Is Beer an Effective Dandruff Home Remedy?

Beer based hair products are picking up in popularity, but is it a fad or is there some truth to this?

Why do people believe in using beer for dandruff and hair?

Is beer or beer shampoo anti dandruff?

Side effects of using beer for hair

You might have found beer at your favourite bar or a party with your friends, but who would have thought of using beer for hair trouble. Maybe it’s just the novelty of it all, or the fact that certain celebrities swear by the conditioning benefits of beer. But beer is being used for dryness, oiliness and even dandruff.

Beer is a frothy alcoholic drink that is made from fermenting malt barley. This fermentation is done through starch-based yeast, with flavoured hops being added to the mix. Some studies have shown that there are benefits to drinking beer on occasion. It is not extensive, but they do exist. However, when it comes to topical application of beer for hair and scalp ailments, there are certain concerns that crop up.

There are various claimed benefits of using beer on your head, which has largely anecdotal evidence. Beer contains Vitamin E, D, B (Biotin), Selenium, Zinc, Iron, Calcium, and Protein. These make it sound like a multi-vitamin cocktail, but all of these are in trace amounts. People claim that beer and beer shampoo use these ingredients to help with the following supposed hair benefits.

• It is said to have moisturising and conditioning properties

• It can increase the shine and lustre of your hair strands

• It can soften your hair strands and make them more manageable

• It can get rid of oiliness and greasiness

• It can cure your dandruff

• It can get rid of dry scalp

• It contains antioxidant properties that can stop ageing

• The hope that contain silica can strengthen hair follicles

Basically, if there is any problem on your hair and scalp, beer can apparently cure it. The suggested method of using beer for hair dandruff is to pour it onto your scalp as a cleanser or combine it with coconut oil, avocado oil, egg, honey, or apple cider vinegar. Beer shampoo uses some of these ingredients as well.

Dandruff is a scalp ailment that is caused by an excessively oily scalp and a naturally occurring fungus called Malassezia Globosa. If for some reason your scalp starts secreting extra oil, there is a tendency for it to build up. This is fodder for the fungus that breaks down the oil into constituents that your body might react to. 1 in 2 people across the world are sensitive to this, leading to severe scalp itching, redness, and whitish flakes which is your dead skin cells falling off.

So, when using beer for hair dandruff, the aim is to go after the root causes of dandruff. Beer is not necessarily anti-fungal in nature and can’t really help you with the dandruff causing germs. It can dry out any greasiness on your skin and people believe that this is enough to take care of your dandruff. But once you stop, your dandruff is bound to come back. There are only limited studies to prove any efficacy of using beer for dandruff, and it can be disastrous for your scalp.

You need to understand that you’re basically putting alcohol on your scalp and hair, in the hopes that it dries out the extra oil. But this could lead to unintended consequences.

• It can excessively dry out your scalp and strip away the natural oils. This triggers your scalp into producing even more oil, which can end up increasing your dandruff.

• It can open up the cuticle layer of your hair and dry out the hair strand. This can lead to frizzy hair.

• It can be destructive on hair colour.

• The carbon dioxide in the beer can react with water and turn it into hard water, which can damage your hair.

• You can have an allergic reaction to the beer. It can also react with different hair products while on your scalp.

• It can weaken your hair strands and increase hair fall.

• It can cause premature greying of your hair.

• It can change the texture of your hair.

• It is an extremely expensive anti dandruff remedy.

• Do you really want to enter an office smelling of beer every day?

You’re better off saving your money and using some of the many dandruff home remedies that exist around the world. You can use:

• Aloe vera

• Apple Cider Vinegar

• Lemon juice

• Neem

• Tea Tree oil

But if you’re in a rush, the best option is to use an anti dandruff shampoo such as the Head and Shoulders Neem. This can clear out the dandruff causing germs and prevent the flakes from coming back. Or if you want to mimic the supposed conditioning benefits of beer, use the Head and Shoulder 2in1Smooth and Silky which has the benefit of shampoo and conditioner in one. This combination of a shampoo and a conditioner, restores your dry hair and leaves you upto 100% dandruff free (visible flakes with regular use). Using beer for dandruff is a fad, one that will soon come to an end. You’d rather use that money to buy a product that actually works.