Beer rinse! (AKA Grandma was right)

So remember that half full bottle of beer?  I decided to put it to good use.

Ladies, do you remember your mom or grandma talking about how, if you rinse your hair with beer, your hair will turn out shiny and voluminous?  Do you also remember how gross that sounded?  The first time I heard my mom mention it, I thought, ew, I’m going to dump some nasty beer on my head and I’m going to end up smelling like a bar for a week.  It’ll permeate.

My dears, it will NOT permeate!  It actually works!  The proteins in the malt and hops in beer actually coat and repair your hair.  Here’s how to do it.

Take a bottle of warm, FLAT beer.  I’ve been reading up on beer rinses, and most people recommend that you choose a beer that has a weak odor.  Screw that, I says.  I’m a hops fanastic.  I love the smell.  I do not mind being deliciously hops-scented.  But pick whatever beer you like.  If you don’t want to smell like it at all, pick a wimpy beer like Miller Light.  If you’re like me, though, grab some Hopalicious.

Shampoo your hair as usual.  Rinse.  Take yer bottle of beer and dump it, slowly, over your head.  If you are using the last bottle of your homebrew, be prepared for the last layer of wort sediment to hit your head with a resounding * PLOP * like it did to me in the shower this morning. Let the beer absorb for two minutes.

Because of the sediment, I actually had to shampoo my hair twice.  Then I rinsed out the bits and added some conditioner, rinsing really, really thoroughly.  As I was blowdrying, I noticed less frizz, more shine, and more bounce.  And that lovely little hops aroma.

I’ll be doing a bit of research on beer (+ byproducts) and their use as beauty products.  I have a sneaky suspicion that wort makes a GREAT face mask.  Anybody know of any other homeopathic beauty treatments?