How Many Women Here Smell Their Hair as a Stim?

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Elgee
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08 Feb 2022, 1:23 pm

It's so self-soothing and self-regulating, and SO ENJOYABLE, when I repeatedly smell my hair. If it's down I can easily grab a bunch and press it to my nose and just take one sniff after another, like I just did while walking on my treadmill. It smells SOOOOO Good!!

I've been doing this since high school I think, certainly since college (my actual specific memories). All this time I thought it was just something odd I did but supposed that many women also do this. Now I'm realizing it might be stimming behavior fueled by autism (which I'll eventually be evaluated for).

At my computer I sniff my hair ALL THE TIME. I avoid doing this in public.



mohsart
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08 Feb 2022, 2:11 pm

Not a woman (is that relevant?) but I used to do it a lot when I had long hair. Same with my beard when it was long.
I still smell my mustasche.
When with long hair/beard I not only smelled it, I chewed on it and pinched it repeatedly with my nails (still do but less so).

/Mats


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AnonymousAnonymous
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09 Feb 2022, 7:27 pm

I also am obviously not a woman, but I do pull hair off of my stomach but in a non-consecutive way.
(This is usually after I get out of the shower or before I brush my teeth after taking my prescription.)

Whenever I do this, I feel as if it is a stim to me.


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Spunge42
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11 Feb 2022, 2:13 pm

Hmm. I suppose I smell it sometimes. But I'm not sure enough to call it stimming. What I do associate with stimming is definitely playing with my hair. I usually keep it long and it's curly, like long ringlets. So I have a habit of pulling on the ringlets and watching them bounce back when I'm overwhelmed. I find It very satisfying and soothing.


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Juliette
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11 Feb 2022, 7:52 pm

Looking back, I defintely remember chewing on my hair when under ten years, and even engaged in some Pica by eating paper a little. It was mostly others I remember smelling my hair though LOL ... as when I was a first aider, going through the assessments, it was others who would comment, while in Australia, of how good my hair smelled, which I took as a compliment. I am hugely into perfumes though, and love the whole sensory smell experience generally. eg I love it, when a man smells good!



DivergenX
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10 May 2024, 5:37 pm

Yeah…that’s me.
It’s like aromatherapy. But, as a person who processes information visually, using other sensory information for stimming is very centering.
The feel of it between my fingers and the scent is very calming for me.
Some people smell their hands, fingers…..Maybe, it’s a way to check in with a stress response :?:
Seems quite rational to me.