Do you scent your hair? What do you like to use?

[Sillage]

I was wondering how many of us scent our hair and what we like to use.

For myself, I like using:

perfume: I prefer spray perfume. I don't worry about the alcohol content because I use leave ins and hopefully that protects my hair. My perfume collection is pretty extensive and I normally put a spray or two of whatever perfume I'm wearing in my hair after I've put it up. Some favorites are Caron Pour Un Homme (lavender and vanilla!), Diptyque Philosykos (figs and fresh crushed leaves) or Tam Dao (woody lumber), Chanel No. 5 edt (sparkling champagne floral) or Coco (rich oriental floral), Guerlain Jicky (rich lavender), Samsara (jasmine and sandalwood) or Shalimar (classic spicy oriental), Bulgari The Rouge (creamy tea), YSL Cinema (ambery mimosa), and Balmain Amber Gris (ambery floral).

fragrance oils: most of my favorites come from the ScentWorks (http://store.scent-works.com/). I live dangerously and apply these undiluted to my hair by rubbing a few drops in between my palms and running my fingers thru my hair. They are really really lasting, more so then perfume. I also have a small vial of sandalwood oil from an Arabic company-- I'm not sure if it's an EO or FO or a blend of the two but it smells amazing and lingers for days.

essential oils: really the only one I like enough to wear in my hair is lavender. I apply it the same way I do fragrance oils. Not all essential oils can be applied neat (in fact most can't) but I've never had a problem with lavender EO.


What do you like to use and what are your favorites?

[HintOfMint]

Great post, lots of fantastic ideas! I usually just let my conditioner do the work for me. Herbal Essences conditioners actually do reflect their commercials, at least for me. The scent lasts and carries quite a bit. When I feel like treating myself, I'll go for Toadstool (on Etsy) Blue Lilac deep conditioner. I should also look into her perfume oils, that might do the trick as well.

I also have a leave-in by Big Sexy Hair that's pumpkin scented. Holy lord almighty, it smells great, even if it is a mediocre leave-in.

[coffinhert]

I use Monoi (http://www.monoi.com/oil.html) scented oils, just a bit on the tips of my hair.

[Taenarian]

I make a frizzy tamer - effectiveness dubious - from a small amount of aloe vera, distilled water and essential oil. So yea, I do scent my hair :rolleyes:

[Sillage]

Thanks HintofMint :) My conditioner scent never seems to stick around... maybe it's because I blow dry. Also my Oyin leave in is so scented sometimes I skip it if I think it's going to clash with my perfume.

Coffinhert, do you use the classic tiare gardenia or the other scents?

Taenarian, what essential oils??? I'm curious, LOL

[dreamingstar]

I make a frizzy tamer - effectiveness dubious - from a small amount of aloe vera, distilled water and essential oil. So yea, I do scent my hair :rolleyes:

That is a really good idea! I may try that. For me, if I spray any perfume in my hair it frizzes up. I've yet to try any essential oils, or any oil other than coconut oil (which smells nice for a while). If I can get a hold of distilled water, I'll definitely try that tamer though!

[dreamingstar]

I make a frizzy tamer - effectiveness dubious - from a small amount of aloe vera, distilled water and essential oil. So yea, I do scent my hair :rolleyes:

That is a really good idea! I may try that. For me, if I spray any perfume in my hair it frizzes up. I've yet to try any essential oils, or any oil other than coconut oil (which smells nice for a while). If I can get a hold of distilled water, I'll definitely try that tamer though!

[sumidha]

I put essential oils into my coconut oil before I use it, or just put a drop or two of essential oil straight onto my hair before I comb or brush it out. I also have a mister kind of like Taenarian with water and essential oil for smoothing updo's and general scenting of things.

[Misao]

perfume: I prefer spray perfume. I don't worry about the alcohol content because I use leave ins and hopefully that protects my hair. My perfume collection is pretty extensive and I normally put a spray or two of whatever perfume I'm wearing in my hair after I've put it up. Some favorites are Caron Pour Un Homme (lavender and vanilla!), Diptyque Philosykos (figs and fresh crushed leaves) or Tam Dao (woody lumber), Chanel No. 5 edt (sparkling champagne floral) or Coco (rich oriental floral), Guerlain Jicky (rich lavender), Samsara (jasmine and sandalwood) or Shalimar (classic spicy oriental), Bulgari The Rouge (creamy tea), YSL Cinema (ambery mimosa), and Balmain Amber Gris (ambery

Where exactly do you apply the perfume? crown? outside or inner layer? ends? Sometimes I spray perfume in the lenghts in the outside layer, but I guess the parfum fades so soon, maybe because the sun?

[Misao]

For myself, I like using:

perfume: I prefer spray perfume. I don't worry about the alcohol content because I use leave ins and hopefully that protects my hair. My perfume collection is pretty extensive and I normally put a spray or two of whatever perfume I'm wearing in my hair after I've put it up. Some favorites are Caron Pour Un Homme (lavender and vanilla!), Diptyque Philosykos (figs and fresh crushed leaves) or Tam Dao (woody lumber), Chanel No. 5 edt (sparkling champagne floral) or Coco (rich oriental floral), Guerlain Jicky (rich lavender), Samsara (jasmine and sandalwood) or Shalimar (classic spicy oriental), Bulgari The Rouge (creamy tea), YSL Cinema (ambery mimosa), and Balmain Amber Gris (ambery

Were exactly do you apply the perfume? crown? outside or inner layer? ends? Sometimes I spray perfume in the lenghts in the outside layer, but I guess the parfum fades so soon, maybe becase the sun?

[Sillage]

I usually just spray it on my crown, since my hair is normally up when I put on my perfume (it's the last thing I do after I get dressed, put on my makeup, do my hair etc). As for perfume fading it can be due to the perfume itself (not all are lasting) or other factors like evaporation enhanced by sunlight etc. BTW, Misao, I see you're from Spain-- one of my favorite colognes comes from there, Puig Agua Lavanda! I have some in a spray bottle and really enjoyed using it as a body splash this summer since it's so light and transient. Sometimes I spray it in my hair to get rid of cooking odors. It evaporates pretty quickly and leaves a very light scent while destroying any other smells. Love it!

[clioariane]

I love BPAL, currently using As Above & So Below.

[SleepyTangles]

I used to rinse with jasmine or spiced tea, adding lemon, mint or rosemary e.o to my acv rinse, or rub a bit of jasmine essence (alchol free, a parfum+e.o blend) in my ends
I loved to do this, but today I'm settled on a more wash&go, benign neglect kind of routine. Maybe I can add some drops of jasmine essence in my oil leave in :eyebrows:...

[longhairedlady]

I do! I found a scent that I like and it doesnt give me a headache (alot of perfumes do that to me). It is called exotic cherry blossom. I usually spray a little on my brush then just brush through my hair.

[Scarlet_Heart]

Pretty boring, but I love it: Rosewater (tea rose essential oil + water).

[askan]

I've never thought of scenting! My dream perfume is something that smells like wild honeysuckle in a Swedish summer evening. That is the most mesmerizing smell I've ever felt!

[Aingeal]

I use essential oils. Right now lavender is my fav.

[Amapola]

I have a jar of coconut oil that has been scented with rose. I love the way roses smell, so it makes it funner for me to oil my hair.

[swearnsue]

I use rosewater in my mister bottle, along with some aloe vera and argan oil. The smell doesn't last too long though so I spray several times a day.

[vikavegan_fr]

I prefer EO as well. I mix them with olive oil and use little bit to calm down freezeness. Although, I can't say I feel any smell during the day. Sometimes I rinse my hair with nettle, then it smells like it, and I like that small :)

[emilia1992]

I use spray perfume, because it's getting cold now (if I spray it on my jumper, I'll put a coat over it, so no point. And if I spray my coat, I'll take it off when I'm indoors!).

I mist it through the lengths so it can swish around a bit when I'm sitting at my desk.

Currently I'm using Ghost perfume, which doesn't last very long (2-3 hours, maybe?). I did previously use Taylor Swift perfume (the one in the purple bottle) and that lasted for ages. 5 spritzes- two to each side, one to the back. (My sense of smell is bad, so this isn't that strong for me!)

Mmm Scarlet_Heart- rosewater sounds like a very tempting idea!

[curiouslight]

I love BPAL so I'll often use up my imps to scent my hair. I have a bigger bottle of Snake Oil so I use that a lot too, even though it's not my favorite.

[door72067]

I use essential oils: patchouli, lavender, Dragon's Blood or ylang ylang usually with the rub a few drops in my hands then run my hands through my hair method

[Lyv]

I spray my perfume in the length of my hair, I usually use either my Pink Sugar, Coach Poppy Blossom or Secret Wonderland from Bath & Body. I think it stays better in my hair than it does on my skin or clothes.

[RubberDucky]

Some really good ideas here. I've tried using scented conditioners, but the smell always fades in 1-2 hours. I also have a rose water mister (absolutely gorgeous summer smell!) I use on my face and hair, but again, the smell doesn't last. I think I'll try some perfume and essential oils next :)

[rock007junkie]

Since I like keeping my hair oiled anyway, my favorite method is using scented oils or butters. My favorites are the butters from TastiKiss (http://tastikiss.bigcartel.com/). The scent lasts a loooong time and she has a pretty good amount of different scents to choose from. Right now i'm using Cherry Almond and it smells so freaking good. I'm all over her website for Black Friday. I think she's having a 30% off sale.

[CircesButterfly]

I like to use my conditioner as a way of expressing my emotions. In other words, depending on what I feel like that day when I wash my hair is the smell and scent I put in my hair. I have used essential oils in my hair on and off ever since joining TLHC. I like using jasmine, lotus, a small amount of nutmeg, a small amount of clove, and lavendar. I have also sprayed perfume in my hair from time to time. One of my favorites is Green Tea perfume by Elizabeth Arden to have a nice clean smell.

For me there is just something special, extra care and makes me feel better when I use essential oils in my hair. I have also noticed the aromatherapy effect it has on me which I consider to be a bonus. I think I also like the romantic factor in having natural essential oils in the hair. I do receive comments and compliments on my hair when I use them.

[MaryO]

My hair usually smells of nothing and I have been wondering if I can scent is somehow, very glad to have read this thread! :-D

[SkyChild]

I spritz whatever perfume I'm wearing that day just into the hair behind my ears, because that seems to linger and also when my hair is down, that is a good area to swish the scent about.

Perfumes I use seem to be mostly Christian Dior ones - Dune, Pure Poison, Addict (or Addiction? can't remember) and also Burberry touch for Women. I like Lush's vanilla solid perfume stick too, though obviously can't put that in my hair! Most of these are heavier scents, probably with musk and sandalwood rather than anything citrus or floral as they give me headaches.

I've never thought of using essential oils in my hair - is this a good idea? I'm also lusting after the Black phoenix alchemy (?) hair glosses as they seem to be going down well.

[sunrider_bby]

I like to put a couple of drops of Pepper mint EO in my brush, and brush my hair with it.

In spring and summer, if I have a wedding, a party or a special occasion, I cut some flowers from my mom's garden and put them in my hair. It serves a double purpose, because they give scent as well as decorate your hair.

My avatar photo shows my hair with jasmine flowers. I wore those at my nephew's baptism. The smell carried out without being too strong, and I got a lot of compliments about it. ^^

I wore lavender flowers to a dinner once, with the same result. I have never put rosemary though. :hmm:

Great ideas in this post, I have to experiment more with essential oils!

To those who dilute EO in coconut oil. ¿what type of coconut oil do you use?

[Zebra Fish]

On and off ylang ylang EO in coconut or olive oil.

To sunrider_bby - I use non refined simple coconut/olive oil, the one you use for eating (I don't use coconut in food, but it is written that it can be used).

[sunrider_bby]

On and off ylang ylang EO in coconut or olive oil.

To sunrider_bby - I use non refined simple coconut/olive oil, the one you use for eating (I don't use coconut in food, but it is written that it can be used).

I have tried organic coconut oil with peppermint EO, but I can smell the coconut oil. I didn't think about olive oil because it's so heavy on my hair. I'll give it a try again. Maybe put Olive oil and EO in a little spray bottle... Thank you Zebra Fish!

[Verdandi]

Putting flowers in the hair sound so pretty!

I either use my standard perfume (Marc Jacobs Daisy) and just spray it on my hair, or I use some diluted EO in my spritz bottle (water, a few drops EO and a few drops argan oil), at the moment it's peppermint and camomille. Feels like the EO's last longer than the perfume for some reason.

[Caldonia Sun]

I use Toadstool Conditioner in Nag Champa and a few sprays of Goth Rosary fragrance.

[Wildcat Diva]

Rose water spray. Rose oil drops in Camellia oil.

Or... Nightblooming panacea.

Boy, typing this makes me want to do this now.

[TiaKitty]

Oh, my Panacea! I found it again yesterday. It had been lost for like 2 years... turned up in my stash box of silk flowers, down at the bottom. I hadn't dug through it for a looooong time, I guess, and then surprise! There it was yesterday. Time for a wash. :D

[cat11]

When I put on perfume and body spray I always include my hair in the area I spay, haha...... I know there's alcohol in it but Its not like I drench it. Just a little mist ; )

[MagicalMystery]

I use either Burt's Bees Baby Bee Oil, which smells like honey and makes my curls shiny... or I use The Body Shop Beautifying Oil in Mango.

I also love rubbing a few drops of Spearmint essential oil in my hands and through my hair. Smells fresh!

[Foxylocks]

I simply use pleasant-smelling conditioner.

[Evening]

As someone else said, I also spray my perfume over my hair when I put it on. I mainly wear MOR Marshmallow. It's like a party in my nose and everyone is invited.

[renia22]

Finesse, bath & body works, herbal essences & goth rosary conditioners all have scents that are strong & seem to stay in the hair rather well.

[spirals]

My favorite thing is rose. I haven't done it in a while, but I like to infuse my oils with rose petals. You just put oil and dried petals in the crockpot on low for 4 hours and then strain.

[RubberDucky]

I don't have anything specific to scent my hair right now, but I do use mineral oil after washing to seal in moisture - it's just baby oil with some lemon grass essential oil mixed in. Leaves a nice smell that unfortunately doesn't last long.

[Lazy Loop]

My favorite is solid scents.
Pacifica http://www.pacificabeauty.com/perfume/solid-perfumes/mediterranean-fig-solid-perfume?id=114 solid perfumes are very nice. They were at Sephora, for your smelling!
http://shop.bar-maids.com/LO-LO-BODY-BAR-551.htmLo-Lo Bar moisturizer is very similar and fragrant.
But my very favorite is from Etsy (shop seems temporarily out of this), "Mermaid's Kiss" shampoo and body spray (which I spray in my hair). Description: "Mermaid Kiss" is a combination of: Lunar Musk, Sea spray, Tropical Coconut, Cucumber splash and Oak moss. This is a scent that will remind you of surf and sand and the smell of ocean plant life, alongside a slightly mysteriously sweet and tropical allure.


I am obsessed with how my hair smells and would feel like royalty if my hair always smelled wonderful!
Conditioners just don't hold up long enough, I need something with more oompf.

[Gem]

I use Black Phoenix Trading Post hair glosses. I like the Honey one, but I am obsessed with Implacable Beautiful Tyrant. It is gorgeous.

[Johannah]

I like tea tree EO. It's in my conditioner. I wear my hair up every day and when it goes down at the evening, my hair smells minty. Love it.

[HairFaerie]

Yes! I scent my hair! I use a 1 ounce mist bottle ( from Sally's) and I add a little vegetable glycerin, aloe gel. I fill it with distilled water and add essential oil blends. My current blend I named "Ancient Forest". I get a lot of compliments on it. It is subtle, but can still be noticed. It also makes my hair very soft and defrizzes. Win!

[texangrrl]

I use rosewater or toadstoolsoap's leave-in conditioner (which is scented with fragrance oils).

[erizabesu]

I use camellia oil regularly and chamomile tea frequently in my regular routine, and they will both leave a bit of scent. I want to try playing with some essential oil in the future too.

[Lazy Loop]

texangrrl: Toadstool is on my wishlist! Glad to get a recommend.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I don't *really* scent my hair, but I'll do one or two spritzes of whatever fragrance I'm wearing if I think about it. I honestly just stick with bath and body works fragrance mists. Sure, they don't last long, but I think they'd give me a headache if they lasted all day.

[brickworld13]

Do henna or indigo count? Those smells linger for more than a week!

In all seriousness, I usually don't use a scent in my hair. The coconut oil and coco powder that are in my routine definitely add faint smells, but nobody puts their nose in my hair so it isn't an issue.

[lunalocks]

Aveda oil. I use it to massage my scalp the night before wash day and I swear it conjures up happy dreams. I love the smell so much I often dab a little on my skin to be able to smell it. Not often, though, as I work in a job where I have to be scent free.

The most amazing smell is that of the generic Cosco conditioner. I smell it on other people and ask what the perfume is and they are baffled. Finally (after 3 years of sniffing and polling) figured out it is the conditioner. Since I don't use conditioner after washing anymore, it won't work for me. But I do aim to get some to put in with my sheets when i wash them. I can't believe how good it smells.

[~honeyflower~]

Rosewater!

[Sharysa]

I use almond oil anyway, so I LOVE using sweetgrass essential oil for scent! I also use sweetgrass in my Dr. Bronner's shampoo for a layered scent. Mixed Chicks conditioner has a very subtle smell, which is even better. Sweetgrass smells like hay and vanilla, and I can see why the Native Americans used it so much in haircare.

I just comb oil through the length of my hair and use whatever's left on the comb for my scalp. (My length loves oil, but my scalp is already oily. It goes flat if I use too much as a leave-in.)

The only problem is that the sweetgrass smell is so light and summery, it doesn't last for more than a couple of days. :(

[renia22]

Just discovered a great Etsy seller, Queen Bee Apothecary. She has a ton of fragrances & products to choose from, including many Lush dupes, even dupes for Rose Jam and Imogen Rose. So excited to try the conditioner in the Imogen Rose dupe!

[lilin]

You know, after years and years of believing I hated all scents because I had only smelled synthetic perfume/cologne and they just smell like chemicals to me and made my nose burn, I am coming around to scents that are natural.

I do have a mild perfume I got (I guess more of a toilette) which is alcohol based. I personally wouldn't put it on my hair, but it wouldn't matter anyway, because I am strangely un-sticky when it comes to scents.

Seriously. Nothing sticks to me. Alcohol-based perfumes are completely gone in under 10 minutes. I smoke, and yet even people I trust to be brutally honest have told me I don't smell like it. I smell like some combination of a tiny bit of baby powder and mango and maybe a hint of wood. All the time. Even if I skip a shower. Even if I change what I'm showering with, or my deodorant, or whatever. It has nothing to do with anything I use on my myself -- that's just how I smell. For whatever reason, whatever scent I put on top of it just doesn't tend to stick.

In addition to that, everything I put on my skin turns kind of powdery fruity. Which is a nice smell -- but even cocoa butter will tend to change in that direction. Scents change on everyone, and everyone has their own skin chemistry that will tend to skew scents a certain way, but mine seems especially strong. It doesn't seem to matter what it is. It turns powdery fruity, and then vanishes a few minutes later.

So I've been toying around with carrier oil-based perfumes, making them myself with essential oils. Oil-based is supposed to hang on longer and stay a bit more true to form. I get a good 3 or 4 hours out of these (most people get 10).

I've been working on a very lightly scented hair oil using my standard apricot oil as a base. The hope is since hair is dead, it won't alter and eat scents quite as quickly as my skin does.

It's been fun playing with how scents work together. I like airy, slightly floral scents in my hair. So far, I think it's the most effective way for me to use scents. I also like that the scent is always slightly "away" from me. Someone doesn't get a huge blast of it if they, say, hug me, and put their face right where I put the perfume on my neck. Putting it on hair makes the scent sort of settle generally around my body, rather than having spots where it's intensely focused.

[Nadine <3]

My hair usually smells like peppermint, rosemary, tea tree or lavender or a combination.Those are just the essential oils I use to make my egg or honey shampoo most often.

[Lilelfen1]

I just made a hair fragrance the other day. I had a small amount of my BBW perfume left and added some Tate's conditioner I had mixed with some oils that I had been using as a leave in and a tiny bit of water. Nice stuff. I love this thread!!! Lol

[YGDW]

No. It only smells a bit like chocolate after I used a partly coconut dry shampoo. But I even hate that. I just hate anything with a specific... smell. I wish perfumes would unexpectedly disappear from the world. :)

[DarleneH]

Aveda oil. I use it to massage my scalp the night before wash day and I swear it conjures up happy dreams. I love the smell so much I often dab a little on my skin to be able to smell it. Not often, though, as I work in a job where I have to be scent free.

The most amazing smell is that of the generic Cosco conditioner. I smell it on other people and ask what the perfume is and they are baffled. Finally (after 3 years of sniffing and polling) figured out it is the conditioner. Since I don't use conditioner after washing anymore, it won't work for me. But I do aim to get some to put in with my sheets when i wash them. I can't believe how good it smells.

Which Aveda oil do you use? Is it the Damage Remedy one (I think that's the name)?

Interesting about the Costco conditioner! We don't have one around here, but now you've got me wondering if I could order it online. :)

[wavesgalore]

I like to part my hair in an odd place - somewhere my hair never parts naturally - and spritz my perfume there. When my hair swishes, a little scent wafts out and the perfume lasts longer while never being overpowering. My perfume of the moment is Pacifica's 'Hawaiian Ruby Guava.'