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Every time I wash my hair it smells like a wet dog or something. I usually shampoo twice a week and condition 2-3 times a week so I don't think it's a hygene issue. What can I do to make my hair not smell weird? Or better yet, whats making my hair smell weird?
Try conditioning everyday
Hey Aaron -
Is your hair very oily? If so, this may be the cause. (The same happened to me.) I shampoo and condition every am. But yikes......so much oil produced in one day! (I am just guessing of course.) Perhaps if your hair IS oily, try shampoo w/conditioner every other day for a start. Yes, I know you hear the "oil-thing" all the time..........but some people have tons of it, and some not all so much. Good luck! ps: Would you believe that on an especially hot day the amount of oil I can get from both sides of my nose? Enough to actually oil a Clock........and it runs on this oil! But on the good side, they say people with oily skin stay young looking in older age.
LOL I hear ya! No wrinkles for me! My face gets so shiny that other people could probably use it for a mirror.
~Jenn
Do you seriously lack that much common knowledge? Wash that shorthair and the smell with go away.
- Brian
Some people do have problems with their water...but if your water
smells okay, then your hair is not clean enoug OR...
you need to wash better or even more frequently.
2 or 3 times a week may work for one person, but not for another.
I shampoo & condition daily...or rarely...I may just rinse out my hair with
plain water for ONE day only.
My hair always smells fresh because nothing has a chance to build up
to the point of producing an odor.
Try using a good shampoo & conditioner...
and wash more frequently intil you get this 'problem' under control.
Good Luck!
I've noticed this sometimes...perhaps it's your shampoo and/or conditioner that smells weird. Try switching one day to rule that out as a cause. Just a thought...
Have you or anyone ever tried American Crew's products? They are actually for men! And they smell GREAT!!! (did I just sound like Tony the Tiger?)
Tim
Now that you mention it ... Maybe switching from dogfood to catfood will make Aaron's hair smell better? Just kidding!
Condition everyday, or shampoo more often.
Nice pics... ur hair is growin a treat
stop washing ur hair in the toilet bowl and that smell will go away j/k
Ya i'm going to try washing every day, cuz my hair does produce a lot of oil and maybe thats the cause. Thanks for the positive responses.
________heidi w.'s response__________
You say you shampoo twice a week and condition 2-3 times a week which implies that sometimes you only condition without washing. My guess is that you may have an issue with buildup, and that the bacteria that eventually gets on to most people's acid mantle has begun to break down causing an odor. Doing a condition only hair wash, if done incorrectly, can cause a buildup on the scalp skin. Also, generally speaking, conditioning scalp skin can upset the pH balance of the acid mantle.
I would first recommend switching to another brand of shampoo/conditioner. You should know that mixing & matching from different product lines can also affect the pH & protein balances of products. Within specific lines by a given manufacturer, they design their products (the better brands do this, grocery store brands are not quite the same but they consider these points) to balance the pH and protein levels.
So try a higher quality shampoo that really cleanses the skin. Such as Biolage's Humidifying Shampoo or Nature's Gate or Aussie product line or Aveda product line. Nature's Gate conditioner I find to be a bit light, but it does cross with Aveda product lines quite nicely.
I recommend starting over: first strip everything off by using 3 Tablespoons of BAKING SODA (not powder!!!) mixed with 3 Tablespoons of Shampoo. Wash your hair with this to strip all the gunk built up off. Baking SODA is very drying to the hair so it must be followed by a high conditioning session. Condition, in this case, with Biolage's Conditioning Balm -- somewhat heavy but cone free. Leave it in for 3-5 minutes allowing the humidity in the facilities to build up so the hair shaft will open up and absorb this moisture.
You could follow the Baking Soda stripping (if you buy a shampoo that "strips" hair, it is known as a "clarifying shampoo"; again these shampoos can be drying, so condition well after such a session!)
with a Mayo hair wash. Simply glob Best Foods Mayo into hair length or on hair, wrap in a plastic bag, step out of shower to leave on for 1 hour, go back in the shower & rinse out with a minimum amount of shampoo required to get the stuff out. It smells while applying, it drips runny globs down your neck (yes, it's gross) but man-o-man! does it ever work!!! Wear a thick towel about your neck to collect the drips and hope to god your honey doesn't show up at the door unannounced!!! LOL. So rinse it out, and then condition per usual.
Do not attempt to get squeeky clean in standard hair washing sessions. This squeek means you removed all oil!!! But when stripping, you're doing this on purpose. So conditioning is everything.
Then air dry, detangle and oil hair length. In a post below (do CTRL + F to find entries by heidi w.) I do provide oiling instructions.
I recommend stripping the hair of build up to remove bacteria. You see, the scalp has an acid mantle that is maintained at a certain pH through the sebacious glands production of oil. If one goes too long allowing this oil to build, then eventually & naturally, bacteria gets in there and starts to break down the odor. The breakdown of the oil produces a pungent odor. Also, if conditioner isn't rinsed out well or for some reason a given brand doesn't rinse well, over a brief duration of time, the hair will have this layer of gunk on it that never quite gets out of the hair & will produce an odor as well. Between the two, you can have quite a science experiment going on!!! So start over by stripping everything off, moisturize well, then choose better quality products, particularly conditioner, doublecheck your instructions for doing a conditioning hair wash only (it should be diluted), consider washing only every other or third day and always condition.
I am pretty sure that starting over as suggested will rid you of that odor you notice, heidi w. (from TLHS)
The mayonnaise is a very good as a conditioner.
the egg is highly moisturizing; even while wet you will likely notice a softer feel to the hair, and vinegar helps bind the cuticle (that means helps the cuticle to lie flatter in its more natural position).
Those who have treated hair with color or perms, their cuticle is no longer "virgin" and the shape has changed which is how the hair structure changes to take on the new shape of curl, wave or body or allow color to attach.
When in recovery from these effects, we try to grow this stuff out so that we get back to our 'natural' shape -- that is a flatter cuticle more like its "virgin" state. Vinegar can assist with this.
You could consider using a vinegar rinse as part of your shampoo routine: you see, skin needs a balance of alkalinity and acidity and vinegar can assist with this if it's off kilter. Simply dilute approximately 1/4 Cup of apple cider vinegar (clear not the red stuff) in 16 oz of water. If you like add a drop of pine essential oil scent. Rinse well.
Finish a given shampoo/conditioner session (the every other or third day washes) with a cool down rinse to close the pores and the hair shaft. Those with thinning hair should wash in cooler temperatures anyway.
Does this "rinse well" refer to the rinsing well WITH the vinegar solution or...
to the rinsing OUT of the vinegar solution (with PLAIN) water?
I meant rinse well with plain water after using the vinegar rinse itself.
heidi w. (from TLHS)
From your pictures you appear to be still in your teen years. Boys in your age group have a tendency to build up that oil really fast, and therefore do need to wash daily! Some young boys need to shower more frequently in this phase of their life too. I think you'll like what the vinegar rinse does for you in terms of controlling odor. I stick by my acid mantle point. If you choose to add a drop of pine essential oil to the brew, keep it one drop only!!
Otherwise, from the pix your hair looks quite healthy. As you get longer, though, you'll really need good conditioning products and will want to learn how to oil hair length for good health, and dusting will be great for really healthy hair! Read up on Boar Bristle Brushing below (search for entries by heidi w. by pressing CTRL+F and enter heidi w. and you'll find it on this board). I advise learning about this stuff now so you're reading to employ its use when the time comes.
By the way, about 3 weeks ago or so, I met 2 lads in their early 20s with gorgeous hair like their mother (they were all in line) with hair in a long braid down to their knees which means the hair when out of the braid was calf length. They never cut their hair!!!
I am not a woman who loves long hair on men; it is not my personal preference. However, despite this, I do believe that if a man wants to have long hair, just like women, it's such a bonus of one can learn how to care for hair so it's not a floppy mess! A floppy mess, no matter the length, is always unattractive. (That's just my opinion, anyway--and I know, no one asked for it. Note though my support for healthy hair despite my personal preference.)
heidi w. (from TLHS)
This is meant as installment 3: first read Acid Mantle, then Mayo Hair Wash then this.
I am certain you are a candidate that needs to wash daily at this point in your life. If so, you need a lighter shampoo for daily washing, and even so, given your length, do condition each time as well. Do not apply conditioner to your scalp though. You're long enough to apply to length only! Given your body's production of oil which is in high gear, conditioning the scalp will add this layer of oil that is not needed. Remember, the scalp skin needs washing, noty your hair!! (and daily washing will make it worse)--when you get a little older, another year or so, this will calm down. Do occasionally try skipping a day & washing every other day for say a 2 week period to check if it calms a bit. Then stick to that schedule when your body will allow you to. (Gosh, I hope I'm making sense; I am aware that I may be suggesting things that appear to be in conflict)
Lastly, I read all the comments and some of them are mean, so don't take them to heart!!
heidi w. (from TLHS)
Your progress pics are pretty decent! And this record of your progress
could be inspirational to others in the future but...
I would like to a one little suggestion [this is just my own personal suggestion]...
how about adding a bit of a SMILE from now on!
This will show others how happy you are with your progress...
and it will make the whole picture L(.)(.)K better too!
Good Luck!
LoL, I try to smile in my pics but it always ends up looking fake.
As for my hair i've been shampooing and conditioning everyday and it worked (yay).
Thanks Heidi W. for all the info! I think I might do the baking soda wash tommorow night.