Confession: I am not a natural blonde.
To keep my bleached blonde tresses in good shape, I use purple-tinged shampoos and deep moisturizing treatments religiously.
I selected four different options: chamomile tea, apple cider vinegar, cola, and beer.
Chamomile is hands down one of my favorite tea blends of all time.
And in addition to making a fantastic cuppa, chamomile also has benefits for bottled blondes.
The plant is known for its brightening benefits.
Some people with light hair note that it brightens their hair, while improving its natural sheen.
Making my rinse was super simple.
I just boiled some water and steeped a few tea bags in my pot.
This didnt have a major visible effect on my strands.
When I used my rinse the next day, the results were practically the same.
Chamomile tea is very gentle, but it is slightly more alkaline than hair, concludes Shah.
Like a good cup of chamomile, apple cider vinegar is another one of my favorite household staples.
Prepping my apple cider hair rinse wasnt complicated.
The vinegar is pretty strong, so its important to dilute it with some water first.
I put four tablespoons of ACV inside an eight ounce cup of water.
Even after my hair was dry, my strands felt soft with a natural shine.
When I used the rinse again the following day, I had similar results.
The vinegar didnt have a negative effect on my color, and my scalp was free of greasy residue.
“Overdoing apple cider vinegar rinses can cause the hair to become dry and brittle,” she says.
“If your hair is light, the vinegar can lighten if further.
I wont lie, the idea of using cola and beer on my hair spooked me out.
I was afraid the harsh ingredients associated with each beverage would trash my locks.
Cola does deposit sugars and other ingredients on the hair and scalp.
Over the long term, this buildup can be bad especially for the scalp, says Shah.
Overdoing this rinse can cause the hair to be dry and brittle.
Rinsing my hair with Coca-Cola was not the best experience to say the least.
Instead of using a bowl, I dumped my small soda can all over my head after shampooing.
Once my hair dried, the end result wasn’t any better.
Not only was my frizz completely out of control, but the dryness was absolutely unbearable.
Even when I attempted to use some curlers, my newfound frizzy mess could not be tamed.
And the next day was even worse.
My hair felt greasier than it did the day before, and the frizz was even more chaotic.
Would I try this again?
And while beer can add amazing volume to the hair, it can also be extremely drying and harsh.
The alcohol and acid content in beer can dry the hair out, says Shah.
The results were very similar to my soda experience.
My hair felt really dry and sticky, and when it dried, it looked like a deep-fried disaster.
Using the rinse the next day proved to have similar results.
Even when I tried to dilute it with water, there wasnt any big improvement.
Yes, it does give your hair some noticeable body.
I am a bit shocked my color didnt fade in the process.
Like Coca-Cola, there’s no way I’ll be using this beer rinse in the near future.
By the end of it all, my chemically treated hair has gotten so dry.
I think I am going to go without washing it for awhile.
I’ll definitely use the tea rinse againin moderation.
