Say No To Smelly Hair & Scalp

If you’ve dealt with smelly scalp you know how it can make everyone cringe. But you don’t need to suffer silently. The answer lies in going to the root of the problem.

You’ve got deodorants for body odor, but how do you deal with hair that smells bad? The answer lies in understanding the reasons behind the odour and in making lifestyle changes to prevent it.

How Do You Know If You Have Scalp Odor?

Clean, healthy hair don’t have any particular smell. To find out whether or not, you have smelly hair, run your fingertips along your parting or deeper under your hairline and sniff your fingertips. If the smell is unpleasant then you need to change up your haircare routine. To begin with, remember that the much-ignored scalp is the very foundation of healthy hair. Think about your haircare routine in the context of a scalp-care tips going forward. Switch out your cleaning products, experiment with frequency of hair cleaning, change and wash head gear and take a closer look at your diet to get your hair and scalp to go from smelly to sweet.

How Do You Get Smelly Scalp?

Irregular cleaning

While most of us take a bath every day, hair is often neglected and not washed regularly. The buildup of sweat, natural oils, trapped dust etc. can cause fungus to thrive on our scalps causing an unpleasant odour and dandruff. Bacterial breakdown can also make the smell worse. If you’re a fitness junky find shampoo for dandruff that’s mild enough to wash off daily post-workout sweat to keep your hair free of pollutants and build-up.

Scalp Diseases

Issues like dandruff can make hair smell bad. The build-up of hair flakes in reaction to allergens, pollutants or natural propensity for such diseases can be at the root of bad scalp odor. Evaluate the problem carefully and check whether the solution lies in an over-the-counter dandruff remedy such as a scalp shampoo or in consulting with a dermatologist or trichologist.

Constant change in temperature

Extreme heat and cold can cause sweating followed by drying and lead to unhealthy scalp skin. Washing hair with too hot water can cause your scalps sebaceous glands to go into overdrive creating oily, smelly and damaged hair that don’t smell fresh just a few hours after a wash. Hot, humid weather can also make it hard for the scalp to remain sweat-free and fresh.

Hormonal Changes

A shift in our hormones can cause our sweat glands, our natural odor and therefore the odor of our scalp to shift. Hormonal imbalances can lead to smelly hair where it did not smell earlier. A sudden change in odour could also be a signal from your body, to check in with the doctor on your general health.

Wearing headgear too long

For some of us leaving on headgear can become a reflex. Tight non-breathable hats, caps or even scarves can cause sweating and bacterial growth in a warm, humid and dark environment. Remember to give your scalp a chance to dry out naturally with room temperature air.

Smelly food choices

You’d be surprised but smelly food choices such as garlic and onions if consumed too much can actually impact the smell of our bodies and in turn effect our scalps too!

How To Prevent And Cure Smelly Scalp?

There are many small and simple changes you can make that will allow you to sport an odor-free and fresh-smelling head of hair from parting to tip.

Treat your scalp with nature

Give your scalp a circulation and cleanliness boost by combining natural ingredients like aloe vera, neem oil and argan oil to give yourself a bacteria-busting massage. Keep on overnight and wash the next day for a fresher healthier scalp. Other natural ingredients like lemon can be used to give your scalp a deodorizing freshness boost, followed by a cleansing hair bath.

Choose the right shampoo

Find an effective shampoo for dandruff that is suited for frequent use and formulated for your hair type. Head & Shoulders with new Fresh Scent Technology is a breakthrough anti-dandruff shampoo that provides scalp relief and beautiful, flake-free* hair along with a great scent—especially in the shower. As a leader in the anti-dandruff category for over 50 years, Head & Shoulders has developed an innovative approach to enhance the shower experience: combining proprietary scalp technology and proven hair benefits with a water-activated fragrance boost. Scented solutions like Head & Shoulders Cool Menthol Shampoo or Lemon Fresh Shampoo that are specially formulated to deal with both the symptoms and cause of dandruff are fragrant enough to counteract smelly hair. With the underlying cause treated, you can lead the way with a fresh smelling head of hair.

Find your shampoo cycle.

Shampoo too little and you fall prey to smelly scalp. If daily shampooing doesn’t work for you choose a frequency that is gentle but keeps your hair feeling fresh, oil-free and flake-free.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Bacterial build-up is worse on dehydrated skin. Plump up your scalp and fight flakiness with super-hydration.

Hate the cause, not the symptom

Treat underlying conditions such as dandruff, psoriasis or eczema to help elevate your scalp bouquet. If over the counter solutions don’t seem to solve the problem, consult a doctor for medicated solutions and a regime that targets the specific problem.