So I was having drinks with some friends this weekend when there was a minor beer-spilling incident which resulted in wet hair. Fortunately, the spillee was more mature about the situation than I would have been. One drop of moisture on my hair and I start to look like a poodle! She jokingly said “It’s ok, beer’s probably good for your hair anyway. It’s all natural”. At this point, of course, the entire room turned to me. I didn’t have an answer for them, but I told them I would do some research.

I found out that beer is not only good for your hair, but for your skin as well!

Use beer as a shine enhancing conditioner:

This is not something that needs to be done everyday. Once a week is more than enough, and you could probably get away with doing it once a month.

- Mix one cup of beer with 1 tsp olive oil to make a conditioner. (Set remaining beer aside for facial mask!)

- Shampoo as usual

- Pour beer mixture onto hair and massage into scalp for a few minutes.

- Rinse with cool water

Why it works: Beer acts as an acidic finishing rinse, which tightens the outer layer of your hair’s cuticle. This allows the light to bounce off the smoothed cuticle, giving increased shine.

I promised I would research beer’s effects on hair, and while I love a shine enhancing rinse as much as the next girl, I am much more fascinated and excited about beer’s benefits for your skin!

In ancient Egypt, which is considered to be the birthplace of beer, upper class women including Cleopatra, soaked in beer baths because they believed it had beauty enhancing properties.

More than 4,000 years later, we know that they were right, and we know why!

Beer contains:

- Brewer’s Yeast, which contains micro-organisms called saccaromyces cereviseae (SC). SC consume acne causing bacteria and prevent new bacteria from adhering to the skin. (SC reproduce at up to 24 new cells per second, so imagine the benefits a 15-minutes mask could have!)

- Riboflavin, biotin, and vitamin b12 regulate the skin’s sebum (oil) production, therefore keeping it at a healthy PH level.

- Pantothenic acid and Vitamin B Complex make skin smooth and supple.

- Hops contains antioxidants necessary for increasing the skin’s ability to protect and heal itself. Antioxidants are used in all anti-aging products.

- A whole array of other vitamins and nutrients.

People with acne prone skin can splash beer onto skin after cleansing for a bacteria- fighting addition to your regular skin care routine. Allow the beer to work it’s magic while you finish getting ready, then rinse with warm water and moisturize.

Use beer as a Moisturizing anti-acne facial mask:

What you’ll need:

- 1 TBS beer

- 1 TBS plain yogurt

- the white of 1 egg

Mix all items together to make a face mask (it’s best to put in blender for 20 – 30 seconds) – you can also add almond extract and/or lemon extract if you have them.

- dampen skin with a warm wet washcloth

- apply mask to skin

- allow to sit for 15 – 20 minutes

- rinse with warm water

- apply moisturizer

Although applying beer topically can have positive beauty benefits, ingesting it does not necessarily have the same effect. Anyone who's seen themselves with a hangover knows this all too well! 

Send your beauty questions to pamperpa[email protected] and I’ll answer them in my next blog.

Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for another dose of the beauty blog!

Thanks,

Bethany