Have you ever experienced that “if you thought you smelled it without noticing it, it actually smelled like your scalp”? Everyone can sweat and get a temporary sweaty odor. However, if it smells normally, there may be some cause.
In this article, we will explain how to deal with scalp odors and their causes. An unpleasant odor from the scalp can give the other person an unpleasant impression. Take note of the possible cause of this odor and take appropriate measures to get rid of the smelly scalp.
How to Deal with Scalp Odor
The unpleasant odor of the scalp may be improved by the following six countermeasures.
All of them can be put into practice as soon as you want to get started. We will also introduce the points, so if you are concerned about the smell of the scalp, please refer to it.
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① Review Your Eating Habits
A greasy diet and overeating sweets that are high in fats and sugars can lead to excessive sebum secretion. Since the amount of sebum secreted from the whole body including the scalp increases, it is possible that the scalp will always have an unpleasant odor.
It is important to keep a well-balanced diet so that nutrition is not biased. In particular, try to take vitamin B group, protein, and zinc, which are said to be good for hair, positively.
The foods that are high in each nutrient are:
■ Vitamin B
- Green and yellow vegetables
- Dairy products
- Natto
- Egg
■ Protein
- Pork M
- Chicken breast M
- Tuna M
- egg M
■ Zinc
- oyster
- cheese
- Pork liver
- Sesame
- Almond
Try to get a good balance of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Also, unpleasant odors can be caused by the oxidation of metabolites. Therefore, it is recommended to take it in a well-balanced manner with vitamin C, which has an antioxidant effect.
② Improve Your Quality of Sleep
Growth hormone produced during sleep promotes skin metabolism and keeps the scalp healthy.
Some people may find it difficult to get a good night’s sleep or a good night’s sleep due to busy work. But what matters is better sleep quality than bedtime timing or length of sleep.
You can improve your sleep quality by simply changing to a comforter or pillow that suits your body. In addition, refraining from operating your smartphone, eating, and bathing before going to bed is also an essential point for improving the quality of sleep. Try to eat at least 3 hours before going to bed and take a bath 2 hours before going to bed.
In addition, 3-4 hours after going to sleep, it is called golden time, which not only promotes growth but also eliminates waste products. Even busy people should try to get at least 4 hours of sleep.
③ Use Scalp Shampoo and Wash Your Head in the Correct Way
To prevent odors, we recommend scalp shampoo, which makes it easier to maintain a clean scalp environment. It is known to cleanse the hair and scalp and prevent sweaty odors. If you are concerned about hair loss and thinning hair as well as odor, please try the amino acid non-silicone shampoo “Polypure Scalp Shampoo”.
Four active ingredients (piroctone olamine, glycyrrhizinate 2K, salicylic acid, tocopherol acetate) can prevent sweaty odor, dandruff, and itching of hair and scalp.
In addition, you can expect the effect of keeping a healthy scalp with 24 kinds of plant extracts that have a moisturizing effect. It is a shampoo that is less irritating to the scalp, so it is also recommended for those who are new to scalp care.
④ Change Pillowcase Frequently
Shampooing will keep your hair and scalp clean. But what about pillowcases? Pillowcases that are soaked with sweat during sleep may have invisible germs growing on them. Sweating itself is good, but it also activates germs and makes it easier for mites to breed. Wash pillowcases at least once every three days to keep them clean.
⑤ Get into the Habit of Sweating
If you are not exercising, your sweat glands may be dormant, making it difficult for you to sweat. If you do not sweat, the function of the sweat glands will deteriorate and it will cause odor.
Insufficient exercise also causes poor blood circulation and a decrease in the body’s metabolism, resulting in difficulty in getting nutrition to the hair and may cause healthy hair to not grow. Exercise aggressively for your physical and hair health.
⑥ Take Care of Stress
When stress builds up, the autonomic nerves are disturbed and the sympathetic nerves dominate. It is said that when the sympathetic nerve becomes dominant, male hormones increase and the amount of sebum secreted increases. Excessive secretion of sebum is also a cause of unpleasant odors, so stress care is very important.
There are various causes of stress, such as work, housework, childcare, and relationships. It is difficult to spend time without feeling stress, so be aware of a life that does not accumulate excessive stress.
Also Read: How To Prevent Your Scalp From Itching After Hair Coloring
What Causes Scalp Smell?
Now that you know how to deal with scalp odors, many of you may be wondering, “What is the cause of odors in the first place?” There are three main causes of scalp odor. Understanding the cause will help you understand how important countermeasures are. Please check each one to raise awareness.
① Miscellaneous Bacteria
There are many “indigenous skin flora” on the scalp, which is a type of germs. It is said that the scalp, which is in a jungle-like state due to the presence of hair, has more indigenous skin bacteria than other parts such as arms and legs.
The propagation of germs is the root cause of scalp odor. In order not to generate odor, the point is how to suppress the growth of germs.
② Sebum
The amount of sebum is deeply related to the unpleasant odor of the scalp. Sebum has the effect of smoothing the hair and preventing the scalp from drying out. Therefore, it is a problem whether the amount of sebum is small or large, and it is important to maintain an appropriate amount of sebum.
When sebum is excessively secreted due to a greasy diet, stress, lack of sleep, etc., food germs propagate and generate an unpleasant odor.
③ Sweat
A large amount of sweaty scalp provides an environment in which germs can easily grow. Since various germs increase sebum as food, they generate an unpleasant odor on the scalp apart from the odor of sweat.
If you sweat, wipe it off frequently to keep it clean. Also, when wiping off sweat, rubbing it strongly will cause the scalp to dry, and to compensate for this, excessive secretion of sebum is likely to occur.
It will be a vicious cycle, so please be careful to wipe off sweat gently and carefully.
Adult Etiquette to Prevent Scalp Odor
It is a problem of hair that increases with age, but not only thinning hair and hair loss, but also odors can cause discomfort to the surroundings. If you start to notice the smell of your scalp, try to improve your lifestyle and review your hair care.
First of all, it is important to clarify the cause of the smell. If you have any other symptoms such as itching or dandruff, you may have a skin condition, so consult a dermatologist as soon as possible.
If you make good use of hair care products that not only prevent odors but also prevent hair growth and hair loss, you will be able to prevent scalp problems in advance. Take early care before it’s too late.
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