DIY Beauty: let your hair be besotted with beer

Hey VivaBellas! Do you like drinking beer? Well, I used to love them, especially the German and Irish beer and will have them at least once or twice a week. However, it’s been a long time since I’ve drank beer again but I recently took some sips from Carlsberg for the sake of my hair. Yes, the beer was for my hair, not for myself. LOL.

Beer to add body to hair
You must have come across this tip before – using beer to add body to the hair. I used to shampoo my hair with beer as a teen, thinking that it would grow me some hair but really, it only made my hair look fuller. The reason is because beer is a fermented drink containing generous supplies of yeast and vitamin Bs, which are said to repair damaged hair, nourish and boost overall body. In addition, it can also give hair some added shine.

Mix, wash and rinse
I’ve come across a recipe to make a beer shampoo but I’m not really keen on that as I only want to try this occasionally. Come on, beer isn’t that cheap! You can use beer as a last rinse but in this case, what I did was to add beer to my shampoo and also used it as a rinse after conditioning. It’s really easy but just note that you need to let the beer sit out for awhile to deplete carbonation. Then simply pour out a small amount of beer, and mix in with your shampoo. This mixture lathers very well and you’ll find your hair completely cleansed.

Smell is temporary
After the shampoo, you will need to use a hair conditioner as beer doesn’t do the job of conditioning. So you can pour some beer over your hair after you have conditioned and washed your hair. Let the beer sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. I know some people don’t wash out the beer but no way I want to walk around smelling like a drunkard. In fact, your hair will definitely still smell like beer after your rinse off with water but the smell goes away pretty quickly.

Celebrity endorsement
So any of you tried using beer for your hair yet? Do you like it? I read that it’s a favorite with Catherine Zeta Jones. More power to celebrity endorsements. Heh.

Comments

  1. EcoBeauty says:

    did it make your hair less oily or not become oily faster? ? I’m needing some volume on my hair now as I’m growing it long. I’m starting to look like Mrs. Adams from Adams Family cartoon with my limp, oily hair and dark circles.

  2. MsLips says:

    An interesting post. I guess since yeast makes bread rise, the yeast in beer will make hair ends raise and become fuller?

  3. Swati says:

    I have wanted to try beer from a long time but wasn’t sure how it will turn out….I think now I’ll give it a try!!!

  4. heather says:

    i think i’ll end up drinking the beer rather than using it to wash my hair :/ but i’ve tried LUSH cynthia’s stout shampoo which contains beer too. Its very drying if no conditioner is used.

  5. sesame says:

    Haha…yes, that’s why not a good idea to do this often. End up drinking to a bigger belly. ?

    And yes, beer can be drying – difficult to comb without using a conditioner. Thanks for pointing that out.

  6. sesame says:

    Kind of fun to try it…even if it’s just once. ?

  7. sesame says:

    Probably…hair is sort of “fluffy”.

  8. sesame says:

    Yep, not so oily and a bit drying like Heather had pointed out.

    Have you tried dry shampoo btw? I always use Klorane dry shampoo or the DIY concoction of rice powder, corn flour and baking soda. It keeps the oilies at bay.

  9. Chris says:

    I was always curious about this. I’m happy to find out that the smell doesn’t last. ?
    Is there a particular brand of beer you recommend?
    Chris last post is: The Goldmine: Urban Decay Half Baked

  10. sesame says:

    Ah…I just chose a more familiar brand that isn’t so expensive. I think they should work about the same but I wonder if the darker ones are more potent though…

  11. Althea Ramirez says:

    Like Chris, I’ve always been curious to try this out but had been hesitant because of concerns on its smell. But now that I’ve read this, I might as well just try it.

    However, just a quick concern, my hair had been treated and colored, I’m afraid if I’ll apply beer, this might damage it? What do you think? Thanks!

  12. TLE says:

    I had dismissed using beer years back, mainly because of the lingering smell… With my limp hair these days, i guess why not now? Some mentioned that beer is drying. I am thinking using the suggestion of mixing beer with shampoo and then using my good ole coconut milk as conditioner- hhmmm, wondering how that will turn out.

  13. sesame says:

    The smell lingers but it’ll dissipate after awhile. I think not washing off the beer will leave a stronger smell. You can use coconut milk as a conditioner but if you do not use beer after that, I suspect the effect might not be so apparent. I tried once using beer without conditioner and my hair looked much fuller. However, it’s not advisable especially for longer hair, which will definitely get tangle up.

  14. sesame says:

    Should not damage it cos the vit Bs in the beer actually help to protect and nourish. Although it’s a tad drying but I did find there was some shine in my hair when I used it without a conditioner. Anyway, this shouldn’t be used so regularly. Try it and see if you like the results.

  15. EcoBeauty says:

    It gave me a huge dandruff outbreak, lol. My scalp is very sensitive and hard to read. A lot of shampoos–even natural ones–trigger my dandruff. I’m gonna try dry shampoos again, especially on my bangs. They look sticky and yucky at the end of the day. ?

  16. Audris says:

    Just read through the comments. How about using the beer w/o conditioner, but using a leave in conditioner just for the ends of the hair after that? Most hair needs conditioning mostly at the ends… unless it’s very dry hair.

    I’ll give it a try the next time I buy a can of beer ?
    Audris last post is: Review: The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Cream Compact SPF 15 in 102 Natural Ivory

  17. sesame says:

    I don’t use leave in conditioner but yeah, might work. Anyway, now the bad thing is my hair looks flat without the beer. ?

  18. sesame says:

    Don’t use them on your scalp…I apply dry shampoo by pouring the powder into my palm and then going through my hair with my head turned down. You know what I mean? I don’t like the whiteness on my scalp,

  19. xin says:

    a friend taught me to use stout of my hair for hair growth, but i completely forgot about it till i read this. i have tried beer shampoo from skin food, and it is very drying for my hair even though i have oily scalp
    xin last post is: Cartoon Nail Art: Getting Ready to Smurf!

  20. sesame says:

    I’ve used that shampoo from skin food but didn’t find it so great. Oh stout can help with hair growth? I think that was what I might have heard but cannot remember. Wa…but the smell would be very strong right?

  21. jozefin says:

    Ooh, I didn’t know that beer can increase hair volume. Might try it out after my hair cut as I’ve currently got long hair.

  22. sesame says:

    It does…but it can also make your hair a bit dryer so must use conditioner.

  23. xin says:

    was told that stout was what some people used on baby to stimulate their hair growth. we would smell like walking guiness factory!
    xin last post is: Cartoon Nail Art: Getting Ready to Smurf!

  24. sesame says:

    Use on baby??? A bit much right? I know about brandy; tried that when I was younger but boy, the smell! Only can use at night while sleeping.

  25. TLE says:

    I tried according to your post, w/o my usual coconut milk conditioner and the hair is perfectly conditioned! Not sure about volume but hair doesnt look limp at all. Very silky soft… May just be my perfect solution for conditioning hair wash…

  26. sesame says:

    So you didn’t even use a conditioner? Wow, that’s cool. I tried it once on my short hair and it felt rather tangle up. However, it was still manageable since it’s short. But the next time, I couldn’t. Definitely needed a conditioner first. Wonder if it has to do with the amount I used cos I did learn that a few pple mentioned this is also conditioning.

  27. Filpam says:

    Perfect! I will surely try this…

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