Betty`s got a problem:
Hello! I am so GLAD I found you! I have had this problem now for about 3 months. I wash and condition my hair on a daily basis and by the middle of the day my hair has a sweaty, muggy smell. I just can`t describe it, it just smells! Even worse when I`m running late in the morning and I am not able to wash my hair I could smell that sweaty, muggy smell throughout the day. I there anything I can do to stop this?
The Left Brain responds:
Betty, I had never heard of this problem before so I was surprised when I found out that you’re not the only one who suffers from hair malodor. A quick search turned up several discussion boards on smelly hair. There’s even a website that specializes in Smelly Hair.
What Causes Smelly Hair?
They claim the problem is a fungus that grows on oily scalps. That sounds plausible since the odor you describe as sweaty and muggy could be caused by microbial growth. I know that sometimes the towel I used to dry my hair develops a funky smell kind of like the one you describe. That happens when it doesn`t dry out completely, so I assume there`s some mildew or similar organism that responsible. If I don`t notice it right way, that mildew odor transfers from the towel to my hair. Could this be the cause of your problem too?
What can you do about it?
Smellyscalp.com says use an antimicrobial shampoo. That certainly could help. You can also try changing your towel and your pillow case. If that doesn’t work, you might try shaving your head, like Britney. (Just kidding!) You could also try using a product like the Stila hair refresher, but that will just cover up the odor. It won`t address the source of the problem.
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To valeri1274:
Last week i bought Sally’s version of Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo. I washed it like one woud normally do with shampoo and left it in my hair for about 15 minutes with a shower cap on (it feels like the shampoo is doing something because of the pleasane tingle). I think it helped with the odor somewhat, but i know the smell is definiitely still there :<
My 8-yr started having this problem a few months ago. We bathe and wash her hair daily. Sometimes she does sleep with the wet head. She also swims once a week. She doesn’t have oily scalp – just smelly – like dirty laundry smell. She doesn’t have any BO or oily skin. But then she’s had smelly breath since being an infant. My husband has oily scalp and it does smell by the end of the day, but not like my daughter’s. (I seem to suffer from the itchy scalp issue…smelly & oily if I don’t wash my hair daily.) I am curious about those who mentioned having this problem since childhood, and those whose children have this…did any of the remedies help you? Long term? I’m hoping to hear back from more of those that have said they’d update. I will also try the Dial on her. Thanks all!!
Me again. My scalp is insanely itchy, I think it’s dried out. I’ve been washing daily with the dial soap and the smell doesn’t come back until 24hrs or so, so I’m fine with that. BUT the itch and pain is annoying me. I think I’m going to go out today and look for some sulfur soap or tea tree oil shampoo…
i think i have been suffering from this condition as well….
i have a dry, oily scalp that starts to smell really muggy after a day
I started to really notice it after i came back from my trip. Im 16 and i just thought it was hormones…etc.etc.
i found this thing on another website where you rub some garlic cloves in your hair and then wash it out with shampoo
i tried it and it seems to have worked…. but i dont know how long it will last
My sulfur soap arrived last night, so today I’m going to wash with it and see how it goes. I’ve been doing Dial soap, then Aveeno scalp soothe shampoo and some Aveeno conditioner on the ends only and the smell stays away for about 24 hours… but want to be able to go back to washing my hair every other day or every 2 days… Will report back in a day or two!
Hello! i’ve this problem about 4 years now and its horrible, i decide today to look for i answer, because before i try everything that i could even dermathologist expensives shampoos,and it was like nothing didn’t work at all, i first tought was shampoo so a bouth like a hundreds of them,nothing worked,then i’m thinking is water related. but today i found this site that i could not belived, how manny people with this problem, i, gonna try everything listed here, i have one question. does anybody know if this is a contagious problem , because now my 8 years old doughter has it too. well i’m going to try some of this tips and then i’ll post here next week. thanks a lot.
My younger brothers have this problem they are total “sweat heads” and to prevent the scalp problem thing the most important thing is to use all natural shampoos and always always always blow dry hair after washing starting at the roots and blow untill completly dry, avoid styling products
Well!hello everybody!I went to the store and i’ve got, giovanni’s shampoo , dogs’ shampoo and the dial body soap.
the dial body soap works for me. of course it didn’t cured. if i pass like 2 days without shampooing i get the smelly hair again, but not horrible as was before. because the smell was so horrible the one day i ask my doughter to smell my hair after a shower and she said. ” Mom your hair smell like stinking cheese with poop on the top” rsrsrs i laugh because was funny, but i was really sad because i’m a clean freak and i like to smell good. but i recommend dial body soap, it did wor for me.thank you for all the tips.
Wow it’s been awhile since I’ve written!
Can’t believe this thread is thriving more than ever! (And also sad to hear so many ppl are facing the same problems.. T_T)
It’s so hard…it really is. I’ve been reading some of the younger girls’ stories and I can totally relate. 24 now and having a full-time office job, it’s not easy to have a normal life with a problem like ours….trying to be taller than everyone else, trying to lean so they don’t smell our hair, trying not to pass in front of ppl….it’s terrifying.
I’ve tried everything, oil, shampoos, dial soap, acupunture, cleanses, etc…
nothing worked.
One thing I actually haven’t tried is the sulphur soap, but because I have tried selsun, which is also surphur-based, I assume that it will give me the stinkier result like selsun.
For ppl who have not yet found a solution but are trying to just get through the day, here’s a tip: don’t stress. I know this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard, but for me, it seems that whenever I get more stressed and nervous, I get flustered and I can feel my body become warmer, which leads to more sebum produced on the scalp, which means more smell!! So whenever I feel myself heating up, I drink lots of cold water and it helps to keep it at bay (somewhat..) Another thing that I found that helped was to just try not think of the problem at all. Maybe it’s an ignorance is bliss thing…..
I can’t help it, I’ve had this problem for 6-7 years. I had to survive somehow lol
Also I use Dove hairspray to cover up the smell. The natural crystal deodorant didn’t do much, just gunk up my scalp, and I really like the smell of dove spray. I keep it with me at work and whenever I feel like the smell is wafting around my cubicle, I dash to the women’s washroom and go nuts with the spraying and quickly come back! XD (near the end of the day, I do this every 30 min because the smell gets stronger…-___-….)
I feel like we should all bombard a derm’s office together. lol then they will HAVE to believe us and take this problem seriously!!!
Thank you all for posting back and following up in your experiments!! I will do so too with a new shampoo I am going to try~ Bless all of you! Don’t give up!!! We’re in this together
The one thing I’ve noticed that’s consistant with most of these cases; we’ve all used Head & Shoulders.
I’m pretty sure it just happens to be bad combination of our specific body chemistry and using Head & Shoulders, which must trigger some kind of reaction from our scalp (fungus, etc?) that remains even after we stop using it.
My head smells like sour milk. Its only been a few months that its smelled like this.
I will try the Dail Antibacterial and report back.
I’m now using Phytocedrat Sebo-regulating Shampoo. Kinda expensive but it works!!
Howdy all,
In the same boat as many of you, a greaseball with bad smelling scalp, in spite of trying every shampoo under the sun, and washing daily, which seems to make the grease/smell cycle worse. One thing I would say to women who have this problem – I’ve just come off birth control, two months now, hence the return of greasiness, and my hormones are off-kilter. While I was on birth control, I didn’t have the smelly scalp problem because my skin/scalp wasn’t producing near as much grease. I think in some people, it may be a hormone imbalance, I’d suggest getting it checked out!
Other than that, I have found apple cider vinegar diluted with plain old water to work absolute wonders. A couple of tablespoons of the vinegar in a cup of water, douse your scalp and leave for 5/10 minutes, and then shampoo lightly after. It has really, really helped with my scalp smell, because it has antiseptic and antifungal properties. Try it, it’s wonderful!
hiya,iv had smellt scalpe for years , i have allergys an it started wiv them hairr loss as well goin to try some of these remadies, i know it is embrrasing , im always askin my kids if i stink , drivin me mad lol..
Hey there,
I said I’d repost with my results.
I’ve been using Dial “Antibacterial Spring Water Moisturizing Body Wash” for about a week, and my head hasn’t smelled at all since the second day.
(Its a big blue bottle, you can see it here: http://www.drugstore.com/qxp56207_333181_sespider/dial/antibacterial_moisturizing_body_wash_spring_water.htm )
Its all I use, I shampoo with it every day or every other day. I’ve had no problems yet.
Cheers, and good luck.
I recently tried head and shoulders shampoo and conditioner cool menthol and I’m extremely satisfied with the result! Its been more than 24 hours and my head still smells good. Thumbs up!!
My 9 year-old daughter has a very musty smelling head even after she washed her hair and in spite of the fact she swims in a chlorinated pool twice a week. I did a little research and luckily the first treatment I tried seemed to work. I rinsed her hair with a 1:1 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water and left it for one minute. I didn’t want to irritate her tender little head so I didn’t try to leave it on for longer. She said it really itched and the odor of the vinegar changed, almost like it was reacting to whatever was causing the funky smells on her scalp. I rinsed, then followed up with my dog shampoo (I’ve been washing my dogs in it for years and neither they nor I have had a reaction, so I felt like it was safe). I rinsed thoroughly. It really dried out her hair so I brushed some quality conditioner on the ends and left it in for an hour then rinsed. The odor is absolutely gone which is amazing because it was really strong when her hair was wet. I’ll post again if the smell comes back soon.
I have tried neutrogena moisturizing shampoo and conditioner with good results- you can buy it at cvs or at ulta. (only the ‘moisturizing’ has worked for me, not the ‘volumizing’). It has a great smell itself, and seems to keep my hair from smelling, too. It’s a rather strong shampoo I think, but it’s the only one that makes my hair feel clean. I do use it everyday, but then I’ve always had to wash my hair everyday or it gets oily.
I never had problem for 40 years then out of the blue i had a smelly scalp. I tried many products listed by everyone on here and the doctors just did not help said it was my imagination, ive analysed changes in my life style and just recently have matched up a faulty water softner which has pumped too much salt (sodium) into our system of which i have been drinking.This was realised two days ago and the smell is finally going now i have stopped drinking our softened water. Maybe a coincidence but i hope this is the cause. None of the shampoos or cleaning methods etc have had any effect but since changing my water intake source the smell is going. Hope it is this because its really getting me down, good luck to you all on your search for a cure no thanks to our doctors.
Hi, I tried the dial bar soap on my hair today and my hair feels really good- it doesn’t itch or smell so far. Too soon to tell long term results, but so far it has worked! I noticed some people are using the dial body wash and have improvement but aren’t completely cured. I noticed that the dial body wash has .15% triclosan (the anti-bacterial ingredient) whereas the bar soap has .60% triclosan. I’m using the bar soap hoping that the higher % will help wipe out the problem completely, rather than control the symptoms. If anyone has any experience with one working better than the other (bar vs. body wash), feel free to post. Or for the people who have been cured completely by this, if you’d like to, maybe you could tell me/us exactly which type of dial it was. God Bless!
Hi,
Glad to see this Blog!
God, This smell issue is really driving me crazy. Tried Nizoral. No results.
I see that the Dial Bodywash has had 100 % succcess rate here. Unfortunately, they don’t have that in Switzerland. I have to order from the States.
My hairdresser proposed Kérastase “bain divalent” , and after the first try, no immediate results. I’ll repost if the situation changes.
I’m quite surprised that some of the most reknown dermatologists don’t know the cure for this problem. Hopefully, we will find one!
Try washing with baking soda & a good clarifying shampoo/ antibacterial wash/ or just plain old soap (grate soap bar & mix with water to form a paste then wash) – Wet hair, squeeze out excess water. Mix roughly 2 tablespoons baking soda to 2 cups water and pour over scalp. DO NOT RINSE OUT BAKING SODA. Wait for 3 minutes or so then apply shampoo and massage shampoo on scalp. Add a little more baking soda/water solution if you need to help the shampoo sud up. Give scalp a very thorough massage with your finger tips. Rinse out. Repeat one more time with shampoo if you wish.
Then dry hair and dab RUBBING ALCOHOL or HAND SANITIZERS (at least 70% alcohol) on the scalp 2-3 times a day. Give it a week or two then you can probably reduce the dosage. I guess hand sanitizers would be more comfortable to use since it has aloe/moisturizers so it won’t dry out your scalp and lead to an itchy scalp problem.
Someone else found her solution in neem oil. She massaged neem oil on her scalp and sat under a hair steam thing, then shampoo as usual and smell was gone.
Hi – I have an 8 years old daughter who started having a smelly hair a few months ago. After reading all your advice on this website, I purchased Antibacterial Dial Body wash and SAL3 bar soap. It’s working well so far. I used the soap once and body wash 2 times and I have to say the smell is much better. The best way is to wash the hair with the soap first and then use body wash to make the hair smell clean, shiny and soft and then use conditioner. The soap is $4.99 per bar and I ordered it online.
Nizoral worked for me. I think maybe it works only if the smell is caused by a fungus, because it’s an anti-fungal (I think). It might also work for bacterial infections. Some points are: keep it on your head long enough for the chemicals to work. Maybe 5 minutes. Or keep it on for longer with a shower cap on. Also, keep using it for at least a couple of weeks. I used it until the small bottle was empty. It did get rid of smell and itchiness. Also wash your hats, sheets, brushes, etc., anything that comes in contact with your head. If it’s caused by bacteria or fungus, your things could reinfect you.
Anti-dandruff shampoos come in at least three different chemicals. If one kind doesn’t help, another kind might. I tried Head and Shoulders, but it made the smell worse. I think the zinc oxide clogged the pores on my head. I also tried the tar-type anti-dandruff shampoos, and they didn’t do anything.
Just a quick adjustment to the method I mentioned above. I found adding 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide to this step – “Mix roughly 2 tablespoons baking soda to 2 cups water and pour over scalp.” cleans out the smell much better. I forgot to mention that after all that shampooing, I also use a light conditioner on the lengths of the hair (away from the roots).
Just realized that a mixture of hydrogen peroxide(3%) + baking soda + dishwashing liquid is used as a skunk deodorizer.
I guess at least one dermatologist acknowledges it’s real…http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hairstyles-beauty/how-to/a-smelly-scalp
I know how everyone feels I’ve had this problem for years and it’s really affecting my social life as well.I really don’t like to socialize at all because of this.I think that if I get too close to others they’ll smell my hair and think that it’s a body odor thing instead of the really smell bad hair odor.It’s really embarrising.I have not tried some of these ideas but I’ll say this it’s worth trying if it will solve my problem!!!I can’t understand why Dr’s can’t find a solution for the problem.But it feels so good to know that I’m not alone with problem I like the idea of the Follicleanse I’m gonna try that,but where do I find it in stores? Thanks on all or the advise you guys.
Someone had posted that Listerine worked on their smelly hair I can’t remember your name but I can say that I looked it up the Alternative uses of Listerine and saw the many uses for it not only that I also gave it a try.And you won’t believe the RESULTS it really works!!! So I’d like to take the time to THANK the individual who took matters into her own hands when the Dr’s don’t even know answers to all solutions!!! Thank YOU so much for making this aware for everyone who don’t mind trying it. Take the advise it really works you have nothing to lose and everything to gain finally a piece of mind!!!! THANKS !!! THANKS!!! THANKS!!!
As i am looking through a lot of these comments posted, I do see many of the same symptoms I am dealing with. I have always had a bit of dry scalp and do suffer from dandruff. In the fall time is worse for me, my scalp gets so dry and itchy that I scratch it til it bleeds. and I do get the little bumps described and smelly scalp, I will definitely try the suggestions posted. but one thing I haven’t seen on the posts (please correct me if I am wrong), but I am also struggling with one additional thing, I do use hair styling products so I assumed that I was simply getting some kind of white residue because of product buildup, but I have been using a purifying shampoo for a few weeks now and it does not seem to get rid of the problem. I can scrap off the residue, but I’m not sure if it is all just not completely coming off or if it seems to be growing back. I am worried that this is some kind of a fungus or bacterial infection growing on my hair, it’s not in the roots, it’s simply on the top layer of my hair and it’s only on one side. It’s not all over, it is sporadic. Does anyone have any comments/suggestions/tips/advice, etc? Would greatly appreciate it, thank you!
Hello
I too have had this problem, it started out of the blue around 6 years ago and here are my findings:
-Stress and lack of sleep can worsen the smell.
-Eating meat, oily foods, including all nuts, seafood and dairy products contribute to smell.
So basically relax more, get at least 8 hours sleep and eat healthy, meat and its by-products free, foods and you will find this condition will get better.
Also read up about Trimethylaminuria.
I hope this helps!
Don
OMGGG THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! FOR COMING FORWARD AND TALKING ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!! I’ve had stinky hair since I was 13. I am now 24 and I can tell you that it has been a very painful and embarrassing experience…my life has been truly marked by it in a terrible way. I thought I was the ONLY ONE with this problem until now. I bumped into this website by accident and thank God I did. This problem has been the cause of being made fun of back at school and also of many tears and alienation. I hate cuz people think it’s a hygiene problem and IT’S NOT!!! I shower and wash my hair every single day…I’m supposed to smell fresh and be a confident young woman but i’m not and all cuz of this freakin’ problem. This has really messed up my confidence. Even now, I tend to stay at a distance from people cuz I don’t want them to smell me. UGH..I have so much inner frustration…words cannot explain. I also suffer from smelly skin…primarily facial skin and for the life of me I can’t figure it out. What’s causing the smelly skin????? I OBSESS about this every single day of my LIFE!!!!! When I was younger I even thought about suicide. This whole issue affects my normal daily activities. I can’t even have a conversation with someone and “be there” mentally cuz I’m so busy thinking about the fact that I stink and don’t want whoever i’m talking to or anyone else to notice. Life is truly UNBEARABLE for me. So thank you everybody for sharing, I’ve already jotted down different things and products i can try after reading every single post from you guys lol. I’m so happy to know that I’m not the only one and that there’s a few things I can do about this.
Hmmm, it might help to mention that since I obsess about this so much I tried focusing on something different. I thought about God, believe it or not all the time while I was awake…even walking down the street. As I replaced the thought of being stinky with the thought of God the smell would go away surprisingly!! Mannn, this has turned me into a Christian lol…and I know it sounds crazy, call it what u want but it works. The thing is that all this insecurities come up in a split second and as soon as the replacing thought (God) leaves my head then i go right back to stinking. All this has made me think that I have created this with my own mind and that it’s all in my head. >sigh< When will this gonna be over???!!!
Hey, just an FYI: I switched from the Denorex & Head n’ Shoulders regimen, because I don’t know if anyone else can relate, but Head n’ Shoulders kind of makes your hair smell like potatoes when you get out of the shower. So, now I use Dermarest Psoriasis Medicated Shampoo Plus Conditioner with Scalp Repair Zinc Complex. Even though I don’t have Psoriasis, this shampoo has 3% Salicylic Acid, and is for oily/seborrhea scalps too. I can now go 2 days without shampooing! It does dry out your hair, though, so I apply a thick conditioner to the hair only, not touching the scalp. I hope this works for some people!
Nice site with helpful information. There is some very good content here. Finding good information about candida and yeast infections can be tough. I search all over to find good content and products.
Thanks
Marty
ps: I have some helpful articles on my site as well here: Get Rid Of Candida
I FOUND A SOLUTION THAT WORKED! Thanks for everyone’s comments! I have long curly hair that usually takes a long time to dry. For about 4 months I’d developed the mildew smell in my hair, and like I’ve read from so many of you i couldn’t get it to go away no matter what I did! I even cut off a bunch of my hair thinking I could cut off the mildewy hair. It just got worse and worse. Well putting a few things together from some hairdressers on the internet, a dreadlocks hair care website and some people’s comments here, I put together something that worked! I haven’t had the problem in about 2 weeks now. CAUTION: I wouldn’t use this regime probably more than every 3 weeks to once a month – I suspect it could be pretty harsh on your hair if you do. Here’s the recipe:
You’ll need:
rubbing alcohol or witch hazel
a spray bottle (optional)
your regular brush / comb
your regular shampoo
baking soda
a bowl
vinegar (white or brown) or lemon juice
a shower cap
a moisturizing shampoo
a blow dryer if you have one
1. I read from many hairdressers that say using a clarifying shampoo helps. It helps to take off any products that are coating your hair. I found out you can make your own though. Just take whatever shampoo you normally use. Put the amount you would normally use in a bowl + put in a little extra (see #3 and #5 below for reason). Then mix in enough baking soda to make it pasty. I found the baking soda and shampoo seems to liquify after mixing so I added more baking soda just until it got a bit thicker. (maybe 1/4 – 1/2 cup?)
2. Second I doused my hair in rubbing alcohol (took a spray bottle and did it – blech!) You could probably use witch hazel too – I read it’s less drying to the scalp. Basically it’s to kill any bacteria hanging around. I brushed it through my hair with my brush too – figured it would help to kill any buggies hanging around in my brush.
3. Got in the shower and washed my hair with the baking soda clarifying shampoo (kind of smells a bit weird, but it didn’t seem to do any damage). I was a bit afraid of it at first so I rinsed it out right away, but the mildew smell in my hair was still there, so the second time I shampooed my hair and left it in for about 3-5 minutes, covering it with a shower cap to keep it out of my eyes.
4. While I waited I used some of the shampoo / baking soda mix and ran it through my brush with my fingers to scrub it out too – I figure it couldn’t harm anything… Then I rinsed it out under the bath faucet.
5. Rinsing – you really have to take some extra time to rinse your hair this time (probably about 2 – 3 times longer than normally). You want to make sure you rinse out as much of the shampoo as possible. I used the sniff test to see if it was working. If it still smelled mildewy I shampooed and left it in again, and then rinsed it out again.
6. After rinsing I doused my hair in regular white vinegar. Blech again, but I figured a mild acid would help to kill any mold spores still hanging on. I’ve also read about using brown vinegar or lemon juice. I suppose that’s up to you. I also put some vinegar on my brush and rinsed it out.
7. Rinsed hair very well again.
8. Finally, I followed all this up with a moisturizing shampoo (actually it was the same shampoo I’d mixed with baking soda in step 1 to make the clarifying shampoo). Then I just followed my usual regimen of conditioners etc., that I normally use.
9. I blow dried my hair this time. I don’t usually, but I didn’t want to give the mildew a foothold again this time. Mildew grows when there’s moisture around to sustain it.
10. Now when I wash my hair I make sure I air-dry it, rather than throwing it up into a ponytail after I’m done, like I’ve done in the past. I’ve just used my regular shampoos and conditioners – nothing special. MY HAIR HAS NOT SMELLED SINCE (even after it was in a braid and I got it wet in the rain and sweated profusely into it a few days ago).
Note: I put my brush through the regimen too because I didn’t want to have gone through all these steps and then be reapplying mildew to my hair with my innocent little brush. It’s probably a good idea to change or wash things that would be next to your hair afterwards too, like pillow cases, hats etc, just so you’re not reintroducing mold spores to your hair. Also, I guess try not to let your hair stay wet for too long after you’ve gotten it wet, in case mold spores from the environment might try to take up habitation on your head again.
Again, I wouldn’t recommend using this regimen too often, because it can be harsh on your hair (the clarifying shampoo), but I can’t tell you how happy I am to have found something that worked after 1 treatment! Good luck!
One more note: I used 70% rubbing alcohol.
Hey, and to “Trapped in a Stinkin Life” – keep the faith girl! I am convinced this recipe came through my prayers of “Jesus, help me! My hair stinks! Please help me to know what to do!” He loves you lady! Phillipians 1:6. He cares about everything about you!
I heard on the Dr. Oz show that some people can develop an overgrowth of some smelly bacteria on their skin, and it tends to smell more than most people’s do when they sweat. He recommended using an antibacterial body wash in the shower.
Ack! One more note on step #6 – I left the vinegar in my hair for a few minutes too (and covered my hair with the shower cap again) before rinsing it out.
I tried a lot of solutions to get rid of my smelly hair… But nothing seems to work.
I used Selsun Blue and that never seemed to work…
I use Suave Also and that doesn’t do the job i want it to do..
I had it for about 3 weeks now.. and i don’t know how long it will take to get rid of…
I started school and today was the 4th week now… I can’t stand people smelling it.
And I take a shower 2-3 times A DAY… I don’t wanna do that anymore…
I even walked 2 hours on a school night just to buy the Selsun Blue…
Please E-mail me or message on here if you have another way to solve Smelly hair and how long does it take to get rid of cause i’m sick and tired of it.
I seem some comments… and i see people having this problems for more than 5 years…? I can’t even stand 3 weeks with it… Makes me wanna just go crazy…
vichy dercos anti-dandruff
ducray selegel anti-dandruff
all kinds of shampoo for greasy hair mixed with conditioner works for me
try dish detergent
different antibacterial hand soaps mixed with conditoner
I am very thankful to this website and others for the advice shared by people who also live with “smelly scalp” syndrome. Based on suggestions from other websites, I recently tried Jason Dandruff Relief Shampoo and so far it seems to have made a huge difference. I strongly recommend it.
http://www.jason-natural.com/products/dandruff.php
Articles about smelly scalp:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/101316-stop-scalp-odor/
This problem is a new one for me….all these blogs are interesting reading and hopefully helpful….I was thinking I had gotten a bad reaction from the best perm I have ever had…..(and they last for 6 months for me)then I thought I was drinking too much coffee…so I stopped for 3 days but the yucky hair smell got worse…I miss my coffee!!!……….. so glad it wasn’t that. but what is causing this????…I will try one of these solutions and let ya know how it goes………….
Hi all,
I was happy to read all the many responses on this forum. Having a stinky scalp is an awful experience, especially when there are no straight solutions. Reading your attempts helped me find one though!
So wanted to share my short term solution, when you don’t have time to take a shower, and long term solution, finally! Which, hopefully, will make the short term thing unnecessary.
BTW: my experience of this smelly scalp thing was a dreadful sweet/sourly scent almost right after washing my hair and about 12 hours later I would start to smell like wet-dog! My hair also had no life to it. I needed to wash it almost everyday also because the nice curls and lift would be out of it.
What I tried: not washing my hair for 3 – 4 days and combing the grease through it (I thought perhaps my scalp was overreacting to frequent washing and is producing extra grease). Did not help.
Sulfur shampoo (Selsun), but this just replaced the bad odor with another bad odor and did not get rid of the problem – or I would have to keep using it, which I did not prefer.
I stopped using the shampoos I had been using in order to see if that was the problem, but no.
So than, after reading all these websites, I came up with this.
Short term solution: dry shampoo. This readily got rid of the odor for about 24 hours. It also felt like my head was “calm”…For dark haired persons this is not great, as it does leave a white residue. But for those who are in a bind, don’t have time to shower and need to be in public – it works like a charm.
Long term solution: I used tea tree oil (not shampoo, but actual cleansing oil) and rubbed in on my scalp. Left it in for about 10-15 minutes and then washed my hair with Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff (they only make anti-dandruff, though I did not have dandruff! it doesn’t matter) it’s about the sort: “Citrus for greasy hair”! For my hair ends I used a small amount of regular conditioner just so my hair would not get too dry.
Now my hair got it’s curls and lifelessness back too!!!! I am so excited and I feel beautiful again.
So the oil – to replenish and clean your scalp. You could probably also use Jojoba oil…
the anti-grease shampoo – to get rid of the old grease and new oil (tea tree)
the conditioner for hair ends only.
Tata! Good luck. Cheers.
My teenage son has been suffering from this condition for the past 2 years. He tried shampooing with the sulfur soap many mention and it worked first time around. Thanks!
UPDATE. Sulfur soap works great , but It’s not a cure.
I used to pay $5 a bar for it, but I recently found HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY sulfur soap. It is $1.50 a bar at CVS. The stuff Works great. The sulfur smell is very very subtle .
I don’t use the Sulfur Bar every shampoo, maybe once a week. The way to get it to lather is to just continue to roll it around in your hands , adding a little water at a time. Apply the lather to your scalp. It will not dry out your hair. If it does, just use a little conditioner to follow up.
Also when it comes to shampoos… NO Sodium Lauryl Sulfates if you suffer from acne. I use dollar-store conditioner a few times a week. No need to spend a fortune.
More tips: use the Sulfur Bar Soap to wash your brushes / combs. Try not to share combs. Wash / change your pillows and hats. Wearing hats… especially Knit hats seems to exacerbate the problem (I guess, it doesn’t allow enough air flow around your scalp). Wash your hats regularly… maybe use antibacterial soap to wash your hats and combs (haven’t tried that one but makes sense).
$1.50 Hollywood Beauty Sulfur BAR soap. BAR SOAP, not the shampoo. Found at CVS.
Cheap and it works.
Been suffering from smelly scalp for a few years. Didn’t realize it was a problem until my nephew told me my hair smells funny…. that was a wake up call. I started noticing it all the time, when I wore a hoodie, whenever I looked up I could smell it coming from my hood. The best way I can describe the smell…… sorta a cross between Dorito’s Bold BBQ chips and cinnamon (and not a sweet smell, actually kinda foul) and maybe a hint of cheese. I tried selsun blue extra strength…. it works for a couple days but at a high cost, when my hair dries, for the first day my hair smells like sulfur which is not a solution at all and the sulfur smell contaminates everything…. hands, towel, clothes, bedding, pillows, hooded coats, ect. I don’t usually wear gel and the fact that I need to use a bit of Axe gel to mask the sulfur odor is ridiculous. I’ve tried nizorol and that just never worked. I tried Jason tea tree oil shampoo. I love this shampoo, but alas the smell eventually came back. I’d prefer to keep using Jason tea tree, but I found the nice smell wasn’t strong enough to mask the sulfur smell of selsun blue. Tomorrow I’m going to try some dial antibac body wash. I hope it smells nice and works. I can live with using it every other day to control the odor so long as it doesn’t smell like stink bomb like selsun blue. If that doesn’t work, I guess I’ll try to find Jason dandruff shampoo which I haven’t found sold locally so I might have to get it online from amazon. But from what I’ve read, it probably smells as bad as the selson blue and that isn’t a solution at all.
This is what seems to work for me:
You can buy these from health food stores: tea tree oil, lavender oil, empty glass container with dropper, theraneem gentle therape shampoo, aubreys green tea clarifying shampoo (or any clarifying shampoo should do), baking soda, small waterproof container to keep baking soda in (i.e. travel size shampoo bottle).
Mix tea tree oil and lavender oil half and half in dropper. Put baking soda in a waterproof container.
Wash hair first with clarifying shampoo with about a tbsp of baking soda. Massage through hair and leave on for about a minute. Rinse thoroughly. Lather hair up with theraneem shampoo, put about 5 drops of essential oil mixture in palm and massage into hair as well. Leave in hair for about 3 to 5 minutes. I usually wash the rest of me while letting the shampoo mixture stay in.
I also usually put a few drops of this mixture in my hair before I go to bed. After showering in the morning I usually put a couple of drops of lavender oil on a comb and run it through my hair, I use only lavender in this instance because tea tree has a strong smell that I don’t want to overpower people with.
Tea tree oil is antifungal and antibacterial. Lavender oil is antibacterial. Generally you don’t need to dilute these with water or add them to a “carrier oil” like other essential oils. You might do your own research on this though.
I hope this helps, there are also many posts on livestrong.com.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/152765-cures-for-a-smelly-scalp/
Hi, I posted sometime last year and mentioned that the Dial Antibacterial Wash worked for me. It did for a little bit but then my scalp continued to smell bad no matter what else I tried. I had been wanting to try coconut oil since it is antifungal and antimicrobial but have been a little hesitant. On a whim, I sprayed antibacterial hand sanitizer on my scalp (clean dry hair) in a few places and gently massaged it around for a few seconds. Slept on my hair and no smell at all the next day. Decided to try on wet hair; usually I go to work with my wet hair pulled back in a bun. No smell at all today! Nothing. Everything else I have tried wears off in a few hours and this is the only thing that has been effective on wet hair and for more than 12hrs. Still not believing my problem is entirely solved but definitely nice to have a break from the odor. Since hand sanitizer contains alcohol, prolonged use will probably dry out my scalp so I will try the coconut oil too. Maybe someone else could try this and see if it works for them?
Two main points that I got from doing a lot of research about this:
1. Whatever shampoo you choose leave it on for a while, 3-5 minutes is ideal
2. Rotate shampoos if one has stopped working as well as it originally did, your body can get used to treatments
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seborrheic-dermatitis/DS00984/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
Great site for finding sources of b vitamins and zinc which the Mayo Clinic says are good for scalp and hair health, omega 3s might be helpful as well:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=115
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