Sweaty scalp - exercise

[wanderingthght]

I live in miami. You step outside and the weather doesnt care that you just washed your hair, you will get sweaty. I get sweaty with my daily walks too. I try to maintain it with dry shampoo. But that feels gross after the first day, so i also give my scalp a rinse with water. The water rinses are drying out my ends. Water sometimes gets on my ends even if im careful.

Not sure if i should just wash my hair daily. Not something i want to do as my hair has become quite long, and my ends get dry easily. My hair looks better the less i wash it.

What do you all do?

[ioanaxena]

I exercise daily and sweat so much that I have to wash my hair everyday. I can’t stand the feeling of dried out sweat on my scalp, it itches and gets red if I ignore it.

Thankfully I have found a shampoo and conditioner moisturizing enough but not at all heavy that my hair tolerates being washed so frequently. I suggest you try switching up different conditioners and see which ones work best for your hair so it won’t dry out. I believe that taking care of your scalp is very important and most of the time, you can find a convenient solution for dry hair but a problematic scalp is way harder to handle.

[C_Bookworm]

Daily washer here. I’m in central California, which means summer days are 100+ degrees, and the air in general is all smoky and hazy right now. Combine that with bike rides, and I have a scalp I’m very happy to wash daily! My ends I try to help out by putting either conditioner or conditioner+oil on before I shampoo the scalp.

[MoonRabbit]

This has been a big problem for me this year. I tried keeping my once a week wash but my scalp got really itchy and painful. Now I am washing twice a week. It's so difficult because my scalp wants to be washed everyday but my hair doesn't ( and please don't request scalp only washes. I've tried and it's a pain in the bum).

For now what I do is as soon as I get back I use a blow dryer on cool and dry my scalp. Then my hair goes up in a bun until wash day.

[Lady Neeva]

I live in the gulf coast region of Texas and lived in Louisiana, which is probably not as humid as miami is. I actually wash my hair every other day but that's because for me, that's how long I can go between washes. I use deep conditioner about once a week, but on the days where I don't I use regular conditioner and oil the ends of my hair. I did notice when I used to live near the tropic of cancer (and in a high polluted city) I used to have to wash my scalp with shampoo every day and condition my hair every day. I use Pantene now but I do 2 latherings each time I wash my hair. I don't remember what I used when I used to wash my hair daily, but I did one lathering.

[florenonite]

If rinsing between washes is working for your scalp but not your ends, maybe you could apply conditioner to the ends when you rinse? So rather than a full wash when your scalp doesn't need it, you'd rinse your hair, condition the length/ends, then rinse the conditioner out.

[Feral_]

Maybe a CO wash, rinsing scalp but conditioner on ends to freshen up or spray some rosewater on your scalp and comb through.

[svartnatt]

If rinsing between washes is working for your scalp but not your ends, maybe you could apply conditioner to the ends when you rinse? So rather than a full wash when your scalp doesn't need it, you'd rinse your hair, condition the length/ends, then rinse the conditioner out.

:thumbsup: That's what I do when I feel the need to wash but I don't want to go all in with shampoo or hair soap. I use only water for my scalp and conditioner as usual.

[Wendyclaire]

I exercise daily and get so sweaty! I do a brief shampoo on the top of my head to about ears every other day or so, it just gets itchy and icky if I don’t!

[Neoma]

I walk several miles six days a week and NYC is hot and humid. I'm usually able to skip a day by putting my hair up in a French twist or similar updo.

But sometimes I just have to wash daily. I generally apply conditioner to the length and shampoo to my scalp only. After rinsing, I often follow up with conditioner from roots to tips.

[Deborah]

I don't wash my hair due to sweat. The sweat eventually dries, and my hair is just fine. It doesn't make it dirty or itchy or anything at all.

[Dark40]

I workout three times a week, and I wash my hair three times a week also. I used to workout, sweat in my scalp, and wash my hair every single day too. There are times when I feel like just washing my hair everyday too.

[Feral_]

I don't wash my hair due to sweat. The sweat eventually dries, and my hair is just fine. It doesn't make it dirty or itchy or anything at all.

Quite right! Once the sweat is dry, just brushing the hair is fine and no smell.
If it’s really hot and sweaty I’ll bun it up dry, and in the shower spray the water jet onto the back and sides more to cool me down. The top never gets washed, until wash day obvs.

[GoddesJourney]

I have to wash daily one way or another or my scalp gets gross and sometimes gets problems. I lived in Fort Myers for five years and ran in the heat 10 to 30 miles a week and walked a lot. I know exactly what you mean by the Florida air. I found that a light conditioner for CO washes helped a lot. I shampooed with a gentle shampoo maybe twice a week with a cwc thing on those days. I was actually doing that until relatively recently. I then lived a couple of other places and then spent a few years in a hot and dry part of California until a few months ago when we finally got closer to the water again. Seems to be that I need daily washing regardless of climate and even when I don't exercise.

In more recent months I have switched to an even gentler shampoo and one with a tad more of a kind of oil my hair likes. Now I pretty much shampoo every day with the occasional CO.

I also found that when growing out damage it was helpful to hold up my ends when rinsing my scalp to minimize exposure.

I've had varying success with the following when it comes to dirty or oily scalp and dry ends:

1. Try CO.
2. Pre condition or oil ends before washing.
3. Hold up ends while rinsing scalp with water.
4. Hold up ends while rinsing out shampoo.
5. Use gentler or watered down shampoo.
6. Add a little oil to your shampoo and maybe conditioner.
7. Oil the dry ends daily. (I mostly braid and throw a bit of my body oil on my braid tassel after a shower).

[Kat]

Quite right! Once the sweat is dry, just brushing the hair is fine and no smell.
If it’s really hot and sweaty I’ll bun it up dry, and in the shower spray the water jet onto the back and sides more to cool me down. The top never gets washed, until wash day obvs.

I found the opposite. It depends on where you live. In the U.S., no problem. In Thailand, there was nothing I could do to get the reek out of my hair, even when I washed after every workout. I found out the hard way: when in doubt, I would rather wash it.

[Feral_]

I found the opposite. It depends on where you live. In the U.S., no problem. In Thailand, there was nothing I could do to get the reek out of my hair, even when I washed after every workout. I found out the hard way: when in doubt, I would rather wash it.

I’ve honestly no experience of Thailand, only UK and northern Europe.. I’ve rinsed (not washed) my hair in proper showers (in buildings) but also in streams and lakes when I’ve camped and it’s been fine and that water certainly isn’t ‘clean’. Dried sweat brushed out doesn’t smell on my hair or scalp, maybe others are different :shrug:

[butterfly_dream]

Another vote for CO wash. I exercise 5 days a week (CrossFit) . I sweat a lot and I have to wash my knee+ length hair after every workout.
So CO is only one way to go for me. Highly recommended. :agree:

[svartnatt]

Yes to CO wash from me too!
I'm also in Florida and I ride horses and do barn chores about two to three days a week. By the time I get home my hair is full of dirt and sweat. Usually horse riding days are my shampoo-wash-days but sometimes I just use a conditioner - especially when I need to wash on two consecutive days (first day CO, second day shampoo).

[Kat]

I’ve honestly no experience of Thailand, only UK and northern Europe.. I’ve rinsed (not washed) my hair in proper showers (in buildings) but also in streams and lakes when I’ve camped and it’s been fine and that water certainly isn’t ‘clean’. Dried sweat brushed out doesn’t smell on my hair or scalp, maybe others are different :shrug:

I think it depends on the humidity. But it certainly taught me that I need to be very aware of what's going on with my head if it gets sweaty or oily, and that sometimes I simply need to wash it, even if I don't normally like to wash that often.

[Kalamazoo]

I like dabbing on aftershave (Captain's Choice 45th Parallel - it's cherry-scented! :love: ) &/or pouring Thayer's Original Astringent Witch Hazel on my scalp in between official washes. Both contain alcohol, witch hazel, & glycerin, & differ on their other ingredients. I've never tried an official dry shampoo, but the time I tried a homemade one, comprised of blue cornmeal & seasalt, it created quite a mess & was quite difficult to wash out. (Defeating the purpose of a dry shampoo! Ha!)

I've read that witch hazel helps hair grow, cures SD (which I've never had ~ I must be keeping it at bay! :) ), & it seems to me like the alcohol would disinfect the scalp. I believe that the glycerin cleanses a bit, besides.

It seems to me that a lot of perspiration helps hair grow faster. I've got another growth spurt going on. (I used to not like being hot & sweaty, but it's nice to discover the silver lining.)

[Wendyclaire]

I don't wash my hair due to sweat. The sweat eventually dries, and my hair is just fine. It doesn't make it dirty or itchy or anything at all.
Not me! When I sweat it doesn’t just dry. My scalp gets stinky and I hate that smell!

[Deborah]

Not me! When I sweat it doesn’t just dry. My scalp gets stinky and I hate that smell!

I guess it must depend on the individual person's scalp, or maybe on the chemical composition of their particular sweat. Who knows? :shrug:

[GoddesJourney]

I guess it must depend on the individual person's scalp, or maybe on the chemical composition of their particular sweat. Who knows? :shrug:

It may also be that some people are very sensitive to the way things smell. My husband only smells things that are strong scented, especially if the scent is artificial. An exception being if he finds a smell to be unpleasant. Then it doesn't take much. Everything else he says doesn't really smell like anything. On the other hand, I notice even very mild scents and catch whiffs of familiar scents on a breeze. This appears to be genetic.

I also wonder if a diet change (traveling in other coutries) would contribute to a person noticing their own sweat more than usual. I do notice certain foods on my sweat and not just garlic.

[Hairkay]

I rinse my hair daily. Condition with a DIY hair mask once a week. If I'm worried about my hair ends drying out then I put a tiny bit of oil on the ends and that works fine.

[MusicalSpoons]

I guess it must depend on the individual person's scalp, or maybe on the chemical composition of their particular sweat. Who knows? :shrug:


It may also be that some people are very sensitive to the way things smell. My husband only smells things that are strong scented, especially if the scent is artificial. An exception being if he finds a smell to be unpleasant. Then it doesn't take much. Everything else he says doesn't really smell like anything. On the other hand, I notice even very mild scents and catch whiffs of familiar scents on a breeze. This appears to be genetic.

I also wonder if a diet change (traveling in other coutries) would contribute to a person noticing their own sweat more than usual. I do notice certain foods on my sweat and not just garlic.

I think it's probably a combination of all three of these points, as well as there also being a variation of how well people's hair (and maybe skin) holds on to smells as well.

[Feral_]

I think it's probably a combination of all three of these points, as well as there also being a variation of how well people's hair (and maybe skin) holds on to smells as well.

Agree! I’m on day 11 since I washed my hair (WO) and have done several runs and sweaty exercise in that period. I’ve not rinsed my hair, just dry brushed it. My scalp doesn’t pong. I also have a very keen sense of smell. I think some of it is psychological too, people are more easily grossed out?!

[Kat]

It may also be that some people are very sensitive to the way things smell. My husband only smells things that are strong scented, especially if the scent is artificial. An exception being if he finds a smell to be unpleasant. Then it doesn't take much. Everything else he says doesn't really smell like anything. On the other hand, I notice even very mild scents and catch whiffs of familiar scents on a breeze. This appears to be genetic.

I also wonder if a diet change (traveling in other coutries) would contribute to a person noticing their own sweat more than usual. I do notice certain foods on my sweat and not just garlic.


I think it's probably a combination of all three of these points, as well as there also being a variation of how well people's hair (and maybe skin) holds on to smells as well.

Probably all of this. Like I mentioned, I had problems in Thailand but I don't in Michigan. Now, there I was obviously sweating a lot more (hello humidity) so that may have been part of it; after a workout my hair would be damp to about halfway down my neck or to my shoulders. Also, my skin was a lot more oily there (but no seborrheic dermatitis!) so it might make sense that my scalp might be too. Even if I washed my hair, I could still smell dirty-hair smell. I literally could not get rid of it... I tried shampooing three times, I tried CO washes, I tried strong vinegar rinses, nada... there was always at least a slight smell (luckily at that point it was probably only noticeable to me and not from several feet away, but I never had the courage to ask the guy I was seeing. I honestly don't know how he could stand to get close to me before I figured out I was having this issue and started washing my hair a lot more often). If I came back to the U.S., though, the smell would be gone within a wash or two. Now, my hair seems to like holding onto smells (at least the ones I don't want it to), so that was part of the problem, I'm sure.

(I don't think diet made a difference, though.)

[GoddesJourney]

Probably all of this. Like I mentioned, I had problems in Thailand but I don't in Michigan. Now, there I was obviously sweating a lot more (hello humidity) so that may have been part of it; after a workout my hair would be damp to about halfway down my neck or to my shoulders. Also, my skin was a lot more oily there (but no seborrheic dermatitis!) so it might make sense that my scalp might be too. Even if I washed my hair, I could still smell dirty-hair smell. I literally could not get rid of it... I tried shampooing three times, I tried CO washes, I tried strong vinegar rinses, nada... there was always at least a slight smell (luckily at that point it was probably only noticeable to me and not from several feet away, but I never had the courage to ask the guy I was seeing. I honestly don't know how he could stand to get close to me before I figured out I was having this issue and started washing my hair a lot more often). If I came back to the U.S., though, the smell would be gone within a wash or two. Now, my hair seems to like holding onto smells (at least the ones I don't want it to), so that was part of the problem, I'm sure.

(I don't think diet made a difference, though.)

You know, now that I think of it, you may have a pretty good point about your hair just picking up smells. I do know that if my hair is damp or wet, heavy scents in the air cling to it (food smells, cigarettes nearby, open rotting dumpster, ocean smell, etc). So if your hair is damp all the time I can see that it would be an issue. I also remember that a constantly humid, hot environment really brings the smell of everything to the air. Maybe this combination was the culprit and not so much the scent actually coming from your sweaty head.

[Kat]

You know, now that I think of it, you may have a pretty good point about your hair just picking up smells. I do know that if my hair is damp or wet, heavy scents in the air cling to it (food smells, cigarettes nearby, open rotting dumpster, ocean smell, etc). So if your hair is damp all the time I can see that it would be an issue. I also remember that a constantly humid, hot environment really brings the smell of everything to the air. Maybe this combination was the culprit and not so much the scent actually coming from your sweaty head.

Oh, it's not that my hair was damp all the time. It did dry after I washed it. It was only after a workout that it was damp with sweat (and then it would dry, but surely the damage was already done just by having the sweat it in it). That's why I had to wash after every workout. But, it must have picked up enough of the sweat smell and just hung onto it. And yes, it was definitely a "dirty hair" smell.

Now, I find smells are stronger in wet hair-- like, the smell wasn't so bad after a shower once my hair dried, the same way I can do a vinegar rinse and the smell isn't as strong once it dries. (I suppose it's the same reason wet dogs are smellier, lol.)