Wild Hairdo

How did this funky hairstyle form? Pick the explanation you think is correct. Give three reasons to support your answer.

A. It was a wig made of white yarn.

B. Wet hair froze, becoming coated in ice.

C. The hair was heavily coated with hair spray.

Pause your scrolling. Think about three reasons to support your answer.

Ready to find out what’s really going on? Read on to find out!

If you answered B, you’re right!

The woman dipped her head under steamy, hot water. Then she came back up into very cold air and styled her hair. It froze, becoming coated in ice!

In winter, people enter a hair freezing contest in Canada. After they get their hair wet, they try to create the most interesting frosty hairdo. The crazier, the better! The winners get a cash prize.

The contest takes place in water from a natural hot spring. Hot springs form from water that is heated deep underground. The hot water rises to the surface and flows out. It’s much hotter than the air around it.

The trick to these wild hairdos is the big change in temperature. The water of the hot spring is 104° Fahrenheit. The air temperature must drop to -4° Fahrenheit or lower for the contest to take place. In these conditions, ice quickly forms on wet hair. It even coats eyelashes and eyebrows!