If you’ve ever watched a romantic movie against your will, you know that it’s every woman’s dream to run her hands through soft, delicious hair before pulling her prince charming in for a passionate kiss. Don’t let your smelly hair ruin your happy ending! Use the best shampoo for smelly scalp to ensure that you’re always ready for a prince charming moment.
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Viking Revolution Tea Tree Shampoo (Our Top Pick)
Tea tree oil is amazing for smelly scalp, and Viking Revolution knows what they’re doing with tea tree oil. Like many essential oils, it targets bacteria that create those unpleasant odors that build up at your scalp. You’ll feel a sort of tingling sensation while it does it’s job, and you’ll see almost immediate results.
Viking Revolution’s shampoo even goes a step further, softening your hair while making your scalp smell awesome. If you don’t know what tea tree oil smells like, it’s sharp and fresh, sort of planty, and almost medicinal (but in a good way). Viking Revolution dilutes that scent slightly so that it doesn’t overpower your head. It’ll be a huge upgrade for your hair.
Pros:
• Tea tree oil is one of the best essential oils for smelly scalp.
• Softens hair and helps with itchiness.
• Pleasant smell. It’s planty in the best way possible.
Cons:
• It’s not strongly scented. It’ll still get rid of unpleasant odor, but it doesn’t have that sharp, strong tea tree scent.
Maple Holistics Degrease Shampoo
For some guys, treating smelly hair means treating oiliness. Your natural oils keep your skin moisturized and happy, but they also trap all those bad smells that you come into contact with throughout the day. Maple Holistics can help you defeat the oils to defeat the bad smells.
Their degrease shampoo uses some drying components to dissolve oil, paired with citruses, rosemary, basil, and more to restore healthy moisture and give your hair a fresh scent. That’s the double edged sword that you need to watch out for – if you suffer from dry, frizzy hair, Maple Holistics is not for you. It’ll worsen your condition since it’s designed for oily scalp.
Pros:
• Dissolves natural oils that may be trapping bad smells against your scalp.
• Nice subtle spice and citrus scent.
• After a few weeks of use, you can start washing hair every other day rather than every day.
Cons:
• Awful for dry, frizzy hair.
Brickell Men’s Shampoo
Sometimes smelly scalp gets you a little down in the dumps. If you’re struggling to feel manly or cool because your hair smells bad, then pick up Brickell Men’s shampoo. Not only does it restore that fresh, prince charming look and smell, but it’ll give you the confidence boost you need.
Anecdotally, I’ve heard it cures every ailment from dandruff to receding hair. I wouldn’t believe it all, but it certainly speaks to how much men trust Brickell Men’s. They went with a safe ingredient list, opting for tea tree oil to help with bad smells, but adding in some peppermint to create a warmer, classic men’s scent.
Pros:
• Brickell Men’s is the luxury men’s hair care brand that guys rave about. Trustworthy and high-quality.
• Use it not only for smelly scalp, but also for dandruff, oiliness, volume, and shininess.
• Minty, warm scent.
Cons:
• The bottle is small and doesn’t last as long as you’d hope.
Anthony Body Wash & Shampoo
Most brands default to tea tree oil to cure smelly scalp, but Anthony has a unique angle here. They use eucalyptus, which has antiseptic properties, with pine to achieve the same results with a sharper, fresher scent. Talk about adventurous!
Their body wash and shampoo is a 2-in-1 product, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend using it that way. It’s one of those investments that will be more worthwhile and long lasting if you limit yourself and only use it on your hair. It has a great lather that feels good as you’re scrubbing, and provides a mini aromatherapy shower session. The eucalyptus can even help unclog your sinuses.
Pros:
• Eucalyptus is the perfect ingredient to tackle smelly scalp.
• Lathers and scrubs wonderfully.
• 2-in-1 products! Great value.
• Pine and Eucalyptus make for a unique, fresh but manly smell.
Cons:
• Even though it’s 2-in-1…I wouldn’t recommend using it as a body wash. You’ll use up the bottle far too quickly.
Mr. Alpha Scalp Therapy Shampoo
There’s one odor-causing scalp condition that we haven’t fully addressed yet: dryness and flakes. Dandruff isn’t really known to cause bad smells, but it can be a symptom of the same problems that cause smelly scalp, like fungus and skin irritation.
Contrary to its name, Mr. Alpha is gentle and hydrating with soothing jojoba oil. It brings moisture back to the roots of your hair in the hopes that curing skin irritation will also kill bad smells. Though the company is fairly new to the hair care game, they seem to have the right idea. If you’re looking for up-and-coming success stories. Mr. Alpha is a fun bet.
Pros:
• Great for smelly hair that suffers from dryness.
• Hydrates scalp and roots, soothes skin irritation.
• Best shampoo for short hair with smelly scalp.
Cons:
• Mr. Alpha is new to the hair care game. They’re still in the process of building credibility.
Why Does My Hair Smell Bad Even Though I Wash It?
Persistent smelly hair is often tied to scalp conditions like dandruff, dermatitis, excessive sweat and oil, bacteria, fungal infections, and more. If switching over to better shampoo doesn’t improve the smell of your scalp, you may need to see a doctor or dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment.
Otherwise, some guys just don’t know how often to wash their hair.
Men with thicker, coarser hair don’t need to wash as often – maybe just a few times a week. The follicles absorb more oil and stay relatively clean for longer. But guys with thin or sparse hair don’t have that benefit. Fine hair follicles don’t absorb oil very well, so you get that greasy-roots. A good daily shampoo will fix that.
How Do You Get Rid Of Smelly Scalp?
Use one of the best shampoos for smelly scalp!
I recommend giving extra consideration to shampoos that contain essential oils. Essential oils are powerful natural scents. Not only do they replace bad smells, but they treat the underlying conditions that cause smelly scalp, like oiliness, inflammation, itchiness, sensitivity, and more.
Essential oils to keep an eye out for in your shampoos:
• For bacteria-related smelliness: tea tree oil or lemongrass
• For skin sensitivity: sandalwood or lavender
• For oiliness: sage or rosemary
You can also use home remedies, like rinsing with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to balance the pH of your scalp. Your pH measures how acidic or basic something is, like the surface of your skin. Sometimes that pH balance is thrown off, and it results in bad smells.
If you notice any skin irritation, hair loss, or other side effects when you’re trying out smelly scalp shampoos, stop using the product immediately and go to a dermatologist if symptoms persist. Though, hopefully your new smelly scalp shampoo will be a smashing success.
Frank Edwards
Frank Edwards is a men's grooming & style expert who is "internet famous" for being able to simplify complicated grooming routines into easy, yet effective rituals any man can do. As a professional analyst, he has spent years researching the biggest brands, products, experts, best practices, and breaking news in the space. He takes this analysis, tests it out on himself, and then documents everything in his writing. As a result, his experience-based articles are considered by some to be the gold standard in men's grooming and men's style.
