Photo by Rameez Remy on Unsplash
I don’t know about y’all but one of my favorite things about wash day is how wonderful my hair ends up smelling right after I shampoo, condition and towel-dry it. I liken it to laundry day when I get into the bed after washing my bedding in Gain (whew, that scent lasts a long time!”>. In fact, I’m such a big fan of hair smelling great for as long as possible that I decided I would share a few hacks for how you can keep your own tresses in the scent that you adore the most for well past one or two days — how you can kinda-sorta-literally “Febreze your hair.”
Hack one, make sure that you go easy on the heat because what a lot of people don’t realize is blow dryers and flat irons can play a role in tresses not smelling as fresh as they should (ever smelled burnt hair? Exactly”>. The other tips? You’ll see they are all are easy, affordable and things that will make you think, “Where have you been all of my life?”
So, are you ready for your hair to smell as good as it looks? If so, I’ve totally got you.
1. Exfoliate your scalp
I promise that if there’s one thing that not enough people do yet they absolutely should, it’s exfoliate their scalp. Not only does it remove dead skin cells and help to relieve dandruff, it also removes product build-up and balances out sebum. And just what does all of this have to do with helping your hair to smell better? Well, think about it. When there is a lot of “gunk” on your scalp, that definitely can play a role in your hair not smelling as clean as you want it to. So, on your wash days, before you shampoo your tresses, start off with exfoliating your scalp. You can check out our article, “Don’t Scratch, Scrub: 5 Scalp Scrub Recipes” for DIY exfoliant recipes that will have it feeling great and smelling fresh in no time.
2. Use rosewater on wash days
Another unsung hero when it comes to, not just how your hair can smell, but how it can feel as well is rosewater. Rosewater is great at moisturizing your hair, reducing frizz, adding shine, fighting dandruff and soothing an irritated scalp. A way to make the scent of rosewater last longer is to rinse your hair with warm water, saturate it with rosewater and then let it sit for about 30-45 minutes before washing it out with a mild shampoo. Not only will your hair feel divine, it will carry the gentle scent of roses for days longer than when you “rinsed” with it.
3. Add oil to your leave-in
Put some jasmine, lavender or orange oil into your leave-in conditioner. Honestly, you could put pretty much any essential oil that you wanted into your leave-in conditioner to get the scent that you desire. The reason why I recommend jasmine, lavender or orange oil is because, not only do they smell pretty incredible, they provide some solid hair benefits too. Jasmine (a sweet floral scent that contains antimicrobial properties”> is great at strengthening your hair, taming frizz and preventing dry scalp. Lavender (which has a bit of a woodsy floral smell”> promotes hair growth, reduces the chances of scalp infections and helps to stimulate hair follicles. Orange oil is wonderful because it helps to eliminate dandruff, adds Vitamin C to your strands (which leads to collagen production which leads to hair elasticity”> and it can help to prevent hair loss over time. One of the best ways to get these benefits — along with the scent of these oils — is to put 10-15 drops of them into your leave-in conditioner. You’ll be sure to get compliments everywhere that you go if you do.
4. Apply essential oils directly to your hair
Speaking of essential oils, another “quick hack” is to simply pour a little bit of your favorite-smelling one into the palm of one hand, rub your hands together and then run your hands over your hair. I do this at least a couple of times a week and the scent definitely lasts for the entire day.
5. Soak your styling tools in some “smell goods”
This is one of those tips that’s definitely going to make you be like, “Now that makes total sense, come to think of it”. The reason why I say this is because, if there’s one thing that can make your hair smell all kinds of stale, it’s not washing your combs and brushes as much as you should (so definitely make sure that you do that, no less than once a month”>. And, if there’s something that can help them to smell really good, along with your hair, is to soak them in one of your favorite fragrances. Just clean them like you normally would. Then, after thoroughly rinsing them out, pour some warm water into your basin and then pour a few drops of your favorite perfume, cologne or essential oil and let your combs and brushes soak for 20 minutes or so. Then dry them and use them like you normally would. Just make sure that you don’t do this to wooden styling tools. Soaking them in water can damage them over time.
6. DIY a hair mist
A real game-changer for hair is making your own hair mist; mostly because you can control what goes in it and it’s a portable way to freshen your hair whenever you want to. By putting ¼ cup of distilled water, a teaspoon of glycerin (it’s a humectant”>, a teaspoon of pumpkin seed oil (it helps to stimulate hair growth”> and then 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil (sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, peppermint, cinnamon, bergamot and ylang ylang all smell pretty darn delightful”>, not only will your hair smell unbelievably amazing with a couple of spritzes, you’ll be doing your part to keep your hair soft and manageable throughout the day as well.
7. Spray your pillowcases and hair wraps
Bedding needs to be changed once a week. A part of the reason why is because we actually shed a whopping 30,000-40,000 dead skin cells, per minute, on a daily basis. Since most of us are lying in our beds for somewhere between 5-9 hours a night, it would make sense to add some fragrance to your pillowcases, bonnets and scarves too, right? It can help to lull you to sleep and give your hair hours to soak up the fragrance of your choice. It’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to “Febreze your hair” by far.
Enjoy! (I know the people around you will!”>
