The search for scent-free haircare
- zillab8
- Nov 26
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 28
For a long time, despite being fragrance sensitive, I was able to use pretty much any shampoo, conditioner and styling product I liked. Then the rain came. I was standing outside trying to fix a broken lock on our garden shed and the heavens opened. Within minutes, I could feel my eyelids burning. Having short cropped hair, my wax had slithered down my face, made contact with the delicate skin on my eyelids and BOOM, that was me done for.
The search for fragrance free hair products was arduous. It's just not something that many manufacturers bother with. Luckily, I was already signed up to the SkinSafe app, which although US-based, still had a few options that I could get hold of easily in the UK. So here are my go tos:
Shampoo
I'm not sure how this would be for someone with long hair, but at less than £5 a bottle, it's a better option to try than some of the other rather pricey fragrance-free offerings. I only have to use shampoo as my hair is so short, I have it cut very regularly, but this does the trick and I take it to my hairdressers to so they can use it there.
Conditioner
Full disclosure, I've not used this - as said above, I don't use conditioner. But this has been recommended by super-sensitive friends and is on the SkinSafe app as safe for me to use. So if I ever decide to grow my hair again, this is the conditioner I'll be using.
Hair Mousse
Olsson products are great, not overpriced and are approved by Allergy UK. This styling spray does enough for my short fine hair to give it hold and a bit of texture when drying it. It is sometimes out of stock - because it's so good - so when I can't get hold of it, I do use Four Reasons No Nothing Sensitive Strong Mousse. It's a bit more expensive and I do prefer Olsson in that it feels lighter on my hair, but it doesn't cause a reaction so that's good enough for me!
Styling Wax
This has been a stylesaver for my short cropped hair. My hairdresser quite likes it too which is high praise from a salon director who has access to every product under the sun!
Hair Spray
The fact the OG Elnett is now doing unfragranced hair spray speaks volumes...excuse the pun.
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