How Does Static Electricity Make Your Hair Stand On End?

Imagine your hair is made of tiny straws. When you rub a balloon on your head, it steals some invisible bits called electrons from your hair. This makes every single straw turn into a little magnet.

Here is the rule: things that have the same charge push each other away. Since all your hairs lost electrons to the balloon, they all become positively charged. Because they are all alike, they hate being close together!

They push apart from their neighbors and also try to get as far away from the floor as possible. The only thing holding them down is gravity and a bit of weight. But when the pushing force wins, your hair stands straight up like you just saw a ghost.

No! The energy is very small. You might feel a tiny tickle or see a little spark in the dark, but it will not hurt you at all.