smelly bed-hair. Sorry this is a gross subject

[Missie]

I was wondering what is the best thing to do about bed hair smell when you don't want to wash/wet your hair every day. Lately I've been CO every 3rd day and shampoo condition on the weekends and my hair gets smelly in between washes.

[Dianyla]

I don't see what it has to do with the bed. :confused:

Some amount of hair odor is normal, it's the smell of your natural scalp oils (sebum). However, for me, I get funky smelling hair under certain conditions. I've found that using too much shampoo causes my scalp to overproduce oil, which then turns funky after a few days. Using less shampoo and not cleansing my hair so harshly actually helps the problem.

Also, make sure you're rinsing all shampoo and/or conditioner away from your scalp. Leftover product can also smell really funky when mixed with hair oils.

It's possible you also have a fungus problem on your scalp. Periodic use of some kind of antiseptic anti-dandruff shampoo may help.

[angelthadiva]

I was wondering what is the best thing to do about bed hair smell when you don't want to wash/wet your hair every day. Lately I've been CO every 3rd day and shampoo condition on the weekends and my hair gets smelly in between washes.

The bold is mine, did you mean bed or bad? :flower: I'm assuming bad smelling hair :o I don't have that problem, and I realize you don't want to wash/wet...What about spritz? I know there are some fantastic water bottle spritz recipes floating around that you could most certainly add some EO to that could perhaps give your hair a new, fresher scent. HTH

[Carolyn]

I'd wash/CO every other day if going 3 days was giving me stinky hair. You might have to weigh stinky hair versus washing it more often.

[Nevermore]

When my mother wouldn't let me shower/wash my hair more than once a week, it would get...uh...manky smelling by day three. I attribute this to a couple things:

1. I was braiding tightly at night, so my hair couldn't air out at all
2. I was wearing it down during the day, so it was getting alot of random junk in it.
3. I was washing once a week with super harsh shampoo, without conditioner afterwards.
4. My mother's opinion about cleanliness extended to pillowcases and such, they were nasty because they were infrequently washed and my hair spent the whole night in contact with them.

Now, my hair doesn't smell like much, except like oil, even when I go awhile without washing. I wash my hair generally three times a week (CO), wear it down at night and wear it up during the day.

[sedonia]

Sometimes I think in this modern age people are just unfamiliar with normal human odors that come from sebum.

On the other hand, when sebum is broken down by bacteria, aldehydes that seem unpleasant to most people are produced.

So, maybe you just don't like your own normal scent, or maybe the chemistry of your skin is off such that certain microbes have overgrown.

Maybe your conditioner doesn't dissolve sebum enough to wash the excess away.

[Darkhorse1]

I have to wash my hair every other day because of smells attributed with horses and the barn. I also have super oily hair.

But, a way to get away with it if it bothers you? Use a body spray. I have a fruity one that I mist into the air, then put my hair under it. It can take away au'd barn ;)

[Pierre]

If I go to sleep with my hair bunned, then unbun and smell it when I wake up, it smells different. But I don't think it's a bad smell. I think it's a pretty blue smell. On the other nostril, I add cloves to my henna mix.

[Riot Crrl]

YMMV but to me, stinkiness = bacteria = time to clean whatever it is. Feet, hair, sink, whatever.

I'm sure there's something to be said for manipulating hair less often, but if I started getting scabs and hair loss caused by bacteria, that'd be moot.

[Darkhorse1]

From my understanding, there is normal oil smells, and there is fungus smell. I'd venture to guess if the odor is unpleasent, there is a bacteria there and washing is important. Just do a scalp wash, or even an ACV rinse and see if that helps.

[Missie]

sorry.. when I said bed hair.. I meant its the sort of musty odor in hair when you first get up in the morning.. until you wash your hair.. I had a sniff of my pillow but it smells ok. The odor is around the scalp.. not on the length.
I don't know if it's a fungus ? The hair dresser who does my re-growth has never mentioned anything odd about my scalp.. Just now I ordered some of the CV shampoo bars.. I'm hoping if it is a fugus problem the herbs in the shampoo bars might fix it.. I appreciate all your help very much..

Cherie

[frizzinator]

I've been practicing the "Sebum Only" method for nearly 11 months. I believe daily scritching, massage and preening is what prevents stinky hair. I do these things at least once a day and usually twice a day, and I do not have smelly hair or scalp. I think doing these things daily will "air" the scalp and hair and will move the sebum down the length of the hair instead of leaving it sitting on the scalp.

[Pierre]

Try putting a drop of tea tree oil, or some other antifungal EO, on your scalp before you go to bed. I used to comb TTO into my hair in the shower.

[Lamb]

It might have something to do with the air quality of the area you live in. I simply have to wash my hair daily (I mean S&c) where I am now, by the end of the day my hair is saturated with dirt and dust and it stinks to high heaven.

Also, if you have scalp problems, shampoo bars may not help that. Soap does not rinse as clean as shampoo, so in fact a CV bar may exacerbate the problem by leaving residue on the scalp and hair. Try a herbal rinse instead if you believe herbs will help you, but clean your hair with something you can rinse out as well as poss.

[lora410]

I have the same issue. day #1 I shamp wash and condish, #2 co, #3 co, #4 shampoo wash and condish etc etc. So that way my scalp is getting cleansed everyday. Honestly, my hair is softer then it used to be with this method and it keeps the smell away. Other then that I do a scalp oiling on shampoo wash days.

[burns_erin]

Once you have verified you do not have any sort of bacterial or fungal issue on your scalp, You might try brushing your hair out with corn starch. It can nuetralize odors. I have also been known to mist my hair with febreeze, which works amazingly well but is probably not especially good for hair.

[DragonLady]

A bit of baking soda in a spritzer bottle might help, too?

[<She>]

If I may add that maybe it doesn't have to do much with bacteria or fungus.

If you can detect that specific smell on the scalp as well as on the body, it may have something to do with the hormonal status in your organism. I can't recall the details, but if you have increased levels of androgen hormones, then you have different body odour than if your hormones are balanced (estrogen prevailing+androgen).

Last summer, I noticed that my body odour has changed. Before, I had a musky type odour, but I didn't exercise regulary and I wasn't eating (healthy) enough.
When I began to eat more quality food, drink a lot more water and increase my metabolism with workouts, I can say that I really don't have any body smell. I mean, I've asked family members if I smell somehow and they couldn't notice anything.

What I want to say is that maybe the smelly scalp has a connection with the hormones and the metabolites in your body. If you would like, you can try to eat more fresh and raw foods, drink water and be phisically active during the day if it's possible.

HTH:flower:

[spidermom]

Also, if you have scalp problems, shampoo bars may not help that. Soap does not rinse as clean as shampoo, so in fact a CV bar may exacerbate the problem by leaving residue on the scalp and hair. Try a herbal rinse instead if you believe herbs will help you, but clean your hair with something you can rinse out as well as poss.

I was going to mention this as well. I can recommend CWC washing with diluted shampoo. I've been doing this for about 2 years now, never notice bad scalp/hair smell, and it doesn't strip my hair. If I remember, I'll give my ends a good oiling before washing, which protects them even more.

[Cinnia]

I'm a CO:er and hardly ever notice this anymore as my conditioner has quite a strong scent, which stays in my hair several days after washing.
I detect it quickly in other peoples hair though as I really do think that dirty hair smells rather gross...
One thing that might help is dry schampoo. Or corn starch as someone suggested above, you could add some EO's, that way you could choose the smell of your hair :)... Might want to add a drop of castor oil to the mix, to hold the scents.
Good luck!

[Iylivarae]

Do you have synthetic fabrics in your bed? It could be that you sweat a lot during the night and that the sweating causes the hair to smell strange...

[Tap Dancer]

I always thought that if your scalp had an odor, it meant there was a problem. Maybe you should see a dermatologist to check for fungus?

Other things to try: wash your hair more often, do a vinegar rinse, and/or put a tiny bit of diluted Tea Tree Oil on your scalp (as Pierre recommended).

[irishrose]

I am very familiar with that scent..my hair develops it after sleeping on my pillow also. I think it is just your normal unique scent it doesn't bother me at all, and it occurs even after washing my hair the evening before, it is as if it's clean but smells like body..not body odor . I also love the smell of my little daughters head too. I guess I am a little too earthy and natural when it comes to smells.....:o