{"id":31548,"date":"2023-08-06T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-06T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/49720bac-2ae3-411e-b82e-293749d90cf5"},"modified":"2023-08-06T16:38:25","modified_gmt":"2023-08-06T14:38:25","slug":"the-great-beer-shampoo-myth-why-washing-your-hair-with-a-pint-is-pointless","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/the-great-beer-shampoo-myth-why-washing-your-hair-with-a-pint-is-pointless\/","title":{"rendered":"The great beer shampoo myth: Why washing your hair with a pint is pointless"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Dr Nish Manek\n <\/p>

Published: Sunday, 06 August 2023 at 14:00 PM<\/p>

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A quick search online, and you will find lots of articles suggesting that beer used as a shampoo, hair mask, or rinse at home,\u00a0can result in healthy, shiny locks and even promote hair growth.\u00a0There are recipe suggestions for adding\u00a0natural ingredients\u00a0to\u00a0flat beer\u00a0\u2013 like honey, apple cider vinegar,\u00a0or egg\u00a0(as well as oils like jojoba) \u2013 to supposedly enhance\u00a0its conditioning abilities. And in recent years, several new hair products have come to market containing beer, claiming to leave you with luscious, silky locks.<\/p>

The alcoholic brew has long been popular among celebrities and stylists, as a part of a holistic hair care routine.\u00a0In 2009 Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones revealed<\/a> that she uses beer and honey to condition her beautiful,\u00a0black\u00a0mane, which fuelled enthusiasm for it.<\/p>

Why would anyone think of putting beer on their hair in the first place? <\/h2>

It\u2019s thought that two proteins in beer, malt and hops, may help nourish and strengthen your hair follicles.\u00a0These beer proteins can bind with hair cuticles during washing, making them appear smoother and leaving your hair shinier after a wash.<\/p>

Some claim that the protein binds to hair dehydrated from blow drying, straightening and harsh weather, and restores strength and body to it. Anecdotally, people have also claimed that beer can reduce dandruff, cure an oily scalp, minimise hair loss and restore scalp health. Beer is also rich in vitamin B, which can apparently make your hair look shiny when applied\u00a0directly.<\/p>

But there\u00a0are\u00a0a few things worth noting. Firstly, none of this has ever been proven in any kind of trial to my knowledge, so there is no scientific evidence for it. It appears the only research that has been done is by the companies making the products.<\/p>

Online sources expound the nutritional benefits of beer such as its vitamin and mineral content, but it\u2019s hard to see how that would make much difference when applied directly\u00a0to\u00a0hair. Even when beer is drunk, these nutritional benefits are minimal. A true vitamin B deficiency will turn out hair that is dry and brittle, and if that was the case, you\u2019d probably need a multivitamin to take by mouth instead of a topical treatment.<\/p>

Furthermore, the alcohol it contains is likely to be dehydrating, so\u00a0how\u00a0can\u00a0it\u00a0outweigh the benefits of the\u00a0proteins as described above?\u00a0And frankly,\u00a0do you really\u00a0want to carry around\u00a0the smell of beer\u00a0with you all day?<\/p>

So in short, I personally won\u2019t be tossing a can of stout over my hair anytime soon. Admittedly, I\u2019ve never tried it, and I doubt it would do a lot of damage. But it seems like a wasteful use of a good brew\u2026 and perhaps drinking it would stop you worrying too much\u00a0about your\u00a0hair in the first place!<\/p>

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