Smelly hair...eew

[mkenya]

Yesterday morning I was in the bus and I sat directly behind a lady with single braids., which she had braided into one braid. Being a member of LHCF, I observed her hair, she seemed to have 4A type hair. At some point she decided to undo the one braid and let the individual small braids hang losely...and the smell of her hair wafted to me. It smelled unclean, musty...UNPLEASANT. I'm sure you know the smell I'm talking about...that of unwashed braids, plus accumulated oils etc. She'd flip it to one side, then to the other, and every time she did that, I smelled it again. I just sat there HOPING she doesn't play with it anymore...
Anyway, I don't like smelly hair & think we should help each other out. Smelly hair is unpleasant for the people around and can be a real turn off. Sooo....
1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad?
2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?
3) What products make hair smell nice?

For me:
1) Sleeping in wet braids, WGO (love the oil, hate the smell)
2) I think regular washing (minimum once a week) will keep the odors away
3) CON seems to have a lasting scent. I really like the Pantene scent, but it doesn't last

 

[CAPlush]

I had to stop putting WGO on dry hair (I still use it on my wet hair). While the smell didn't bother me, it made the DH's stomach turn.

Also, not making sure my scalp gets dry as quickly as possible. If I wake up in the morning and my scalp is still wet, I sit under the hood dryer for 5 min while I check my email. I don't think drying the ends is as important as the scalp.

My hair usually ends up smelling like whatever I deep condition with even if I put WGO over it. I used Affirm 5n1 last night and the smell of that stuff is nice and strong.

 

[Dijah]

Sweat really makes the hair stink, I wash often like you said, especially since I exercise 3 times a week and it is getting warm out. Also I think product build up captures odors as well. For me Black Castor Oil makes my hair stink, but it goes away soon enough.

I remember when they used to allow smoking everywhere in New York, I would come home after going out and my hair would stink.

I hate stinky hair, I think washing or co washing often help prevent the bad odor.

 

[LaReyna756]

Also, not making sure my scalp gets dry as quickly as possible. If I wake up in the morning and my scalp is still wet, I sit under the hood dryer for 5 min while I check my email. I don't think drying the ends is as important as the scalp.

Yeah, it's real important to make sure that air gets to the scalp and that it gets dry. That can leave a bad odor and even cause fungal growth that can be hard to get rid of.

 

[pinkdot's blog]

Braids hold a lot of oder so it is important to wash at least once a week. I like my washing routine with braids because when your done washing your hair is already styled. You just have to dry them. When I have braids I take advantage of washing my hair often. I don't want my boyfriend smellin funky braids when we go to bed oh no. And also I don't wear the same scarf to bed every night and I wash my scarfs quite often. If you don't your hair will smell like your scarfs.

 

[Naphy]

In another thread, I mentionned that a lot of people in Paris (and mostly in the train...) have smelly hair
And it seems to be worst since I've joined the board

1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad?
Some indian oils smell very bad (especially amla oil). And in summer, with all that heat, the head sweat a lot : say hello to the odors !
2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?
WASHING !!!!! It is the only way to get a fresh and non-smelly hair. In order to maximise the smell of my hair, I CW more.
3) What products make hair smell nice?
I choose conditionner who smells good the most of the time : Herbal essence, Elasta QP, Sunsilk, Garnier ultra-doux. And the ors olive oil gloss too ^_____^

 

[Ms Lala]

This bugs me too. And these are the people who say, oh my hair doesn't need to be washed it doesn't itch or smell. Maybe they can't smell it. Just like we need to bathe we need to wash our scalp and hair regularly. I honestly don't mind the small of various oils etc... even if they have a less than pleasant odor it doesn't smell the same as dirty hair and scalp.

 

[texasgrl]

I found out that wet bagging causes that mildewey (sp) smell .

 

[Crackers Phinn]

This bugs me too. And these are the people who say, oh my hair doesn't need to be washed it doesn't itch or smell. Maybe they can't smell it. Just like we need to bathe we need to wash our scalp and hair regularly. I honestly don't mind the small of various oils etc... even if they have a less than pleasant odor it doesn't smell the same as dirty hair and scalp.

Naw they don't smell it or if they do, they talk themselves into believing that it doesn't smell 'that bad'. It's plenty of people who 'smoke' or are around others who do that don't realize they leave a stale whiff of it when they walk by.

I found out that wet bagging causes that mildewey (sp) smell .

When I was baggying with creamy products, mainly mango butter, I'd notice the mildew smell by the end of the second day, that meant it was wash time.

 

[MzOptimistic]

I found out that wet bagging causes that mildewey (sp) smell .

I was getting ready to write this. I baggie my ends 24/7 so I co wash every other day so my hair won't smell. One weekend I didn't feel like doing anything to my hair but moisturizing it and bagging my ends. I had t wash my hair that Sunday because it was a funky mildewey smell coming from my ends. So yah, you definitely have to wash often/every other day when you baggie

 

[Blackoutzangel05]

1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad? When my hairdresser used to glue my ponytails in (when I brought tracks) and she would wrap my hair up and then put the white paper over my ponytail and I would sit under the dryer. My hair would not dry in the ponytail and when that came down my hair would smell stale if not still be damp because it had not dried.
2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?
I allow my hair to air dry out and then braid/twist after that. I try not to go to sleep on wet braided hair because it never seems to fully dry

3) What products make hair smell nice?
My oils make my hair smell nice, I love the smell of the V05 conditioners and my mango butter moisturizer

 

[SweetCaramel1]

the only time my hair stinks is when it's dirty (2 weeks or more). normally i wash it more often before the smell and bacteria builds.

 

[stargazer613]

1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad?
Dabur Amla Oil made my hair smell soo bad the one time I used it. It made everybody around me cough and ended up giving me a serious headache. Very old lady strong pefume scent, so I tossed it!
Ojon Restorative Treatment has a strong cigar/coffee scent so I only use this when I'm at home away from others.
Cigarettes leave a bad smell, Sulfur products, and sweat.

2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?
washing more frequently, letting hair airdry before bunning it, using a spritz to refresh(store brought or homemade that has some nice essential oils and maybe rosewater)

3) What products make hair smell nice?
Elucence, Phyto, Redken, Activate, Giovanni, Mimosa Hair Honey, etc.

 

[mkenya]

Another hair smell that I don't like is that of burnt grease/hair. You know, when hair is being pressed and the greases are loaded on it and the flat iron is super hot and....you know the smell. Not pleasant.

 

[IrisDaVirus]

Yesterday morning I was in the bus and I sat directly behind a lady with single braids., which she had braided into one braid. Being a member of LHCF, I observed her hair, she seemed to have 4A type hair. At some point she decided to undo the one braid and let the individual small braids hang losely...and the smell of her hair wafted to me. It smelled unclean, musty...UNPLEASANT. I'm sure you know the smell I'm talking about...that of unwashed braids, plus accumulated oils etc. She'd flip it to one side, then to the other, and every time she did that, I smelled it again. I just sat there HOPING she doesn't play with it anymore...

I'm shaking my head as I'm reading this because I was on the Metrolink last week and smelled an atrocious odor coming from a girl in front of me. She too had braids (micros in particular) but it was obvious she wasn't washing them in order to keep them from slipping off. Maaaaan, that's girl's head was funky as hell. What's even sadder is I'm seeing more girls and women with funky heads of braids and weaves because they're too afraid washing their hair will mess up the style. As far as I'm concerned if the style can't be properly washed, conditioned and styled at least once a week then you don't have any business wearing it in the first place.

As far as the questions go:

1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad? - Sweat, cigarette smoke, body odors coming from other people (you'd be surprised at how bad someone else can make you smell if you're around them long enough)

2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'? - Keep your hair and scalp clean, be picky about the scents of your hair products, stay away from what I call "smell triggers" (any type of smoke, etc.). Also if you use heat on your hair make sure your heated appliance isn't hot enough to burn it. Burnt hair is not a pleasant smell by any means.

3) What products make hair smell nice? - Too many to name but I've always been picky about what I use on my hair. I don't care how good the benefits are. If I don't like the scent, I simply will not use it.

 

[EbonyHairedPrincess]

1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad?
Sweat
Burned smelling hair from flat irons & pressing combs.
2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?
I have started co-washing in the morning. Then I bun & go. I love the smell & feel of freshly conditioned hair in the morning.
3) What products make hair smell nice?
V05 strawberry & milk
V05 Melon
Thermasilk Moisturizing shampoo & conditioner
NTM Silk

 

[sareca]

One of my girlfriends used to get crochet braids all the time; the trouble was she NEVER washed them and she was having hot flashes. I had to let a sista know.

 

[preciousjewel76]

This thread is right on time. I smelled some funky microbraids on the head of a young sista on a MARTA train just yesterday. And the braids looked dry & thirsty, so I knew she probably went weeks without washing.

Ewwwww.

 

[macherieamour]

I workout so my hair smells after about 5 days. Im very self concious about it so i grease my scalp with castor oil (hollywood beauty)

B]1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad?[/B]
My hair- sweat, too much product
2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?
I had to start washing more often. If I cant, I grease my scalp or use hair fresheners. Or, I will rub some baking soda or cornstarch in my roots to absorb any odors. I read some where that for braids, you can rub a mixture of diluted basking soda into the roots and rinse off.
3) What products make hair smell nice?
Deep conditioning with any conditioner seems to make the scent last longer. Humecto has a strong scent, people always ask me what perfume Im wearing.

 

[Cichelle]

1) What has made your hair (or others' hair) smell bad?

Going too long between washings....this is true for everyone but especially those who exercise and people who use grease and oils.

2) What can be done to prevent 'hair odors'?

Keep your hair and scalp clean. Wash and/or cowash regularly.

3) What products make hair smell nice?

There are so many conditioners and shampoos that smell good. Choose your fave and use them regularly.