My hair is naturally curly / tight waves and i have a very dry hair and scalp. I just recently started the no poo method about a week and a half ago and so far i have not noticed that much oil or grease, but i have noticed that my hair has started to smell kinda bad and it getting worse. My friends and family say that my hair smells really bad, and I haven’t told them about going no poo yet. I really don’t want to use baking soda anymore because it dried out and ruined my curls, i also tried apple cider vinegar but it smelled so bad that i almost threw up in the shower. I have a very sensitive sence of smell so I can’t really stand my hair smelling like that.
If i just use water will the smell of dirty hair go away?
Any advice?
I did “no-poo” for several months with no major issues, other than my hairdressing saying my hair was a bit dry, and the colour (blonde) appeared darker. I wanted to avoid chemicals but needed “something”, so am now using a shampoo bar (https://iherb.co/5dgAikug) and it is going great.
Hi EcoMiranda,
If the baking soda solution you are using to wash your hair is drying it out, try reducing the ratio of baking soda to water in you washing solution. You may need very little baking soda to wash your hair. Also, after applying the baking soda and water solution, I would massage it into my scalp for only a minute then rinse it out well and make sure all of the baking soda gets rinsed out.
Similiarly, I would use less vinegar in the conditioning solution. I dilute the vinegar with lots of water and can barely smell it when I apply it. Again, I am sure to rinse thoroughly. There is no vinegar smell after my hair is dry.
Now for odor. There are so many things that can cause an odor, I am hesitant to toss around advice. I have not applied anything to my hair in over 3 years but tap water, baking soda, white vinegar, honey, and castor oil. My hair is very healthy and very long but does develop a faint unwashed hair smell between washings. Usually the faint smell is present before I notice any oiliness. I am careful to use small amounts of baking soda and vinegar.
Before I found the right concentrations for my hair, I think I used too much baking soda and disrupted the pH balance of my scalp. About 6 months in, I developed a serious funky odor that showed up less than 24 hours after washing and became worse every day. After a month of more frequent washing and hoping the funk would go away, I did some googling and tried a raw honey treatment. This method removed the funky odor effectively but was quite messy and dried out the ends of my hair a bit. When I do honey treatments now, I rub some castor oil into the ends of my hair to guard against the drying effect.
How long after washing do you notice the smell of dirty hair?
I recommend applying a scientific methodology: try one approach and evaluate the results until you find what works for you.
Good luck!
PG.
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I think i will give it a try, thanks for the recomendation👍
The dirty hair smell usually appears about a day after washing, but it doesn’t get greasy. I tried using more diluted vinegar and baking soda and it has worked a lot better😊 Also i have started using a little homemade rose water to mask the smell of unwashed hair and it has somewhat worked.
Thanks for the tips❤️
Could you put any eos in to help with the smell you don’t like?