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There are just way too many factors that contribute to the problem of sweaty, smelly hair. The main culprit: The oppressive heat here in sunny Singapore. But smelly hair also hits when we patronise restaurants and cafes without proper kitchen ventilation that leave us smelling like fried food after our meal. Other sporadic instances include when we are just feeling too lazy to wash our hair, or when the shower breaks down, and perhaps running out of shampoo.

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No matter. You just want to get rid of the malodorous mop on your head, pronto. But whatever you do, refrain from spraying your favourite perfume into your rank tresses. Three reasons why:

#1. Perfume and sweat smells don’t mix well.
Most regular perfumes do not mix well with offensive odours unfortunately, and you could very well end up with an even funkier-smelling head of hair.

#2. The high alcohol content in perfumes are bad for your scalp.
Most perfumes contain up to 90 percent alcohol and when it hits the scalp, it causes trouble. It makes the scalp dry and can even lead to scalp flaking and dandruff.

#3. It’s bad for hair too.
With the high alcohol content, perfumes leave strands severely dried out too. If you really must have that scent on your hair, perhaps try spraying the perfume onto your hair brush and let the alcohol evaporate for about 10 seconds before brushing your hair.

You can also try a hair perfume mist. These are made with lower alcohol content (although they do contain some alcohol to carry the scent and help it to be evenly distributed when sprayed from the bottle). Some even have ingredients that are beneficial for hair like glycerin and botanical extracts, which moisturise tresses.

Just a quick warning here: Do not apply any hair perfume on hair that is wet with perspiration as this may cause it to smell worse. Instead, blowdry hair or wait for it to air-dry, then part hair and spritz your hair perfume at least 20 cm from your scalp for the best product distribution. Do not spray too enthusiastically too, as overpowering scents are always a no-no. About 2-3 spritzes should tide you through until your next hair wash.