As funny as it may sound, smelly braids and smelly hair in general is a very serious issue not only for women but men as well. Imagine sitting for hours to get this cute protective style installed only for it to start smelling after a few days. Or meeting this super cute girl in the club and when you get to the dance floor, her hair almost suffocates you to a coma 🤢

A smelly scalp could mean one of so many things:

One, your scalp and your hair is always dirty…really dirty and you need to make some life style changes or product choices to eliminate the stench from your scalp. This dirt is caused by build-up on the scalp from dead skin cells, sweat, natural oils from the scalp and hair products collecting dirt from the environment. Maybe you have an active lifestyle, you work out everyday, so you sweat a lot and all this sweat is possibly causing all the build-up on the scalp.

Two, most of the braiding hair we use is synthetic, so it comes with its own smell from the chemicals that are used to preserve it. This smell could also have a lasting impact on the scent and feel of your braids.

Three, you might have acquired an infection from the style being too tight or too heavy. Or maybe you have an irritation from the braiding hair and you either need to take it out immediately or see your doctor if its serious.

Four, you washed your braids or locs but did not dry them properly. Just like damp clothes, a mildew smell can occur from hair oils and products trapped in between the braids or locs, causing a lingering stench.

HOW DO I PREVENT THIS?

Learn and Understand Your Scalp and Hair

Hair is just like any other thing, you don’t take care of it, it won’t be ok. You need to understand what your hair likes and what’s not good for it. If you have a very itchy and flaky scalp, you need to deal with that first by using hair products that have peppermint, coconut and tea tree oil in them. Apple cider vinegar is also great for itchy scalps and lemon is the answer to fungal infections like dandruff. Rinsing your hair with a solution of lemon and water before shampooing is perfect for fresh scent and squeezing some lemons juice round your scalp after plaiting is also great for itchy scalps.

If you have an active lifestyle and you need braids for exercise convenience, I would advise small to medium braids for long term wear rather than the big box braids simply because they are lighter on the head, easy to wash and they dry quicker than the big braids which are prone to mildew if they are not given enough time to dry thoroughly.

Use Yummy Smelling Products

Shampoo

The best shampoo type to use on braids and hair in general is sulfate free shampoo. Sulfate free cleansers maintain the natural oils on the scalp and hair, which ultimately leaves your hair with more moisture. But don’t just settle for and okay smelling product, look for a shampoo with the kind of yummy smell that you’d want people to associate you with.

Dry shampoo

Not so many black people believe in dry shampoo, we all just prefer that nice traditional feeling of water running through your hair. But sometimes your schedule can be crazy, and you just don’t have the time to do the whole wash and dry process. Dry shampoo to the rescue🤸🏾‍♀️! Find one with an intoxicating fragrance that you can enjoy until your next wash.

Leave-in Conditioner

I don’t normally advise people to use co-wash conditioner or just regular conditioner on their braids because they tend to cause build-up over time. A nice and yummy spelling lightweight leave-in conditioner would be ideal to work wonders on the ends of your braids leaving your hair looking and smelling fresh and beautiful.

Hair perfume

Believe it or not, this is a real thing and it could be the answer to all our hair problems lol. This product is specifically designed to keep your hair smelling great. What more does a woman need 💁🏽‍♀️

Regular Perfume

Yup, this too is a real thing, the same fragrance you use to keep yourself smelling elegant can be used to keep your hair smelling amazing too. What I normally do is spray some up in the air and stand below it so it can land all over me and my hair. Don’t do this so often though cause too much of anything can result into other things lol

Consider Using a Heat Protector Before Styling

I’m pretty sure we all know that burnt smell that’s left on our hair after using a straightener or a curling iron. The hair looks absolutely stunning, but you literally smell like a wild fire went wrong on your head. A yummy smelling heat protector is the answer if its attainable where you are.

Long story short….

Keeping your hair smelling great doesn’t require much, just some discipline, some great smelling products and some simple lifestyle changes.

Hope this blog post was helpful, let me know what topics you’d like me to talk about next week and i’ll be sure to share 😊

xx

Tshani