I don't care much for alcohol but my hair has a drinking problem. But it looks so shiny and feels so light that I forgive it! I have been using a beer hair rinse in the last few weeks, ever since I got a lot of compliments on my hair when I first tried this out. The beer rinse gives bounce and volume to my hair, adds shine and brings out the curl.
The beer hair rinse has been around since a while, at least since the gorgeous Catherine Zeta-Jones announced she washes her hair with it. (anyone else think she was gorgeous in The Mask Of Zorro?). Beer helps prevent hair fall (due to vitamin B and amino acids). The vitamin B regulates the oil production of the scalp. The yeast is also great. It has an acidic pH, which means it closes the hair scales which makes the hair shine. In this photo I have used a beer rinse and owe the glossiness to beer.
And the smell? I let the beer go flat, and I rinse the beer out and unlike Catherine I don't sense any beery smell. Now that I think of it, the cider apple vinegar rinse makes my hair smell more. If you're concerned, you can add a couple drops of an essential oil.
How to make a beer hair rinse:
Take 1/2 to1/3 glass of light beer. The best would be organic, unpasteurized beer without conservants. You need to make the beer flat -- either leave it open for a days or two or simmer it. (Itś a great way to use up leftover flat beer after a party!)
There are several ways to use this:
- Dilute your shampoo with beer and wash your hair with it.
- Wash as usual and use the beer (diluted if you wish) as the second-last rinse. For best results work it gently into your hair and scalp, let it sit for 5 minutes before you wash it off.
- Mix 1:1 with water and use as the last hair rinse.
- If you want a more intensive treatment, try this: after washing your hair rub half of the beer into your scalp, wait 15 minutes then rub in the rest. Don't rinse out.
I use the second method. You can also mix the beer with herb tisanes or honey. Honey is moisturising, but it lightens the hair and it needs to be washed out well.
The effects of a beer rinse stay around for a couple of weeks, this means you don't need to do a hair beer rinse very often.
Apparently beer can also be used as a styling liquid -- 1:1 mixture of beer and (distilled or boiled) water, in a sprayer --- that's what many grandmas did and Catherine Zeta-Jones still does!
