The Science of Bad Hair Days

According to WebMD, chemistry scientists at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, are discovering the roots of a bad hair day:

They found that mechanical damage to hair raises scaly projections on individual hairs. These scales jut out sideways from the hairs, creating friction as they slide past other hairs. The result: hair that's rough to the touch and hard to comb. . . . The researchers also found that when hair fibers interact, they build up negative electrical charges. Same charges repel one another, making hair literally repulsive. Again friction results, making hair rough and hard to comb.

Sadly, the solution to bad hair days probably doesn't lie in a single bottle of conditioner, since "humidity, the water content of each hair, and hair stickiness" all contribute to the problem. But fear not: science is on the case!

[Photo from Caption-This.com]