Stinky Shampoo Stinks

May 6, 2010 1:57 PM

What is the best way to mask the smell of all of those stinky shampoos for psoriasis/eczema/seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff/etc?

My husband uses all these products to help combat all skin issues he has on his scalp and body. My apartment isn't that big, so after he takes a shower or bath using these products, my whole apartment smells pretty bad and it lingers for a little longer than I am okay with...

Am I the only person that experiences this? I'm looking for any suggestions on masking these odors.

posted by amylicious to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

masking smells is a losing game. open the windows, run a fan pointing outside to move the air out of your apartment. open another window, away from the bathroom with the fan blowing into your apartment to replace the air.

if you must, get an oust or lysol spray in "clean" or "laundry" scent.
posted by nadawi at 2:06 PM on May 6, 2010

Whenever I have soap from Lush in the shower, it perfumes up the whole room, particularly if someone's just washed with it. Maybe there's a variety that plays nice with his skin? If not, you could get some for yourself.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:08 PM on May 6, 2010

Is he using one of the coal-tar shampoos? Those are the stinkiest, and a different shampoo might work and not be as heavily scented. Also, he might try asking his dermatologist for a recommendation. Clobetasol, which is a prescription ointment for flaky skin, is much less stinky than any of the anti-dandruff shampoos.
posted by zippy at 2:20 PM on May 6, 2010

Coal tar is the only thing that works for the husband. It helps if he showers with the bathroom door closed, and the window open. You might also consider putting a fan in the bathroom to help direct the stink out the window.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:25 PM on May 6, 2010

Response by poster: Coal tar is among the products he uses/rotates... Unfortunately my bathroom doesn't have a window, but does have a (kinda weak) fan. This means that the only ventilation I have is either fan-only or blowing it through the whole apartment (which seems to happen anyway). Thanks for the suggestions so far... :)
posted by amylicious at 2:32 PM on May 6, 2010

Has he tried Head & Shoulders Intensive Treatment Shampoo? It's completely different and more effective than the regular H&S and--despite its name--its smell is not at all bad.
posted by neuron at 2:42 PM on May 6, 2010

I am very happy with high-quality soy candles for eating up ambient odor in my house. I like the ones by Henri Bendel and Archipelago. They're not cheap, but they have nice, natural scents -- not Cookie Pie or Sour Apple or whatever. Garishly colored cheap candles smell terrible to me, usually. I find that they also work remarkably fast to take smells out of the air.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:57 PM on May 6, 2010

I don't know if this will help but sometimes when I fix certain foods the smell lingers in my house. I have found that what will get the stinky food smell out was spraying Renuzit's Super Odor Neutralizer Spray, maybe you could give that a try.
posted by govtdrone at 3:11 PM on May 6, 2010

This isn't what you asked about, but have him ask his doctor for a prescription for Beta-Val in lotion form. It's in a rubbing alcohol base, and has a wonderful applicator, so you can apply it to the scalp directly, even after your hair is styled. It smells like alcohol for all of 2 minutes before the vehicle evaporates. It also burns a bit but it works *wonders* on eczema and such in a way the shampoos have NEVER done for me. (I only need it once a week or so despite bad scalp eczema.)
posted by disillusioned at 3:32 PM on May 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Usually, only the coal tar shampoos smell really bad.
posted by candasartan at 3:55 PM on May 6, 2010

I tried using tar shampoos but the smell made me gag. I use Nizoral. It really works for me, it doesn't smell bad, and I only use it once a week.
posted by futureisunwritten at 4:18 PM on May 6, 2010

Burning a plain, unscented candle for 15 minutes or so may help dispel odors as well.
You could also try Ozium - "friends" used to use it to get rid of certain strong herbal smells; it works incredibly well!
posted by dbmcd at 4:36 PM on May 6, 2010

Suggest he try alternatives to coal-tar for a week or two. Nizoral and Salicylic-acid based shampoos (I think Neutrogena has one, T-Sal?) are good options. He may find that switching every now and then is more effective than sticking with one kind of shampoo.
posted by zippy at 10:02 PM on May 7, 2010