Did you know that washing your hair every day is not good for your hair or your scalp?
That question might seem like an unusual way to start covering the topic of making your hair smell amazing, but stay with me and you'll see why.
How Often Should You Wash Your Hair
Ideally, you should be washing your hair every three to four days (*gasp* I know).
Three to four days will feel like a long time for some people, but there is good reason. Overwashing your hair strips the natural oils from your hair making your strands brittle, fading your hair dye (if you have it) and drying your scalp.
What ends up happening if you overwash your hair is the hair overproduces oils to replace what has been stripped in the washing process and your hair gets even more oily.
After a wash with a quality hair care product, your hair should smell fresh and clean for up to three days. During the three to four day period, your hair's natural oils come out from the root to coat and nourish the hair.
What if Your Hair Doesn't Smell Amazing In Between Washes?
If your hair does not smell clean, there are some things that you may currently be doing that are making your hair smell not so great.
Thankfully, you can have the sweet smell of heavenly and luscious locks with minimal washing just by following these tips and tricks below.
5 Secrets to Hair That Smells Really Really Good
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Cover up your hair. Cover your hair when you are working in strong-smelling environments, like a kitchen. Unless you are particularly fond of hair that smells like cooking food.
If you work in or near a smoking environment, cover your hair with a bandana or even a hat. The bandana or hat will act as a shield to protect your hair from the smells.
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Dry hair thoroughly before bed. Ensure that your hair is completely dry before laying your head on the pillow. The moisture of your wet hair will seep into the pillow fibres and it will eventually become smelly over time as well as stain. Remove your pillow case and take a whiff of the pillow, if it smells pleasant enough or there is no smell then it is fine, but if there is a strong smell then wash your pillow case and you may even need to replace your pillow.
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Anything you wear on your head must be clean. If you are a hat wearer, wash your hat regularly. Hats tend to be neglected from regular cleaning as it's not something that we think gets dirty easily. However, because hats, beanies or other headgear keep our head warm, it locks in moisture and sweat creating stains and odours. Regularly cleaning hats or headgear is another key to keeping your hair smelling nice.
Follow the cleaning instructions of the hat, however, if the hat does not have any cleaning instructions, go to a dry cleaner to see if they can assist you there.
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Anything that goes through your hair must be clean. Regularly cleaning your combs and brushes once a week will help in maintaining clean-smelling hair. Product build-up over time can be embedded into brushes and combs or the hair trapped in brushes and combs. Pulling loose hair out of the brush is a great start. You can also get a skewer to poke through the bristles across the paddle to lift up the loose hair and anything else hiding in there. If the hair is too matted into the brush, use a pair of scissors to cut through the layer of matted hair and take out hair in sections.
- Avoid the ciggies. In case you need another reason to say goodbye to cigarettes, they really are not good for the health of hair or the smell of it. If you can help it, keep your hair away from cigarette smoke. The smell of the smoke clings to the hair fibres and that smell can be hard to mask. If you simply can't avoid being around smoke, wear a bandana as per the first tip. Or, only smoke outside in open areas and not in enclosed areas like inside your car.
Choosing Great Smelling Hair Products
Keeping your hair clean and away from nasties is a great start to avoiding bad smells. Now let's look at some product tips and tricks on how to get great-smelling hair:- SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER. As mentioned earlier, washing your hair every day isn't good for your hair. When it is time to wash your hair, opt for a deliciously-smelling shampoo and conditioner.
- LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER. Leave-in conditioner can leave your hair silky soft for days on end without a wash.
- DRY SHAMPOO. Maintain the smell of your hair in between washes by applying dry shampoo. Dry shampoos help with body and texture by refreshing hair with a light spray of powder. Dry shampoos are generally applied with a spray about 15 cm away from your scalp. You then move the dry shampoo with your fingers to create volume or brush it out with a wide tooth comb.
- HAIR TREATMENT. Using a hair treatment mask once every two weeks helps repair damaged hair. Hair treatments or masks keep hair feeling soft and prevent further breakage. An added bonus is that their fragrance is stronger than shampoos and conditioners. 18 in 1 Nourishing Intense Masque works a treat and has a refreshing tropical scent.
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HAIR PERFUME. Wear a perfume designed specifically for your hair. Hair perfumes are great as they effectively remove all chemical smell from your hair, make your hair smell great, and add shine. Hair perfumes are not as damaging as actual perfume for your skin as these products do not contain alcohol.
If you have run out of your favourite hair perfume, you can opt for this hack with your hairbrush and your favourite perfume. Please note, this should be an occasional hack and not something you do regularly. Simply spray your hairbrush with your perfume and brush it through your hair. Not only will your skin smell nice but your hair too. Remember though, direct contact with alcohol on hair dries out the hair follicles.
- GELS AND PUTTY. If you want to style your hair you can use a hair gel that is fragranced. Good quality hair gels can be used every day and still leave the hair looking healthy.
- SERUMS. Serums are a great finishing product. It is an oil that offers a glossy sheen to your final masterpiece.
- HAIRSPRAYS. Scented hairsprays are hard to come by so I recommend Schwarzkopf's Silhouette Super Hold Lacquer. This hair spray is bang for your buck, has that pleasant smell that isn't chemical like other hairsprays and does an amazing job for super-hold staying power.
