This may be a weird question, but why does my hair smell? It doesn't smell the day I wash it but the next day it does. My SO complains about it, I have switched products, not straightened it every day, and tried tons of shampoos. I am just at a loss for what to do about it
I only wash my hair 2/3 times a week, it's thick and if I wash it more it becomes way to dry. I'm currently using Aussie volume shampoo, conditioner, keratin misting spray by chi, and redken smoothing creme and hairspray at times. I only straighten my hair on Friday to last through the weekend otherwise it's curly.
Any help would be sooo appreciated!

Do you work around smoke? Or food? Sometimes when I come home from the bar, my hair smells funky.

No smoke and no food, I really have no idea what it's from! My SO is the ONLY person who has ever said something! We've been together for 2 years and he still says it, he has even picked out my shampoo to make sure it smelled good haha!
Like I said I'm at a loss!

My hair will get smelly if I don't wash it daily. My scalp will get a little oily so I think that's why it starts to smell.

You could try a refreshing spray? I only wash my hair 2-3x a week and most of the time it retains a slight reminder of whatever it was that I washed & conditioned it with (I use Redken's All Soft stuff and H&S once a week with Philosophy's amazing grace conditioner). Maybe your SO is the problem, not you!

I would wash it more often if my hair started to smell. Try washing more and deep conditioning since its dry..

LOL, my hair smells too!! Or at least it did until just recently i found a product that solved all my smelly problems. You're not alone, my DBF said that my hair smells too. Most of the time he says it when it has been the end of the day since i've washed my hair, and i KNOW it smells too b/c often times i like to smell my hair. It smells like oily scalp, which is probably what mine is caused from. Also from cooking or running around outside in the sun. So, i just started using a refresher spray which cedes mentioned, and what it does it neutralizes the funk in your hair. It's like deodorant for your hair, haha! Basically, right? It's called Jonathan Product - R***. You can get it at Sephora for $18 bucks, kinda steep, but totally worth it. It seems to last for a while too. Just a few sprays, work it into your hair, and voila, the smells are gone. I gave it a test just recently when i didn't wash my the next day. I gave it a few spritz, fingered through, and my DBF commented on how my hair smelled nice at the end of the day. What shocked me even more is that he said it smells cleaner than if i had just washed it...HA, what is that suppose to mean! LOL!!! Don't really need to wash my hair as often anymore. Because of the smelly hair reason, i've gone many years of washing my hair daily...ahh, what a waste of water! But now i've cut back on the washing. Sometimes i can't help it...it's like second nature to just hop in the shower and start washing my hair as i bathe.

It's worth to try this product out! You could even go to Sephora and sample it out. Give yourself a few sprays, and at the end of the day, try to smell your hair and see if that regular funk is detectable. I bet you it won't be :-P.

Good luck! And if you do get it, or try it, let me know how it goes for you b/c it totally works for me and other gals here who have used it.

Originally Posted by Cedes

You could try a refreshing spray? I only wash my hair 2-3x a week and most of the time it retains a slight reminder of whatever it was that I washed & conditioned it with (I use Redken's All Soft stuff and H&S once a week with Philosophy's amazing grace conditioner). Maybe your SO is the problem, not you!

hilarious

I have the same problem too! I know it sounds revolting but I don't mind the smell of my scalp but I'm conscious of others. I have to wash my hair once every two days, otherwise it is disgustingly oily. I don't want to wash it more than that because I have very weak and fine hair.

I used bastiste spray to "deodorize" my crown on the second day.

Some ppl have smelly scalps, their hair is ok, but they have some kind of a bacteria problem on their scalps (like the bacteria that cause a smelly breath in the mouth).
I think you use a lot of products and they have caused blocked pores or some kind of irritation on your skin, go to the pharmacist and ask for a balancing shampoo without silicons or petroleum byproducts. Wash your hair everyday, and throw away your hair brush as it might be infected with bacteria. In salons they disinfect the brushes all the time.

All in all don't overload your hair and scalp with products, things can only get worse.

you could try philosophy 3 in 1 and use body mists on your hair?

my hair starts to smell a bit odd if i don't wash my hair daily, but my hair is very fine and gets oily after a day. i have to wash it daily or else it is super oily, so i don't have this problem. maybe you could wash daily with a baby shampoo, it is more gentle and might not make your hair as dry. you could use the lavendar, it smells fantastic.

i don't think it smells smells. it's just the oily smell of the scalp... you know? since you don't wash your hair everyday. and your SO is probably the only one who notices it because he's the only one that gets that close to you. you can dry dry shampoos in between to soak up the oil. and/or tell your so to get used to it. haha

Originally Posted by lily25

Some ppl have smelly scalps, their hair is ok, but they have some kind of a bacteria problem on their scalps (like the bacteria that cause a smelly breath in the mouth). I think you use a lot of products and they have caused blocked pores or some kind of irritation on your skin, go to the pharmacist and ask for a balancing shampoo without silicons or petroleum byproducts. Wash your hair everyday, and throw away your hair brush as it might be infected with bacteria. In salons they disinfect the brushes all the time. All in all don't overload your hair and scalp with products, things can only get worse.

I knew a couple of people including my brother who had smelly scalps and we found out that it was actually due to bacteria.

Do you get dandruff and flakes? If you do you could try going to a doctor or dermatologist to get recommendations on products to clear your scalp.

^^ wow, i never knew about the smelly scalp could be cause from a bacterial problem. YIKES..