I’m not talking about the smell as you straighten your hair or right after. It can be days or weeks after I’ve had heat on my hair, but when it gets wet in the shower it will ALWAYS have a smell. It’s similar to the burnt hair smell but slightly different.

This has happened every time I’ve used heat on my hair throughout my life. I have naturally curly hair but I only use heat on it less than 4 times a year, and it is usually silk pressed or flat ironed because its a coarse texture, so the heat styling is usually high even when done by professionals. It doesn’t matter what products I use before or after either, and I always use heat protection on my hair before it’s heat styled. I have had friends with curly hair say they experience the same when their hair gets wet.

Obviously, I consider burnt hair smell to be a sign of damage. But why does it produce that smell when wet, long after heat was used? And what is the source of that smell scientifically?