Lara in Colo Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My 10yo has smelly hair!!! I'm guessing she is going through an early form of puberty (no other signs). I have tried different shampoos and her head still smells!! Are there any good brands of "oil strippers" out there? Or is there something I can put on her heard to keep it fresh between washings (She shampoos every other day). Thanks!! Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Is there a reason she doesn't wash it every day? My eldest needs to wash hers every day or it gets a musty smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 If she has fine hair and is starting puberty, she may need to wash it every day. My daughter has super thick hair and could wash it 2x a week. Once she started puberty, she had to move to doing it every other day. Is she washing her hair at night? If so, it may be that her hair is damp all night and picking up a musty smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 No not at night, I guess we should step up the washings, we do this mainly because I am lazy and I wash all the children at the same time to save water (my water bill is outrageous!) IS there a better shampoo for oily hair? I have very dry, curly hair so this is all very new territory for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My 11 yo son is the same way. He has had longish hair recently, and he refuses to care for it. He says he likes the Einstein look. :glare: I mean, I make him take a shower every couple of days, but he won't wet it and comb it in the morning. It has really been stinking -- even the day after he showers. Today, I buzzed it off. I told him he could get a regular haircut the next time. I'm just sort of joining it here because of the smelly hair issue -- I don't recommend buzzing her hair. LOL Our eldest never smelled like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 No not at night, I guess we should step up the washings, we do this mainly because I am lazy and I wash all the children at the same time to save water (my water bill is outrageous!) IS there a better shampoo for oily hair? I have very dry, curly hair so this is all very new territory for me. I have dry, curly hair too. My skin is oily, though, as is my son's. I think he gets his oily hair from my dad's side of the family (the same side we get our skin from). I too don't want to hassle with daily showers when he doesn't really get dirty or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Does she play with her hair? Does she brush it away from her face? It might be something on her hands transferring over. I have oily hair. The oil doesn't usually smell. Sometimes the onset of puberty means washing oily hair every day. It will calm down later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 It might be her pillowcase. Try changing it every day or every other day. I also think it's probably time to start showering daily. Morning showers might help, and if the hair is getting oily, then deodorant is right around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) No not at night, I guess we should step up the washings, we do this mainly because I am lazy and I wash all the children at the same time to save water (my water bill is outrageous!) IS there a better shampoo for oily hair? I have very dry, curly hair so this is all very new territory for me. Try a shampoo with citrus in it. She definitely cannot use the same shampoo as you. I've found I need to stay away from anything from Pantene and Vidal Sassoon. You need to be careful, not to dry it out as well. Don't use conditioner everyday. If her hair dries out after a few washings just put a tiny amount of conditioner on your hands, rub it into your hands and very lightly rub your hands over the ends of her hair, staying way away from the roots and rinse immediately. Sometimes I put the conditioner on under running water. I wouldn't condition more than twice a week. I use an expensive shampoo-Regis Ultimate Radiance Designline purchased at the salon in Walmart for $10 for a 12. oz bottle. It will last me about 4-6 months. They also have a shampoo made with Olive Oil that is really good, even though it's made with oil. For cheaper alternatives try a shampoo that says "daily clarifying", suave is good and pretty cheap. There used to a good White Rain shampoo, but I can't find it anymore. Hope that helps! Edited May 20, 2011 by Cheryl in NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 What does it smell like? My daughter is much younger than yours, but she occasionally has a yeasty smell to her hair if she gets very sweaty when she sleeps. I want to say it's caused by natural fungal or bacterial growth. So is it a smell like that, or a mildewy smell, or a BO-onion type of smell, or something else entirely? I don't have any shampoo brand or type advice, but I find that I need to really use my fingertips and nails to scrub my own hair or my children's hair when it's bad. I'd liken the sensation to massaging your brain. My hair gets oily faster on the days where I only have time to throw shampoo on my head and rinse it off. Maybe you are (or she is) already doing this, but if not maybe it will help a little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abigail4476 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I had to wash my hair every day as a teenager or it would be greasy looking. I still have to wash it every other day. Make sure she's really scrubbing her scalp with the shampoo and not just washing her hair. The scalp is the most important part anyway. (Scrub with fingertips--not nails!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 My DD is 7. I had noticed that her hair/scalp was kind of stinky but I didn't think much about it until one day when I was parting her hair and I noticed she had dandruff/cradle cap (yellow scales). She had cradle cap as a baby and a couple times as a toddler too. I bought some Garnier Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, this one is Intense Clean, I think there was also a peppermint. After 2 shampoos, the flakes and smell were gone. I'm still only washing her hair 2x/week but the dandruff shampoo instead of "kid" shampoo has made all the difference. I still use conditioner for her because her hair gets very tangled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Make sure she's really scrubbing her scalp with the shampoo and not just washing her hair. The scalp is the most important part anyway. (Scrub with fingertips--not nails!) :iagree: I meant to say that I scrub her scalp really well, especially the top of her head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I really don't have the answer to this..but to just offer another perspective, I think washing the oil off your hair every day only serves to stimulate the production of more oil. The people who go no 'poo (successfully), such as my husband, end up with the oil secretion slowing down and balancing out, and the air goes soft and not oily at all- after a while. I think of past generations where hair might be washed once a month, or week at most. And not having the very powerful grease stripping effect of modern shampoo. I really wonder if that grease stripping has made things worse in the long run. My son didn't wash his hair for several months- but he did wet it often. It went very soft and beautiful, even though he is right in the middle of puberty. So another suggestion might be to keep to washing it every second day, but to wet it daily- wet it as if she were washing it- but just give it a scrub with her fingers. I guess if its a water issue, though, that might not help, unless she wet it in the sink or a bucket of water- or the bath. I play with this issue a lot because I have an oily scalp, fine hair, and dry ends. Its so hard to find the right balance- sometimes I go no 'poo and use bicarb soda which actually works very well too. But again, if its a water issue, thats not going to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 No not at night, I guess we should step up the washings, we do this mainly because I am lazy and I wash all the children at the same time to save water (my water bill is outrageous!) IS there a better shampoo for oily hair? I have very dry, curly hair so this is all very new territory for me. If she may be going through puberty, she may need to have her own water and to shower every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Have you tried NOT using a shampoo but going with Baking Soda? You mix a tablespoon {as most} in some warm water and pour it on your hair and just massage it in. You won't get a lather or anything fancy but it cleans wonderfully well. If you have long hair and need/want conditioner mix a tablespoon or less of apple cider vinegar with warm water. Pour on your hair and comb through. Rinse out. Simple as. That said, you might see greasy/oily hair for the first little bit if you opt to do this and only wash every other day.. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I would use a tea tree shampoo and conditioner. Regis salons have their own brand that is good and very affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamom Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I posted here about my dd10's hair that was so extremely thick. If she gets it wet everyday it started smelling musty, because it couldn't thoroughly dry. We got past it by buying her a shower cap to put over it for her almost daily showers. If this is the case then more washings would not help your situation. You have to figure out what the smell is. DD's hair smelled musty/sour. Now it stays shampoo smelling between washes. I do her hair everyday so I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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