Do you find that your hair always smells of food or smoke?
And you feel awkward when other people’s hair smells of their green apple shampoo or coconut.
What gives?
In this post, I’ll explain why some people’s hair smells of food and how to prevent your hair from smelling like food.
Let’s begin.
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Why do food smells stick to my hair?
Before I explain how you can prevent your hair from smelling like food, I’ll explain why food smells stick to your hair.
There are multiple reasons why this could be happening.
1. The protective layer of your hair is gone
Our hair has a protective layer that is comprised of oil. It is sebum that is produced in the oil glands on our scalp.
But if you have just washed your hair with shampoo or you’ve been treating your hair with a lot of heat and styling tools, the oily layer could get depleted making your hair very vulnerable to absorbing smells.
If your hair is dry or you feel like it’s lacking that protective oil, use a hair serum like this.
This hair serum will coat your hair and help your hair not absorb too many smells.
This particular serum will also tame frizz, and make your hair look smooth – the nice smell is a bonus!
2. Your hair is dry
When your hair is very dry and devoid of moisture, it is going to absorb any vapors in the hair – this includes smoke vapors and food vapors and you’ll find that your hair is smelling of food.
How do you make sure that your hair is moisturized?
Use a hydrating deep conditioner in your hair at least 3-4 times a month – weekly if possible.
One of the best hydrating deep conditioners that you can get for a steal is the Hydrating Argan Oil Mask.
After shampooing, apply the mask throughout your hair and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour.
Wash it off with water. And you’ll notice that your hair is super soft and moisturized.
Moisturized hair means that your hair will not be able to absorb many food odors or smoke smells.
3. You have very porous hair
If you have high porosity hair, it means that your hair cuticles are very flayed and open.
This can happen if your hair is damaged or has been excessively styled with heating tools.
And this can result in your hair follicles absorbing moisture and smells very easily.
The best way to protect your hair if it’s very porous is to moisturize it and cover your hair so that it doesn’t absorb odors.
I’ll explain some methods below.
How to prevent hair from smelling like food – 7 easy ways
1. Wash your hair regularly
If you are working in an environment where you are constantly surrounded by smoke and food odors, then you will need to wash your hair more frequently than most.
I suggest washing your hair every 3 days with a clarifying shampoo that will remove the smells but not strip your hair of moisture.
Avoid harsh shampoos with sulfates. Since you are washing your hair quite frequently, you don’t want to use a harsh shampoo – this will completely strip your hair of the good stuff like the sebum and damage your hair.
So, use something mild like apple cider shampoo. I highly recommend this (I’ve mentioned it several times before) apple cider vinegar shampoo and conditioner combination by Pura D’Or.
If you use the apple cider vinegar conditioner with the shampoo, your hair will be extra moisturized – this actually will help your hair smell great and keep it odorless.
Using a clarifying shampoo will also get rid of skin flakes and dandruff on your scalp and this will help your hair smell better.
2. Wear your hair in protective hairstyles
If you have long hair or curly/kinky hair, it’s going to absorb more smells because the surface area is more.
So, tie your hair in a ponytail behind you or a bun to minimize the surface area.
This will help your hair absorb fewer odors and smell better.
Now, if your workplace allows you to, then wear a head scarf or a disposable hair cap like this. This will protect your hair from absorbing all the environmental smells.
3. Cut off split ends
Damaged hair becomes very porous and absorbs more smells.
So, trim split ends regularly – every 4-6 months.
This will help your hair remain healthy and not be very porous, thereby not absorbing many surrounding odors and smoke smells.
4. Use dry shampoo and sea salt sprays
Dry shampoo is not just great for greasy hair but food smells too.
Apart from absorbing oil and grease from the hair and scalp, it also absorbs smells.
Just run a little dry shampoo in your hair whenever you notice that your hair is smelling of food.
After you spray it in your hair, brush your hair to coat your hair strands evenly with the dry shampoo.
I highly recommend the Morrocanoil Dry Shampoo because it not only leaves your hair smelling great – it also leaves your hair non-greasy without drying it.
Sea salt sprays work very well in not only keeping your hair in place but also adding a very beautiful, citrusy smell to your hair and keeping it smelling fresh and divine.
Give the OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Hair-Texturizing Sea Salt Spray a shot – it smells so good!
5. Wash your combs and styling tools
If you are brushing your hair every day or using styling tools frequently, then there is a chance that the food particles from your hair are getting stuck on your tools.
You will need to clean your tools frequently to prevent their particles from embedding in your freshly washed hair.
You can wash your combs in warm water with a little handwash or shampoo. I wash my makeup brushes and combs every week with water and handwash.
You can also use a little hair perfume in your comb to make it smell better and impart some hair perfume to your hair while combing.
6. Wash your pillowcases regularly
If you are constantly around food smells and odors, then chances are those particles are going to get embedded in your pillowcases while you sleep.
Change your pillowcases every 3-4 days to avoid the smells from becoming too overwhelming.
It will help your hair stay clean and odorless for longer.
7. Avoid heating tools before cooking
If you have a habit of constantly blow-drying your hair or using a flatiron or a curling iron – avoid using it right before work or cooking.
The heat from the tools will open your hair cuticles and make your hair strands more porous.
This will allow your hair to absorb more odors and smoke smells.
If possible, hydrate your hair with a serum – this will help seal the hair cuticles and make it less vulnerable to absorbing food smells.
Bonus: Use a hair perfume
Hair perfume is a pretty neat invention.
It isn’t as old as body perfume but it was designed for people who work around a lot of smoke and different smells.
So whether you’re trying to get out food odors, campfire smoke, or sweat smell, then hair perfume is something that will definitely help.
Hair perfume neutralizes strong smells and adds a nice scent to your hair.
This hair perfume by Pacifica Beauty is currently one of my favorites.
It works as a hair perfume and a body mist. You can carry it whenever you’re spending a night, going to the gym, or going out camping.
These are the best ways to prevent hair from smelling like food.
I hope it helped! Here are a few more posts that you might like:
