Our good friend at the excellent “Are You A Beauty” blog has a great post about neutralizing hair odors. She gives a couple of great product suggestions, but we thought we’d look at all the ways you can use to stop smelly hair.
1. Wash and condition your hair
Yes it’s a lot of work but that’s really the most thorough way to get your hair clean.
2. Use hair wipes
Like Are You A Beauty suggests, you can use wipes made especially for hair like Ted Gibson’s.
3. Use a hair fragrance
Beauty likes the one from Cleanperfume.com. If you don’t mind spending $39.00. Ouch!
4. Spritz your hair with your own perfume
If you can’t find a “real” hair fragrance just improvise with your fave perfume. Don’t use too much!
5. Use a powder shampoo.
Pssst anyone? Or maybe Batiste? Just spray ‘em in and brush ‘em out.
6. Use a leave-in conditioner or combing cream.
A touch of conditioner can mask icky odors.
7. Do a speedy, secret sink wash
Wet your hands, take a TINY dab of liquid soap, and run your fingers through your hair. Caution: this doesn’t work on all hairstyles.
8. Wipe your hair with a dryer sheet
It’s better than smelling like smoke AND you’ll get rid of embarrassing static cling.
9. Try a little Febreze on your brush
At least we THINK this might work. Better check with the manufacturer before you try this one at home!
10. Use an antimicrobial shampoo
This can help if you have Smelly Scalp Syndrome which is caused by scalp fungus or bacteria. Yuck!
Does anyone else in the Beauty Brains community have any tips for dealing with smelly hair? Share!
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11. Avoid second-hand smoke. It will kill you and make your hair stinky.
Spray your perfume on your hairbrush and comb through. It’s better than just spraying your hair.
Ooooh, great tips!
I have Febrezed my hair many times. I Have long thick hair, and when the smell of smoke is too strong (hooray smoking ban in the UK!) I just spray it in the air, and then flick my hair about in the mist. Voila!
When I’m out and my hair smells bad I use hand sanitizer. I know, it’s weird, but it temporarily gets rid of stink.
After I moisturize my hands I like to run my hands over my hair. Try not to get too close to the roots, or you may be left looking greasy, but in the winter time it is a great way to tame fly-aways, and make your hair smell yummy!
please help………it is really bad,i cant smell it but it seems everyone is,actually am not even sure if it is the hair or what but just need it to go away…….am depressed right now,can’t take it no more….i can’t
please help…………….God i can’t take it,i do keep clean so i honestly don’t know where the stinge comes from…..i can’t even smell it cos i suppose its coming from me…..but it can’t keep on,i am just loosing it….
Thanks for the different remedies. I tried anti-bacterial soap on my grand daughters hair and it worked.
LOOK JUST TAKE A SHOWER ONCE EVERY OTHER DAY IT WORKS FOR ME !!!!! AND IF IT DOSN’T USE A DIFFERNT SHAMPOO HAVE YOU EVER THOGHT IT MIGHT BE YUOR OWN SHAMPOO
The paul mitchell tea tree shampoo works wonders. I have also heard good results from hibiclens and follicleanse. Head and shoulders works well too (just can’t use it every day). The smell normally comes from the scalp. I find that using a lot of product (serums, gel, mousse, etc) can retain smells and oil in the hair. But the main secret is- RUB YOUR SCALP WHEN YOU ARE CLEANING YOUR HAIR VERY WELL, AND LEAVE THE CLEANER IN YOUR HAIR FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES! I find that doing this will get rid of the smell in your hair for the rest of the day.
Dear friends,I believe the Lord gave me this recipe and it works
for me. HONEY+CINNAMON. These are real MAGIC INGREDIENTS.
Kills bacteria/eczema instantly.Also drink it to kill bacteria inside body.
WASH HAIR WITH:Boil 1 cup of water+half teasp.cinnamon.Let it steep
30min.Add 1 tsp Honey.TIMES 12 makes enough to drench your hair.
Put plastic and towel over hair,leave on as long as possible,wash off.
Also drink the above 1 cup morning,1 before going to bed.MY STINKY HAIR
IS GONE.Helps for bad breath too:gargle some,or just brush teeth with
paste of honey +cinnamon equal amounts. GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
You must use PH balanced products for everything you put in your hair. Best ones are fruit smelling ones.
What this smell that everyone is talking about is called lactic acid,yes it is where the body over produces excessive sweat and the medical term for this condition is called (hyperhydrosis) most dermatologist only deal with this condition in the feet and hands and underarms but not in the scalp.
It is caused by many factors such as stress,thyroid disorder,hormonal imbalance,excessive sports,anything that causes the body to over excert
itself,people with roseacea,this condition is more active at night time when one is sleeping,sweat smells like sour milk on pillows because it is lactic acid,all of the above products mention does not neutralize the lactic acid which is being produced you must have products that are formulated to treat that condition, our clinic is one of the first here in the U.S. to treat this condition successfully with our Hyper Range products, this problem will not only make your hair smell but it will also cause the hair to thin out,as well as cause red bumps on the scalp along with severe dehydration and the oilyness is a false pseudo-seborrhea because at night time your sebbacious glands are at rest and oil is not produced,but a quick test performed here in our clinic will show that people with this condition are very dehydrated,go to http://www.miyoharainternational.com and read more about this condition called hyperhydrosis,or call 714 210-2488.
I have found spraying DR. Mist on the hair kills the smell (by killing the bacteria). You can use a tiny atomizer bottle to take with you.
Have you heard of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar? It gets rid of dandruff and the smelly scalp
Treatment: Dilute OACV with equal amount of water (eg: 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water). Use it after shampooing and conditioning as a final rinse. Make sure your hair dries well, otherwise your hair will be smelly of OACV (not so pleasant ether). I recommend medium heat blow dry. Repeat the treatment every time you wash for a couple of weeks or whenever needed.