Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bassexpander]

Before we married, my wife's hair smelled normal. Since that time (about the time she started spending big money on this expensive perm) her hair smells bad to me. It's bad enough that I can smell it sitting next to her, and quiet honestly, although she's beautiful, I find it very unnatractive. When it's wet, and she drys it, it smells up the entire house. She washes it very well daily, so that's not the problem. At first I thought that maybe it was the shampoo she used, but she switched to Pantene and the same problem exists.

I'm assuming this smell either comes from the perm (most likely) or a change in diet since we married?

Have you ever experienced a perm causing your hair to smell bad? I'm upset because she knows this bothers me and I can't imagine that other people don't notice it too. Still, she went back to the same expensive Apkujeong shop and got this same expensive perm again. Her hair looks nice, but smells bad. This time it's a straight perm.

Any suggestions? Have you ever experienced a perm making your hair smell bad? It's almost like a dingy smell or something.

[diver]

Man, I know where you are coming from.

You're not imagining it.

Same thing here. My wife swears she can't smell anything. It smells like cat pee to mee...I am not sure what the hell they use, but it stinks.

[maeil]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's the perm. I've never had one myself but I can call up a memory of what that permy scent smells like... I don't think cat pee is too far off. Reminds me of old ladies in the hair salon when I was a kid... their grey hair wrapped up tightly in pink plastic rollers as the chemicals did their stuff.

[bassexpander]

But she's had perms before, and after a few days, the smell wore off. She had this one for two or three months and it never went away. Then she got it again, and it's really strong again.

[Stormy]

I've never had a perm so am unsure of exactly the smell you're talking about but the term cat pee would make me think of ammonia.
Many hair dyes have ammonia in them & it stinks very much like urine. I know when you use one of these kits to dye your hair it can take a few hours for the smell to fade. Don't really see why it would last so long with a perm? *shrug*
Btw bassexpander, that's a rather disturbing avatar you have there. Is there a story to it?

[oskinny1]

[thematrixiam]

[moosehead]

well, don't know if it will help but back in the day - believe it or not, there was't always such a thing as conditioner.

some rinses we used which might help (or not)

vinegar and water - use about 1/10th vinegar to water - tall glass size

lemon juice and water - squeeze an entire lemon/dilute with half glass of water

room temperature beer - one bottle is fine.


all of these rinses are last after shampooing and do NOT need to be rinsed out - they should not leave any residue or odor.

if her hair is damaged (which it might be) she might have to wait until it grows out again for the odor to leave - in the mean time, she should NOT go back to that salon - they are definitely doing something wrong.

if none of the above works, there's always tomato juice, tried and true to remove skunk odor - but yes, this you DO rinse out

[kiwiduncan]

Perhaps you could persuade her to become a buddhist nun.

[bassexpander]

[Kimchi Cowboy]

[ultra]

The smell is from the perm chemicals.
Perms are popular but they are also hazardous to health.
The same can be said about high heels.
I watched a Korean tv program about the health problems caused by high heels. It showed deformed feet and the surgery required to straighten them.
Here is some info from a National Geographic article about health, including perms.

http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/31/personalcare

Perms to Dye For

Anyone who's ever had a perm or dye job can testify to the harsh effects these products have on our eyes, nose and skin. Perm and hair dye solutions contain APEs and highly caustic chemicals like ammonium hydroxide that can irritate mucous membranes, burn skin and go through rubber gloves. Nellie Brown, M.S., director of the Chemical Hazard Information Program at Cornell University and author of Hair Dresser Hazards, found that about 20 percent of hairdressers must leave the profession because of health problems associated with chemical use.

Permanents work by using chemical compounds called thioglycolates to break the protein bond in the hair without destroying the hair itself. The protein bond then reforms while the hair is rolled and the permanent solution is neutralized. Aubrey Hampton writes in What's In Your Cosmetics, "...the strong detergents used to degrease the hair and allow penetration of the thioglycolates into the hair shaft also enhance absorption of this corrosive, caustic chemical into the skin." Nancy Summers of The Living Source, a company that sells thioglycolate-free VitaWave Perms, says that many perms marketed as natural "may be deodorized--which simply disguises the odor--but may not be free of the toxic chemicals."

Temporary hair dyes can trigger allergies, and permanent coal-tar dyes increase the risk of some types of cancer. According to a 1994 American Cancer Society study, the good news is that women using the lighter colored permanent hair dyes are not generally at increased risk of fatal cancer. But, prolonged use of dark--particularly black--permanent hair dyes may have increased risk of fatal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

There are hair colorants available that stain the hair cuticle without damaging it, made from henna (derived from the herb Lawsonia alba) or other plants like beets, rhubarb and walnuts. Use these dyes with care as well, as they can be allergenic. Aveda now sells custom colors--with no ammonia, peroxide or coal tar dyes--that are mixed into conditioners and last 3-4 shampoos.

NOTE: Doctors advise avoiding permanents and chemical hair dyeing processes during pregnancy and nursing, to avoid passing chemicals along to the fetus or infant.

[moosehead]

[billybrobby]

[peppermint]

yeah, having been to a brewery sponsored event a few years ago, where people decided beer throwing was at least as much fun as beer drinking, I can say with 100% certainty, that beer leaves a scent in your hair.

Still, it made my hair look phenomenal, and beer scented hair has to be better than perm scented hair.