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DreamSheep
August 17th, 2014, 04:29 PM
Maybe I'm just super sensitive to smell, or like smelling my hair all the time - but does anyone else find their hair tends to absorb the smell of whatever they are cooking (particularly if it is something tomatoey or oniony I find).
If so, what do you do to prevent the smell from adhering to the hair (because I find I can still smell it after a few hours)?
I have sometimes tried wearing a scarf over my head, though it doesn't seem like a very practical idea as the ends dangle in the kitchen- or have simply cooked "smelly" foods right before wash day or wash-time.

Just wondering if this is just me or if anyone else does this, and what you do about it.

Hopeful65
August 17th, 2014, 04:38 PM
I hate cooking smells in my hair too. What I have discovered kind of works is I just put my hair up. I'm not fancy with the updo's yet, so for me it's just twisted up on top of my head with a big claw clip. Which also keeps hair out of the food! After cooking, when I take my hair down, not only do I have nice volume, but my hair only smells like my shampoo/conditioner smell. At least on the part that can reach my nose. :)

Imalath
August 17th, 2014, 04:39 PM
My hair picks up the odors of whatever I am cooking; especially when I'm around oils. A day spent baking doesn't change my hair much, but if I fry something like chicken or fish, my hair smells like used oil when I'm done, if not chicken or fish, etc. I do use a touch of coconut oil on my ends; I wonder if the oil in my hair picks up the odors of the oil in the food...like attracting like, perhaps? I've tried keeping my hair up and keeping it covered, but neither seems to help very much; I just wash my hair and make sure I like the smell of my leave in. Sorry I couldn't help you any.

Madora
August 17th, 2014, 04:46 PM
I'm not much of a cook but how about putting a shower cap over your updos to keep the smells out? If a shower cap is too hot for you, then how about a scarf?

Carolyn
August 17th, 2014, 04:55 PM
I don't cook everyday but yes sometimes my hair will seem to absorb cooking odors. I always have it up when doing major food prep. if my hair seems stinky for whatever reason I simply wash it the next day. I don't have a set in stone wash schedule like some here do so it's no big deal to wash my hair when I get up the next day. I can't stand stinky hair.

meteor
August 17th, 2014, 05:50 PM
I never ever wear hair down if I'm cooking (too many hazards). Even when I didn't know how to put hair up, I kept it in a braid or ponytail.
I know what you mean about the smells: hair is just like a sponge, absorbing so many things, especially vapors... What I find is that you can circulate air through hair and that helps get rid of smell over time. You could use a fan, for example. This method is recommended for wigs and extremely fragile materials that have a smell of nicotine stuck to them.
And you can always just wash or rinse hair, of course.
Also, if you are cooking something with a very strong smell why not wear a plastic shower cap, if you don't mind the look?

Oh, and yes, if my hair is oiled or heavily conditioned, it will absorb smells even more. Oils attract all sorts of things. :(

maborosi
August 17th, 2014, 05:52 PM
I need to do something about this. I work in a kitchen and deal with the smell in my hair afterwards. If I wear it tightly restrained, the hair underneath (I usually wear a braided bun) doesn't smell, but the hair outside does.
I'm thinking maybe if I could either braid in a piece of silk or satin, then bun it, maybe that would reduce the amount of hair that's exposed to everything?

spidermom
August 17th, 2014, 07:16 PM
Mine will absorb cooking odors, but I usually don't notice because my hair is usually bunned in the kitchen. The part that I can smell when I take out the bun was protected and didn't absorb odors (usually).

DreamSheep
August 18th, 2014, 05:21 PM
I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds this. Madora, your idea of the shower cap is quite a good one! Although being in a shared house I will probably look a bit silly, but if I'm ever home alone I'll probably resort to that :p

Madora
August 19th, 2014, 12:39 PM
I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds this. Madora, your idea of the shower cap is quite a good one! Although being in a shared house I will probably look a bit silly, but if I'm ever home alone I'll probably resort to that :p

Glad I could help, DreamSheep! Yes, it may look nutty..but think of all the extra time you'll have to yourself when you don't have to wash your hair because of cooking odors in it because you protected your hair with the shower cap! That would be a major plus in my book!

Hopeful65
August 19th, 2014, 12:44 PM
Maybe you could cover the shower cap with a big ol' chef's hat and really impress your housemates. ;)

Gertrude
August 19th, 2014, 02:15 PM
I use a swim cap underneath a scarf nicely knotted when I do smelly cooking. I do bun but find my hair easily absorbs smells, because it's still quite short, just BSL and as it's fine the buns are not very deep so not much protection.

It's also done away with hair in food I prepared (-; which is no small benefit. Nobody wants cake from the school bake sale with a hair in it and I shed like an angora cat.