I only wash my hair twice a week but have not really noticed any smell to my hair.  However, I live and work in a smoke and scent free environment, which might make a difference.

What kind of products do you use on your hair? Might they be contributing to the smell?  How about your brush?

I like to oil the ends of my hair with jojoba oil.  I know some people will mix a bit of jojoba oil with distilled water, add a drop or two of a scented oil, shake well and spray lightly on their hair.  This helps to control frizz, but can also add a bit of scent.

I'm not sure how long the scent lasts, but it might help.

You also mention rinsing your hair each day.  You might try rinsing with distilled water instead of tap water.  The distilled water would be less likely to add bacteria or other things that could be creating the smell.

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Have you tried that?  I remember my grandmother talking about doing that, but I have never tried it myself.  I am fortunate to not have an oily head and have not felt a need to try it yet.  (However, I do admit that sometimes I go a day or so beyond what might be socially acceptable for "clean" hair  , but I just put my hair in a bun and no one notices    )

Back in the 70's there was a dry shampoo powder that you were supposed to be able to brush through your hair.  I always figured it was a cornstarch type product -  something that would absorb oils and then be brushed out.

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Sure!  I have oily hair, so I really can't go more than a day or so without at least washing my bangs.  If I don't have time and I'm not going anywhere too important, a quick brush of cornstarch works almost as well.

dear kate,
I do the washing with conditioner only for about 3 month now, in the beginning I washed with Conditioner every second day now I am down to twice a week. On the days you just rinse with water, try rinsing with conditioner instead just water. I feel it cleans and smells better. The first two weeks it took my hair to adjust and the roots felt a little stiff or oily but it went away after a while. I hope this helps.

Hi Everyone,

I am sooooo confused.  I've done the CO washes since April 04, but every third week  I shampoo my scalp.

My question is this:  My hair is fine and oily- would I be better off with CWC than CO?  And HOW OFTEN?

Anyone else with oily fine hair got any kind of tips for me, please------

strawberryfine

Hi Kate,

I wash once a week. What you could try doing is if your scalp gets greasy and you don't want to wash the length is putting your hair up (maybe in a braid or loose bun) and just washing the scalp.

For the smell, try misting your hair with distilled water that has some EO's in it for scent (and maybe a few drops of a carrier oil too for a little extra moisture.) HTH!

Glad the smell is gone! 

I tried the cornstarch thing today and it worked great.  I put it in just to go to the gym, but ended up running a few more errands and my hair still looks fine.  Very convenient for rushed days.

Cornstarch is an extremely fine powder that has been refined from the seed of the maize plant. It is silky smooth, and it "squeaks" when you rub it between your fingers. I've read that in England they call it "corn flour", which is an entirely different product here.

i still wash every three days like with shampoo but i don't have at all that sebum smell anymore although it looks equally greasy. maybe i should try to prolong it as well but i don't mind (co)washing every three days.

and the body powder seemed to have worked better than i thought (i rinsed my scalp afterwards though, i don't trust the chemicals it has besides the corn & rice starch)

Right at the moment I wash on Sundays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays.  Sunday is my Deep Treatment day which I usually leave on overnight on Saturday and wash out on Sunday.  Then I Condition Only wash 1-2 of the other days.  If I have time I will replace the CO wash with an Indian Herb wash.  This schedule has been working out very well for me. Many times I deviate from the schedule and wash the night before if I have to get up early the next day.  I have no patience in the early morning and also dont want to go into the freezing cold with wet hair.  I have tried many times to go longer and wash 2x a week.  My hair doesnt suffer at all from this but my scalp does.  I have sebbhoreic dermatitis (spell? sorry thats a hard one!)  and you dont want to know what my scalp looks and feels like if I wait that long.  The Indian Herbs and the scalp massages with EO and jojoba help also.  Sorry for rambling off subject here!

MahCurlyLocks:
The natural oils collect on the hair closest to the scalp. 
A person with long hair, can brush/comb those oils down the length making them less noticable.  Shorter hair has nowhere for the oils to go, so the hair looks oily. 

The other factor is the scalp trying to compensate for the frequent washing.  When you strip the natural oils from the hair and scalp, the body works to replenish.  The more frequently you wash, the more oil that is produced.  Those of us who shampoo much less frequently took time for the scalp to adjust to the time between shampooing.

You may find you don't have to wash as often as your hair gets longer.  You may want to try condition-only (CO) washing.  This means no shampoo, just using the conditioner to wash and then rinse well.  This may actually help with dry hair, which may be part of the reason you get  "poof".  You may also want to try oiling your hair between washings.  It may also help to tame the "poof" and help with the dry-ness.
HOH.  I don't have curly hair either, but this is what I've gleaned so far from the boards.  Maybe true curlys will have better suggestions.

That's awesome! I wonder, though, does that make hair very oily? Putting oil or shea butter in it, I mean? And I use mousse to keep these poor things under control; can those replace it?

(Sorry for all the questions. I never really was a hair person.  )

Awesome, good to know. I'll have to try it!  

(And I love the wet look for curly hair... ahh.)

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I wasn't much of a hair person either before finding these boards -- look how much I've learned so far

I think you'll like the Jojoba oil and shea butter much better than the mousse.  The combo with aloe vera I've tried a time or two.  It worked pretty well, if you like the wet look it will be awesome.