The 5 weirdest hair treatments that are actually supposed to work
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve done in the name of good health? Maybe you’ve visited a nudist spa in a remote European region or embarked on a fad diet that only let you eat purple foods – but we bet you’ve never used beer, aspirin or placenta on your hair.
Believe it or not, these three ingredients are legitimate DIY hair treatments that are supposed to do wonders for growing and strengthening your locks. If you’re even the slightest bit intrigued, you’ll want to read on to find out more.
Here are the 5 weirdest hair treatments for you to try out (or not) today:
1. Squid ink shampoo
Sorry, but squid ink is exactly how it sounds: it’s a dark ink produced by squid, usually as an escape mechanism. Bizarrely, once upon a time, somebody had the idea to collect up their own vial of squid ink and test it out for all number of uses – we now use squid ink for everything from writing with to dying our pastas and risottos.
You can buy legitimate squid ink hair products online, and they’re not cheap, either. Apparently, the combination of amino acids and melanin found in squid ink are effective at penetrating hair follicles to repair, restore and replenish proteins that have been damaged or lost. Once you get past the scary blackish tinge of a squid ink hair product, you might actually find it benefits your hair on impressive levels.
2. Placenta hair mask
No, we’re not suggesting you contact a pregnant lady to ask her what exactly she’s planning to do with her placenta once she’s given birth – you’ll be relieved(ish) to know that placenta hair care products contain animal placenta extract. Gross or not, placentas are a rich source of bioactive components including growth factors and hormones, which make them effective at increasing hair follicle growth and decreasing shedding.
Unsurprisingly, there’s no make your own DIY recipe for this one, so if you’re prepared to do all for the sake of faster-growing hair, you’ll most likely need to buy your placenta products online.
3. Beer wash
If you’ve ever been to a club, festival or a concert, you’ll be familiar with the gross, sticky feeling of beer in your hair. Why anyone would spend money on a can that they’re planning to half-drink before chucking at someone’s head, we don’t know – but that’s another issue entirely.
Anyway, perhaps you should thank the resident beer can thrower on your next night out, because as it turns out, sticky or not, the bitter substance is pretty good for your hair. Apparently, because beer is a good source of yeast and protein, it can help repair damaged hair and revive volume. Additionally, the sucrose and maltose sugars in beer help create shine. Beer wash, anyone?
4. Cocoa powder
Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you. Cocoa powder – you know, the stuff that makes your favourite chocolate bars – is apparently the nourishing ingredient your hair didn’t know it was missing out on. It’s packed with essential vitamins and minerals that add moisture, shine and volume to hair while promoting growth. You can also use coco powder to give dark hair a colour boost, or to naturally darken lighter hair.
You can make your own DIY cocoa powder hair mask using a few basic ingredients you’ll probably find in your kitchen cupboards. Mix half a cup of cocoa powder with a teaspoon of honey and half a cup of plain yogurt. Stir it well to form a paste, then apply into your hair, working from the roots to the tips. Leave the mixture in your hair for three to five minutes, then rinse off without shampooing.
5. Aspirin
You’ve probably only ever taken aspirin to treat a headache, but according to the internet, applying aspirin mixed with shampoo to your scalp could help reduce scalp inflammation that causes dandruff and help exfoliate flakes on the skin. If you’re curious to give this topical aspirin treatment a go, you can make the concoction by crushing two or three uncoated aspirins and mixing them into the normal amount of shampoo used each time you wash your hair. Results may vary.
We want to make it very clear here that taking aspirin orally is not a DIY treatment to be trusted. For some people, aspirin has resulted in a mild anaemia that can cause brittle hair and hair loss. If you want to avoid losing your hair, you should only ever consume aspirin when you’re actually ill.