4,000 volts. So even in humid weather, static can still build up quite well, given the right conditions.
20,000 Volts, and Yet No Electric Shock? Why?
Hearing “20,000 volts” might sound dangerous, but don’t worry, it won’t harm you. Static electricity may have a high voltage, but the amount of electric charge that flows is tiny, and it’s over in an instant. That’s why a zap from static is just a little surprise and nothing more.
Incidentally, the lightning that flashes across the summer sky is a close relative of static electricity, produced when ice particles and the like rub against each other inside clouds. Whether it’s the crackle in your hair or a bolt of lightning, the basic mechanism is the same: charge builds up through friction, then releases all at once. Doesn’t that make the tiny spark from your comb feel a little more special?
Tips for Getting Along with Static Electricity
Next time you choose a comb, try remembering the triboelectric series. A little science might make your everyday choices a bit richer.
Also, static escapes less easily when humidity is low, so running a humidifier in winter can help. On days when your hair tends to get unruly, try a boxwood or wooden comb. Looking at it through the lens of science, it makes perfect sense why people in the past treasured their wooden combs.
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Making the wonder and fun of science feel closer to home! This site collects fun experiments you can do at home, along with tips to make them work. Try searching around and see what you find!
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