How To Keep Your Hair Smelling Great

Have you ever gotten a sniff of someone's hair, maybe during a busy commute, or while rushing through a busy street, and thought to yourself, "How do I get my hair to smell like that?"

Unfortunately, while it's easy to get nice-smelling hair after coming out of the shower, it's much harder to maintain the smell throughout a haggard and tiring day. It’s especially harder if you’re an athlete who tends to sweat a lot or a chef who has to stay the whole day inside a busy kitchen.

If you've ever experienced that before, then today's your lucky day. In this article, we'll give you some tips and tricks on how to keep your hair smelling great all day and even all night long!

Avoid environments with strong scents

We have to admit that this advice isn’t too helpful for those who have no choice but to stay in such environments, like our chef in the above example. But if you do have the privilege to avoid them, then it would be best to do so.

For instance, if you know that your workmates use a certain corner to smoke, you should try not to go there, as smoke can cling to your strands and linger for a long time. Smoke is also very hard to mask, even if you put perfume on it.

Cover your hair to protect it from scents

If you really can’t avoid going to areas that have really strong scents, you should at least try to protect your hair by covering it.

One example is if you work in a kitchen. Keep your hat on at all times, not just to prevent the smell from clinging to your hair, but also to keep your hair away from the food.

Also, if you’re planning to go to a party where you know there’s going to be a lot of smoke, you should put on something like a bandana or a cap to prevent the bad smells from sticking to your hair. If that’s not possible, a nice bun could also minimize the smoke that could get to your strands.

Wash your hair regularly with nice-smelling shampoo

The simplest way to get good-smelling hair is to just wash it regularly with nice-smelling shampoo.

If you have oily hair, this tip is even more important, since scents tend to stick more to oily hair than dry hair. This, in addition to all the dirt and product build-up on your hair and scalp, can lead to bad-smelling hair.

Aim to wash at least twice or thrice a week. Make sure that you use nice-smelling shampoo too, preferably paraben and sulphate-free like the ZALA Froth On You Shampoo for best results. If you want to make it smell even more delightful, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to your shampoo, like lavender oil.

Lastly, drying your hair properly is also important. Not drying your hair properly can cause fungi to grow on your hair, which also causes a bad smell.

Use a leave-in conditioner

Leave-in conditioners are amazing at making sure that you keep your hair smelling great! They can also add extra softness and shine to your strands.

If you have frizzy hair, you would benefit from regularly using a leave-in conditioner to lock all the moisture and hydration into your tresses.

For a better effect, you can also add scented essential oils to your leave-in conditioner. A drop or two is usually enough to make your hair not just look more beautiful, but also smell more amazing, too.

Do a lemon rinse

One of the natural DIY treatments that you can do to keep your hair smelling great is a fresh lemon rinse. This treatment can make your hair smell fresh as well as fight skin issues like dandruff and itchy scalp.

All you need is freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix it with a cup of water and massage the mixture into your hair. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Rinse, then use a conditioner to prevent your hair from drying out.

Do take note that lemon rinses can also lighten up your hair, especially if you get exposed to the sun during or shortly after your rinse.

Clean your hair accessories

Cleaning your hair accessories is also necessary if you want to get great-smelling hair. After all, no matter how much you wash your hair, if your headbands, hats, head wraps, or scarves are all dirty due to sweat or product build-up, the scent will just stick to your strands.

You should also wash your hairbrush or hair comb at least once a week to make sure that they always smell fresh too. Of course, pillowcases are also a must, especially if you tend to fall asleep right after showering at night.

My hair still smells bad, why?

Unfortunately, if your hair still smells bad after doing all of these, you might be suffering from what is called the “smelly hair syndrome”. This condition originates from the scalp, which is why it’s so hard to deal with. Medicated shampoos and antifungal products could help, but it would be best if you consult with a doctor.

Conclusion

As you can see, it’s certainly possible to keep your hair smelling great all the time. If you’ve been dealing with smelly hair despite all your efforts though, you probably should go to the dermatologist to properly diagnose the issue.

What’s your favorite tip for keeping your hair smelling great? We’d love to know in the comments below!

For more hair tips and tricks, don’t forget to check out our ZALA blog!