As someone who has fine, oily hair, I can tell you it is absolutely necessary wash it every day. And I started doing this around 10 or 11 years old when the oil production kicked up a notch. It does get a smell to it if I don’t wash it every day, and it just feels and looks gross- like there’s baby oil slicked through it. The oils in the hair attract all that smell out of the air and grab all the dirt, too. So that is what you are smelling.
I can’t go longer than 2 days max on the weekends, and that’s with rinsing it in the shower one of the days without shampooing. One thing I do is wash the scalp and not the rest of my hair (my hair is long) with a dime size of shampoo. A little goes a long way.
Google Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap. It helps with a lot of things and can be used as a shampoo and it deodorizes. I see they also make a shampoo now but I don’t know if it’s the same as the soap. It might be worth a try.
I used to have smelly oily hair. I was washing it every day. I was told the more you wash the more oil you produce and to only wash every 3-4 days. It was hard, but I did it and don’t have issues anymore. I also use a very gentle shampoo. Right now I’m using Aquaphor baby shampoo. My 10 yr old has excema so I was looking for something gentle for her. It works great and inexpensive. Good luck!
i don’t really understand why ‘at 10’ she shouldn’t wash her hair every day if it’s oily and smelly. i’ve got an oily scalp, and yeah, i need to wash it every day.
if you’re going pure green no-shampoo-ever that’s one thing, but since she IS shampooing, why not let her do it as often as she needs to?
i’d hop in with her and make sure she’s giving her scalp a good thorough rake, not just faffing about with the hair only. and have her do a white vinegar rinse once a week or so.
but oily hair needs frequent washing.
khairete
suz
The same happens with my son. however he IS thirteen. but even when younger, it happened. I think it IS hormones, whether they are going thru puberty or not. but also… consider what she eats and drinks… example… notice if you have ever eaten asparagus and when you urinate there is a distinct smell or if you have eaten beets, it turns your urine reddish/pinkish. same applies for the skin the biggest elimination organ of them all… also take into that IF you use commercial shampoos and even conditioners, although hair seems clean at first, much of the ingredients in those products actually help to BLOCK the pores (in the same way that cream might block pores on the face) and what happens… you break out…
one… I would do what one person suggested, use the vinegar as a rinse… two… have her drink more water because above all… I think it all starts on the inside… if she eats a lot of dairy, you may want to lessen that as well… when I, myself eat a lot of it… I can definitely smell the difference in my skin/hair…
good luck
My 14 year old also goes to bed with wet hair and showers twice a week. I replace her pillow cases frequently. We also use dry shampoo spray on her hair the second day and brush it through thoroughly. But if your daughters hair is oily then just have her wash it more frequently.
Change pillow case frequently and wash her hair more often. If it’s oily, it’s okay to wash it daily, if she needs to.
Pam, if you end up needing to wash her hair every day, try the shampoos that are for swimmers. You can buy them online. My boys used to swim on swim teams, and it’s really hard on hair to be in the pool water for so long, and you want to get that chlorine out. You’d think that the shampoo for that would be strong, but it’s not - it’s mild for every day use.
I don’t know if it would help with the smell of her head, but at least you won’t have to worry about her using it every day…
In our world today with exercise and sweating and stuff we need to wash almost every day. If we sit all day and don’t have stress sweat or walk anywhere that could possibly cause us to sweat then maybe we don’t need to.
When people don’t bathe every day they smell. It’s just our society. We bathe a lot more now so we smell people who don’t.
I think you should just let her shower every morning like she was an adult and going to work. Everyone does that.
I am a licensed cosmetologist. I would suggest trying a shampooing system called “Nioxin”. It is a professional product, only sold in salons. It was originally designed specifically for women who had gone through chemo therapy and lost all their hair. It’s wonderful for many different types of scalp conditions. There are different formulas for differnt hair types. It’s important to get the conditioner, it’s called “scalp therapy”. It has a minty fresh scent and leaves your head feeling tingly and clean. I use this product myself and highly recommend it! I had a problem with hair falling out, not anymore. 😉
This is just a thought… Sometimes the meds we take- even a multi-vitamin can come right back out through our skin. Hair follicles in the scalp have a tendency to get toxins and meds built up and trapped in them. It usually causes the hair to fall out… I’m pretty sure it could make the scalp a bit stinky as well.
It is true that the more you wash, the more oil is produced. Every other day is ideal for oily hair. Every 2 to 3 days for dry hair. Good luck!
Also, baby shampoo is not strong enough to cleanse her scalp and NEVER, ever ever use a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner- they are the worst!
Thanks for the replies already. More are welcome. Just to clear up one point, she doesn’t go to bed with her hair wet. I do blow dry it if it needs it. I used to wash it myself and try to really get to the scalp etc and we still had the problem but I’ll try again. I like the vinegar idea too. I will try that. Believe it or not, I can’t fine oily hair shampoo! They’re all for flat/fine hair, curly etc. I can’t believe it bc I remember they used to be out there. All else fails I guess we go to daily washing or I was thinking a light spray of dry shampoo to cover the smell every other day.
ETA: reason I questioned washing it every day is many professionals say the more you wash, the more oil is produced so it’s a vicious cycle. I was trying to avoid that. And my daughter’s hair is thick and most people I know with thick hair don’t wash every day. I have to bc mine is so fine it gets limp very quickly. Thanks everyone.