This tin foil hair hack is blowing up on TikTok for its seriously impressive styling credentials

Another day, another TikTok beauty hack showing the people how to make their lives easier and their hair/makeup look better. The latest is the tin foil hair hack which users have just discovered can smooth flyaway hairs down like an absolute treat.

One creator, @laurentpreble, brought the handy household trick to our attention. After complaining about the static in her hair, another user replied “use tinfoil sis! Trust me.”

Before following the advice, Lauren explained, “normally when I run my fingers through my hair it just flows better, but today it’s just static-y and annoying, so let’s see if it works.” And after sliding a sheet of foil across her hair, she confirms, “are you absolutely kidding me, this looks phenomenal.”

Since then, we’ve seen others taking the hack for a spin. Creator, @sidneyraz showed users how well it worked on his freshly washed hair, noting “whaaaaaat?! It totally works.”

And @mariaaiellohair smoothed out her strands, explaining “foil discharges static.”

So, we did a little bit of digging and it turns out the theory is backed up by science. Static occurs in hair when it builds up an electrical charge (this is when it gains electrons due to friction or changes in its surroundings, like humidity). This causes the strands to repel each other which is what makes them fly away. Tin foil helps to neutralise the static since its metal and a conductor, it transfers those extra electrons away, helping to leave hair smoother. In fact, physicist, Antonio Checco told the Department of Energy that he covered his desk in tin foil to counteract the static built-up around his microscope caused by friction from walking on the plastic floor. Go figure.

But, before you ditch your styling products completely, another user, @butwhy, revealed that the method is not entirely foolproof. She started by explaining that, living in Florida’s humid climate, her hair permanently gets flyaways. So she tested whether the tin foil hair hack could nip static in the bud for her hair long-term. After 10 minutes, she told users her flyaways had come back. 

So, tin foil – handy for a quick fix, but not for the long game.

For more from GLAMOUR’s Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk