I know another mom asked this question not too long ago but I failed to really read the suggestions so I'm asking for myself. Our oldest son is 9 yrs & every day his hair smells musty & bed-heady. Since he used to be on a swim team, he used to wash his hair w/special swimmers shampoo but we no longer do that. Usually, he uses one of those 2-1 shampoos from Suave. I've tried washing his hair less frequently, more frequently, making sure it's completely dry before bed time, getting him a new pillow, & using conditioner or not using it. None of it seems to make any difference. Any suggestions?
He sweats at night and that is normal. Try not to dry out his scalp with anything harsh. Also 2 in one leaves conditioner in his hair, maybe find a mild shampoo and not use conditioner.
He could have seborrhea. Selsun Blue shampoo is good for that and smells nice.
I don't know if he has dry skin/hair normally, but my older daughter does, and has this issue from time to time. Lately she has been using a moisturizing shampoo (we use Aveda Dry Remedy) and a conditioner that we leave in for several minutes (Aveda Color Conserve, even though we obviously don't color her hair at this age!) and her hair has been smelling great! Mostly I started using the Aveda on her because her hair is curly and soooo dry, but I was surprised that it took away the musty smell too. Maybe when the hair is over-dry, it absorbs sweat or oil or...? whatever makes the hair smell funky? Just a thought.
Hi Momma-
His hair could be overwashed and the oils on his head are probably freaking out- plus he is at an age where his hormones are starting to change.
I saw an all natural solutions to funky hair. Wash with a paste of baking soda and water. Rinse with white or apple cider vinegar. One way to keep from smelling vinegary is to soak a cinnamon stick or vanilla bean in the vinegar. Also, since it isn't really all that healthy to wash your hair daily, you could try dry shampoo with him. Get it at sephora. It comes in a hairspray like container, and they smell very herbal and very fresh. The one I used smelled like lemon verbena, and man oh man, it was nice! The deal is that it soaks up excess oils and gives you that freshly cleaned smell without having to wash, rinse, and repeat.
I hope that helps!
-E. M
P.S. For recipes on basic and natural hair care, try googling "poo free" (shampoo free). This is a site that I like to check out
http://simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com/2009/01/goi...
A white vinegar rinse?
Try peppermint oil like what is in lice shampoo.
Is his pillowcase changed every other day or so?
Ask a doctor or cosmotologist for suggestions. They have usually had the question before and may be able to give good suggestions.
My 7yr old had the same problem. He'd take a shower the night before the the next morning his head stunk! So I decided to splurge on a pillowcase for him. My husband already had one for his bed & it worked immediately to almost stop entirely his sweating at night. He got it from select comfort store at the mall. Maybe there is one near you? So I got one along w/ a new pillow as that smelled too & it has worked great. My son does not sweat nearly as much & no more stinky head! Here's a link to the item on a website. It is made by select comfort "in balance" pillow cases
http://www.selectcomfort.com/eng/products/pillows-bedding...
The salesman told my husband (not sure how true it is) that astronauts use this technology to keep cool in their suits. It's worth a try as they accept returns if it doesn't work.
Dear K.,
Little boys can be some of the stinkiest creatures on earth. I feel completely safe in saying that as I have one myself and by virtue of that, have lots of boys around.
When they get sweaty, their little heads get so smelly.
If your son really sweats at night, and mine has since he was a baby, you need to make sure you change his pillow case every other night or so.
Also, I highly recommend Old Spice bath and shampoo products. I bought my son some as a gift. It came in a set with deodorant, etc. That stuff smells sooooo good that other moms were asking how come my son smelled nice and theirs were stinky. Now, all of his friends use it. One boy was 8 when he started using it with no problems...just a nice, fresh smelling boy. My son keeps his hair short, but some of them let their grow longer and it's not dry or damaging to their hair at all. In fact, my son now just uses the body wash on his hair. If he showers at night, he still smells good the next morning. I swear by the stuff, I do.
Before you go thinking he'll smell like an old man or something using Old Spice products, think again. My son keeps some in my shower downstairs and I even use it sometimes (not on my hair). It doesn't dry my skin out and it just smells clean. That's the only best way to describe it.
I have found that with little boys, they tend to be more interested in showering if they have their own personal "grown up" boy stuff.
Give it a try. No mom I know has been sorry they did.
Best wishes!
My dad always used to say that little boys hair smelled like bird's nests. ;-P
I would go back to the swimmer's shampoo and see if that helps at all.
