Shampoo recommendations - DS has stinky hair!!

[Anonymous]

How old is he?

[Anonymous]

Try an apple cider vinegar rinse and if you’re not already using them sulfate free clarifying shampoo and conditioner.

[Anonymous]

Our 11 year old's scalp started stinking and we kept telling him to shampoo well. Finally my husband went and really scrubbed his head with shampoo. It smelled fine after really being shampooed. My son said he didn't realize he had to scrub. He has thick hair. We told him he needs to start really washing or he can have a buzz cut.

[Anonymous]

My son (8) has the same despite me scrubbing his hair with Neutrogena t sal. His ped said it’s hormones. I’m afraid another kid is going to mention it. I give him dry shampoo if he doesn’t have a bath the night before.

[Anonymous]

My DD is in the same boat. What finally worked for her:
Head and shoulders, got her a scented version so it doesn’t smell medicinal
Once a week or so, she adds a handful of baking soda.

She is diligent now, bc she knows that we will send her back upstairs to shampoo again if her hair does not pass the mom and dad clean test (which is mostly, if i kiss the top of your head right after your shower, your hair should not stink). We haven’t tried a scrubby thing yet.

Her hair is extremely thick but beyond that she doesn’t have actual dandruff or anything.

[Anonymous]

My son uses Nivea for men in scent "cool".

Sometimes he'll go 2 or 3 days without a shower while in quarantine (no more than 3 days though) and even on the third day, I can still smell the Nivea Cool scent on his hair, it's great!

It's a combination body wash / shampoo and it works great for him.

[Anonymous]

Have him take a bath like when he was little and you wash his hair. Agree with the PPs that he is probably not scrubbing well. If you wash his hair a couple times for him, he'll figure out what he needs to do. You'll also be able to tell whether it's actually an issue with how he's washing, or if there's something else (hormones, scalp condition) causing the smell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our 11 year old's scalp started stinking and we kept telling him to shampoo well. Finally my husband went and really scrubbed his head with shampoo. It smelled fine after really being shampooed. My son said he didn't realize he had to scrub. He has thick hair. We told him he needs to start really washing or he can have a buzz cut.

lol, PP! Our DS was just being lazy, that stinker. Literally.

[Anonymous]

He is not washing good. Don’t blame the shampoo

[Anonymous]

When he's not in the shower, and his hair is dry, show him what you mean by scrubbing his scalp. You do it for him from forehead to nape, ear to ear, then watch him do it. Tell him that is what he has to do in the shower, with shampoo, for a full 2 minutes at least.

Agree it is not the shampoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son (8) has the same despite me scrubbing his hair with Neutrogena t sal. His ped said it’s hormones. I’m afraid another kid is going to mention it. I give him dry shampoo if he doesn’t have a bath the night before.

Uhhhh...the hormones part is your cue that your kid needs a bath every night.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice!

Anonymous wrote:.
OP, would he think it's cool or different to use one of these scalp brushes, designed for use while washing hair? It would encourage him to scrub much better. I can't seem to put the image into this post but you can find scalp brushes for shampooing all over Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. Search using the term "shampoo brush" or "shampoo brush scalp massager." They come in bright colors, have soft nubbly bristles that shouldn't hurt even if he scrubs hard, and are easy to grip with wet hands; you'll see. I'd get a couple of them and would oversee his using them for a while rather than just reminding him through the doorway.

If he still gets occasional smell, you might need to rinse his hair yourself once a week with a vinegar solution to cut the oil on his scalp. Oil is probably what's holding odors on his scalp and if he's not scrubbing his shampoo well enough, the shampoo can't dislodge the oil. You might have to do a bit more intervention and hands-on help once a week if he's stinky.