Most people are extremely self-conscious about their hairs on a day-to-day basis. After all, hairs have a significant effect on a person’s appearance and visual image. Having messy hair is one thing; getting Smelly Hair is a beast of its own. Even a whiff of unpleasant smell from your hair and your entire day will be ruined. You won’t be able to get it out of your mind. However, thinking of it as an incurable disease is not right either, as smelly hairs are completely preventable and curable. But, before we dive into the methods of curing hair smell, let’s take a look at the leading causes of this issue, so you can try to avoid them.
Causes of smelly hair:
The exact reason why your hairs might be excreting some odor could be a combination of excess scalp oil, yeast, and accumulation of dead skin cells. Here are the things that can cause these issues:
Lack of regular washing:
A lack of periodic hair washing can easily cause some of these issues to appear. Sparse use of shampoo is also linked with this problem. Folks, especially those that have oily hairs, should wash them at least once every two days with a mild high-quality shampoo; otherwise, problems can arise faster than you think.
Dirt and pollution:
This is the leading cause of smelly hairs for people that have to travel through condensed traffic on a daily basis. All that toxic gasses, fumes from cars, and road dust can easily gather in your hairs and cause a horrible odor.
Sweat and wearing hats:
Some people have extremely sweaty scalps, and that profound sweating can dry up in the hairs and cause them to smell. People with short hairs are often fine with extensive sweating, but even inch-long hair can block the sweat from evaporating quickly, thus leading to odor issues.
Incompatible hair products:
Hair products like shampoo and conditioner are a part of many peoples grooming routine, but there are a lot of people out there that do not check for compatibility with their skin. A mismatched shampoo can have negative effects on your scalp and its natural oils, which can definitely lead to some smell issues down the line.
Diet and hormones:
It can be difficult to believe, but your diet and hormonal conditions can have a massive influence over the outer smells of your body. So, if your hair started smelling all of a sudden, and you don’t know why maybe it’s the new snack that you started consuming recently.
Medical conditions:
Smelly hairs can often feel like your own fault. Maybe you’re not washing them enough, or you’re not using the right shampoo. But, sometimes, that’s not the case. If your hairs are odorous, and nothing seems to solve the issue, it could very well be a medical condition or a skin issue that requires immediate professional attention and diagnosis.
Getting rid of the smell:
Now that we have a deeper understanding of why your hairs might be smelly let’s take a look at potential cures and methods that can restore your hairs to the way they are supposed to be.
Natural methods:
There are a lot of natural products and ingredients that are known to work against unwanted smells—for example, treating your hairs with two teaspoons of lemon juice mixed in a cup of water after a wash can do wonders. Lemons are famous for their anti-microbe properties; that might be just the thing you are looking for. Another thing you can try is a combination of essential oils, like tea tree oil and almond oil. All you have to do is mix them up, and apply them to your hairs for half an hour, and then rinse with cold water and mild shampoo.
Medicated hair products:
If you are not comfortable with applying random things to your hair and figuring out what works, you can just consult a skin specialist. They will prescribe you hair products that are perfectly suited to your specific issue. These medical cures have the best results of all the other methods and will surely solve the underlying issue behind smelly hair.