Thursday, July 28, 2011

Scalp Air

This is a silly post, but one I think many will "identify" with.

So in the relaxer days I often went two weeks between hair washings. By the end of week 2 my hair was usually behaving splendidly. My wrap was set, my loose wrap waves etched in the stone that had become my trained hair.

But then, every so often, a well intentioned breeze would hit me from behind and blow my "scalp air" to my nostrils.

Good gracious! peee eeewww!
Is that me? (yes) Can other people smell that? (probably) I wonder if my scalp is OK (naw heifer!)

Flakes and irritation were something to be kept at bay with grease and oil, maybe a stocking covered brush. And even though I was accessing my scalp every day - brushing and combing through my straightened hair - my scalp usually betrayed all of my good grooming habits (which omitted water, in any form, entirely).

Skip forward to the natural hair days. I know now that my hair and scalp were not healthy, but going natural didn't immediately shed light on the issue. I did, however, become keenly aware of the 'scalp' smell of other women and pledge not to be her any longer.

My scalp could now be "washed" and amidst my exhaustive hair research I learned that some flakes can be caused by organisms and other more serious conditions. Oh hell no.

So using Sulfer 8, and tea tree and rosemary, and sometimes some Zinc pyrithione in my products, I got my scalp under control over a few years.  I don't need to "grease" my scalp or even use oils that often to keep any dry scalp at bay.  I think alternating co-washing with washing with shampoo also helps keep my scalp from drying out or suffocating under product.  (I like castor oil and tea tree between cornrows and twists if I am keeping them in a while.)  But the most important outward result is that  my "scalp air" now mostly literally smells like juices and berries lol.

I was in the lobby of my job the other day, in the elevator banks.  A well intentioned breeze swam around the little wind tunnel created by the open doors of the building and the wide hall I was in and I began to smell a sweet herby/fruity smell and I was like "hu?"  OH it's this Lavish Curls spray (meh- hardly ever use thus not used to the smell) and my abike shea butter (♥!) all up in my 4 day old hair.  niiiice.  lol

Then woooosh all my memories of scalp smells came back and I found myself countering the sense of fear I used to have, with my current sense of security and unawareness.   Thus this post.

the end.

:-)

4 comments:

  1. Great post, I remember those days myself. I love how my hair smells now or when a co-worker walks by and asks "What do you put in your hair to make it smell so good?" Love it!

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  2. LOL I remember those days! Even now I worry "does my hair smell funky?".

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  3. I can't relate to scalp smell (never been on creamy crack) but I love this post!

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  4. LOL! This is a a great post! ...and I love when the wind blows and i can smell my hair now :)

    p.s. Head over to my blog and enter the giveaway. You can win a $30 Target gift card! :) http://t.co/3xS36Cc

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