my hair is absorbing smells

[norths]

Every time I cook and eat popcorn my hair smells like it afterwards. This also happened when I went to a Japanese resturant last night, I came home and my hair smelled like smoke. I don't think my hair used to absorb smells like this before/or I never really noticed.

Is it my shampoo/conditioner doing this or does hair just normally absorb smells? Has this happened to anyone before?

[Natalia]

Some foods do that too me. It happened more before I went WO I think the coat of sebum helps "seal" the hair. Do you oil? That may help especially jojoba since its closest to sebum and a liquid wax vs an oil.

[blondzai]

this happens to me with other peoples cigarette smoke...which they still allow indoor smoking in establishments in korea. this is the worst when trying to prolong washings...which is why i never wash my hair BEFORE the weekend...just after

[MadameV]

I never had that problem, but I know my mother did. Very different hair types; mine's like 1b/c and hers (before she started nuking it) was about a 3b. Don't know if that mattered, but that was the difference between us. She'd always pick up cigarette smoke in the bars in Korea (small world, blondzai!) and would complain for days until it washed out. Firing blindly into the dark here, but might it have something to do with your hair's porosity?

[oktobergoud]

I have this all the time! I also work as a barista, so my hair smells like (old) coffee 99% of the time :P
I think this is very common, I have no idea what you can do about it though!

[sofo]

My guess is that its about porosity. If thats the case I think colored hair would be more prone to absorbing smells. Also cones and oils would reduce the problem.

[sofo]

this happens to me with other peoples cigarette smoke...which they still allow indoor smoking in establishments in korea. this is the worst when trying to prolong washings...which is why i never wash my hair BEFORE the weekend...just after

Smoke is very nasty and the smell sticks to everything. I don't think any hair can be in smoke and not smell after.

[Firefox7275]

Could be adsorption (adhering) instead of absorption (penetrating). Tobacco smoke/ nicotine is greasy, that will stick to anyone's hair. I would wash my hair right after exposure, you don't want to be breathing in the residues or have them rubbing on your scalp, even trace amounts can have negative effects. I would have thought restaurant smoke would be greasy too, like you get a greasy coating on a kitchen over time if you don't have an extractor.

[jacqueline101]

My hair does it too. I cook breakfast at work my hair smell like food.

[Cheele]

Oh yes, that sounds like my hair too. Cigarette smoke LOVES my hair. So does the any food being fried smell. And campfire. And DBF's smell.

That last one is nice, haha.

[spidermom]

My hair holds onto scents, too.

[CurlyCap]

My hair smells like wherever I've spent time. It's another reason I have to shower before I go to bed. There are some things I don't want my bed smelling like!

[Haybop]

I only ever notice my hair holding onto smells when it's smoke! After a night out with friends (who all smoke) and sitting in the pub garden I can wake up and smell the smoke in my hair without even having to stick my nose in the mane for a whiff :S This weekend I walked outside when next door was burning and there was obviously a lot more smoke than I thought as it still smelt (along with everything else in the flat) of smoke :S I can do a fry up, have popcorn and all the other stuff and not smell anything on my hair but smoke is horrid to have hanging around when you're not used to the smell >:(

[Nesoi]

This definitely happens to me. When I had WL hair, I worked at Lush. If I went anywhere after my shift (even the next day, if I hadn't washed my hair) I would get total strangers exclaiming over it. In a nice way! But it was still a little weird to get sniffed on the bus ;)

[melusine963]

I have this all the time! I also work as a barista, so my hair smells like (old) coffee 99% of the time :P
I think this is very common, I have no idea what you can do about it though!

That's not a bad smell. :D