How long does the scent of your shampoo/conditioner last after washing your hair?

[Elodea]

This was something I suddenly got curious about today and I figured people here might have some information about this.

I've never actually timed how long I can still smell the shampoo or conditioner I used after washing my hair. But I am wondering about this now. For my family members, I've noticed that I can smell the shampoo they used immediately after they washed their hair (within 20 minutes or so) but I haven't timed how much longer I could smell it beyond that.

If you've noticed or paid attention to this before, have there been any differences based on which products you used and/or how you dried your hair? Are there certain products with scents that tend to linger longer than others? Does the product scent remain longer if you air dry your hair instead of blow drying it?

[Bri-Chan]

It just doesn't, lol. Shampoo for sure, sometimes with some conditioners with a strong scent (like Pantene) it lasts, but for ... two hours? I'm luckier with leave in products, they last for some hours. But the only thing that actually works is the smell of clothes' softner when I do't use a microfiber towel after wash. It lasts about 2 days, but only if you smell the hair.

[C_Bookworm]

I don’t notice shampoo or conditioner scent in my hair after it has dried. About the only scent that lasts past the drying period is one particular oil that I have (Dabur amla gold).

Back in high school, Herbal Essence lasted wonderfully in my hair (the giant pink bottle). I’ve tried it since then, and while I think the scent is the same (or close), it doesn’t last on me like it used to.

[MusicalSpoons]

Shampoo, none at all.
Conditioner: on dry hair, maybe a slight scent the next day; when I dampen it a week later I get a whiff of it. However that is because my first C sits on damp hair for a few hours, the scent of my second C is usually overridden by the first C :lol:

If I used conditioner just normally, once, after the shampoo, I would likely be able to smell it very faintly the next day when I put my hair up but not after that. I do think airdrying overnight contributes a lot to the scent though, as I wake up with my pillow smelling nice! If I airdried in the daytime it would probably be gone before the next day.

There is also a difference between really cheap products and regular branded products; the latter leave more of a scent and they tend to have a more complex fragrance when being used. Really cheap stuff tends to have a much simpler scent and leave far less of anything.

[cestlavie]

I can still smell it after 3 days. I wear my hair up or in a braid all the time and I think it contributes to 'locking' the scent in the hair.

[hennalonghair]

No idea. I probably get used to the scent so no longer smell it.

[Ylva]

Generally, I can't really detect product scents after my hair has dried.

There are some exceptions, though. Hello Hydrations lingers a little bit longer than average, and the L'Óreal Extraordinary Oil conditioner actually lingers until the next wash. It's so darn strongly scented, and it depends on my mood whether I think it smells like old lady perfume or men's deodorant.

[Lucy McLucyFace]

I don't think the smell of conditioner on my hair has ever gone away (until I wash it again of course). I don't really feel it when it's down but if I have it up for a while it feels very intense once I let it down again. And this could be after something like a week of not washing

EDIT: I should probably add to this that I am VERY sensitive to smells so I'll probably feel it more than the average person

[Mariekeeee14]

I smell my conditioner for a few days, and usually it is a mix of my rinse off and leave in conditioner

[stephy190]

Depends on how strong it is. I sometimes use paul Mitchell special tea tree shampoo and that scent lasts a while! When I'm rinsing my hair in the next wash I can still smell it lol! With most shampoos I don't notice much an hour or so after

[Sarahlabyrinth]

The scent lasts a couple of days for me, and I like it. It would be nice if it lasted longer.

[lapushka]

Shampoo I can only smell during the wash. That's it. My styling products are usually the ones that linger, often for the entire week! It depends on what I use. :)

[Xlena]

All the time till next wash. My hair always smells like shampoo and conditioner, I guess the scent never fades away.

[Hedwig]

Generally, I can't really detect product scents after my hair has dried.

There are some exceptions, though. Hello Hydrations lingers a little bit longer than average, and the L'Óreal Extraordinary Oil conditioner actually lingers until the next wash. It's so darn strongly scented, and it depends on my mood whether I think it smells like old lady perfume or men's deodorant.

Haha, it totally smells like a cologne my Dad used to wear!

[Clollii]

For me 24 hour max, I wish it lasted longer :(

[AmaryllisRed]

Days.
I recently switched from herbal essences long term relationship, which I don't remember lasting more than a few hours, to some kind of cucumber one (also HE), which lasts for 3-4 days, until I wash it again. Since I switched, I've never NOT been able to smell it on my hair. It's awesome.

[Lady_Eowyn]

I’ve changed the hair care brand - and now the scent lingers much much longer - and I don’t really like it, as I love perfumes so much, and sometimes it just doesn’t go along.

[cjk]

I purposely choose products with little to no scent. Fragrances, particularly the artificial ones they use in products, are extremely irritating for me.

[Natalia_A00]

It can last a few days. I still can smell my shampoo on my ends

[unheardletters]

I usually avoid scent, because I am very sensitive to it. But my conditioner does have a very light scent that I fortunately can handle and it lasts until next wash which is usually 7-10 days (and sometimes 2 weeks or even longer if my scalp just cannot tolerate being touched due to the scalp pain/numbness/migraine due to occipital neuralgia). My shampoo is scent free.

[Elodea]

Thanks for all the answers, everyone who replied! The next time I wash my hair, I'm definitely going to pay close attention to how long I can still smell the scent of the shampoo/conditioner and report back. And over the next few washes, perhaps I'll test that out with different products I have to see if there's any variation from what I typically use.

Currently, I don't think I can smell any remnants of products in my hair (I washed it two days ago, on Saturday). Right now I think my hair smells... clean, but neutral. More days post-wash, I think it begins to smell less... fresh. I guess that's due to the sebum and everything.

[plonter]

My shower products don't have much scent, but my leave-in product smell for about a day.

[Sora Rose]

I've noticed the smell of my conditioner (and even shampoo) all the way up to wash day. So that would mean exactly a week after washing, I can still smell it - and sometimes pretty strongly, but I don't usually pay much attention to it. The smell is strongest after I let it down from the bun.

[Feral_]

When I used to use normal shampoos and conditioners I never really liked the smell of them in my hair. The artificial scent made me feel a bit nauseous if I’m honest, as you can’t get away from it. I prefer the smell of just clean hair. Sometimes I’ll put a bit of Luxe Prodigieuse in after showering.

[Feral_]

When I used to use normal shampoos and conditioners I never really liked the smell of them in my hair. The artificial scent made me feel a bit nauseous if I’m honest, as you can’t get away from it. I prefer the smell of just clean hair. Sometimes I’ll put a bit of Luxe Huile Prodigieuse in after showering.

[Spitfire]

It's gone the moment it rinses out. I don't think my shampoo and conditioner have very strong smells to begin with, but they're pleasant and light. I tried a lavender conditioner once and that lasted at least a full day, though.

[Elodea]

Update from my most recent wash day (yesterday, about 24 hours ago):

Immediately after the wash, I thought I could barely smell anything in my hair, but perhaps that was because the strong smell of the products from while I used them was overpowering the fainter scent that remained on my hair. A bit later, as my hair was drying, I could very faintly smell the products for another couple of hours while my hair was still damp.

By now, a day later, my hair is fully dry and I can't smell any remnants of the products I used, though I think my hair does smell clean and not dirty. But not like the shampoo or conditioner at all. The products I used were Herbal Essences Body Envy shampoo and TIGI Moisture Maniac conditioner. I have a different shampoo that I might try for my next wash to see if there's any difference.

Though I wonder if shampoo is less likely to leave a scent because conditioner is the second and last step in my washing routine?

[JulianaCapalbo]

I love strong scented products! I feel really clean when I can smell them after the wash and strong scents don't give me headaches (thankfully). It is important to keep in mind that most of the time strong scents mean there is added fragrance and that is not always best for hair.

[Linden]

Scent will last in my hair for at least four days. I suspect that wearing my hair constantly braided and up in a bun holds the scent in longer.

[zashin66]

Yes me too. My hair will have the scent for a long 3-4-5- days afterwards.

[Elodea]

I love strong scented products! I feel really clean when I can smell them after the wash and strong scents don't give me headaches (thankfully). It is important to keep in mind that most of the time strong scents mean there is added fragrance and that is not always best for hair.
hm, I didn't really consider the fact that strong scents in a product might mean the added fragrance is bad for one's hair; I haven't personally noticed any negative effects that I thought were due to fragrances in my hair products.

Scent will last in my hair for at least four days. I suspect that wearing my hair constantly braided and up in a bun holds the scent in longer.
I'm usually wearing my hair braided or in a bun, though I don't think that seems to make the scent last for longer in my case. So for me, maybe it's just that the particular products I typically use don't seem to leave a long-lasting scent. Currently, my hair smells like... something, but not distinctively like any specific product I used.

I have this "hydrating oil spray" that I remember thinking had a really strong (coconut) scent (a bit too strong, even) when I used it once in the past, so I might try using that again at some point and actually timing how long I can smell it after I use it. But I think products like that might be sort of different in terms of how much scent they leave compared to shampoo and conditioner, which I rinse out.

[MusicalSpoons]

I used a new conditioner yesterday and did not particularly like the scent while on my hair and during washing - it smelt quite artificial to me, but thankfully not too sweet. Anyway, the evening after washing it I can still smell it quite strongly but without the artificial overtones, thank goodness. It had sat on my hair for a couple of hours before washing.