Do Magnets Get The Charge Out Of Hair?

Sharon says…A lot of hair appliances talk about emitting negative ions since they make hair shinier. However, I came across this Giovanni product that claims to use a “positive force” on the hair because “negative electrical charges have left hair desolate and bleak.” So what is the deal with ions in the hair? Does it make a difference if your hair is positively or negatively charged?

The Left Brain’s charged response…We’ve been hearing about these ionic appliances since we first started and have written about them a couple of times here and here.

But your question about whether ions in hair make any difference is one we haven’t directly addressed. Basically, hair has both negative and positively charge sites on it. These charges come from the amino acids that make up the hair’s protein. When hair gets damaged it can pick up either positive or negative charges.

Negative charges in your hair are beneficial because they make conditioners work better. Hair conditioners have materials in them called “quats” which are positively charged molecules. When put on the hair they are attracted to the negative sites and stay there to condition. Without them, hair conditioners won’t work as well.

But appliances that emit negative ions don’t really work any better.  And positive ions are just more silly marketing. If you haven’t seen the Giovanni website, it’s funny! Its jumble of actual scientific terms with apocalyptic hair care marketing would make Stan Lee proud.

My favorite part is the “mathematical theorem” (E = u B) and the claim that it is “well known”. This is just completely made up. It also looks strangely similar to Einstein’s E= mC^2 equation. hmmmm. No doubt written by a Marketing person who went to college.

Finally, I’d love to know what the “recognized benefits of magnetic therapy” are. The only benefits of magnetic therapy are making money for the people that sell them. I hope none of the Beauty Brains out there are wasting your money on magnet therapy.

What works for hair?

If you are dissatisfied with how your hair looks and feels, use a decent shampoo and a great conditioner. Leave the magnets on your refrigerator.