Have you ever woken up after a rough night out of drinking, only to discover that your hair is super dry the morning after drinking? Here’s why this happens.
Alcohol causes your body to become dehydrated, including your scalp. This is what causes your hair to feel brittle and dry, as well as more prone to breakage. To prevent this from happening, you need to drink as much water as you can throughout the night to keep your body, and therefore your hair, hydrated.
Keep reading to find out what alcohol does to your hair, steps you can take to protect your hair from dehydration, as well as what to do to prevent it from happening in the future!
How Does Drinking Alcohol Affect Your Hair?
Alcohol affects your hair by robbing it of nutrients crucial to strong hair and healthy hair growth; these nutrients include zinc, copper, and protein. Your body uses more of these to balance your alcohol consumption; therefore, your hair cannot get the nutrients it needs and will end up dry or brittle, and can actually fall out.
The effects of drinking alcohol in excess on your hair are actually a lot worse than you initially thought. Here are some of the nasty effects alcohol can have on the state of your tresses:
- Alcohol causes dehydration. When your body is dehydrated, your pounding head and dry mouth aren’t the only indicators of the damage. Your hair also feels the hit, meaning it is going to dry out, and be more prone to breakage and split ends.
- Alcohol can cause hair loss. Yes, you read that right! Alcohol saps your body of nutrients like zinc and folic acid, meaning it is unable to give your hair the support it needs to stay strong and thick. As a result, it will be forever prone to breakage, split ends as well as hair loss.
- Alcohol can cause knotting. Have you ever noticed that after a night of drinking your hair tends to be tangled and knotted? This is probably due to the fact that your hair is super dry from dehydration. These tangles and knots will only add to hair breakage!
With that being said, let’s jump right into how you can fix this mess before your poor hair suffers any more at the hands of your debauchery!
How To Fix Your Hangover Hair In 5 Easy Steps
If you’ve enjoyed a night out that includes more than a few cocktails, you’re probably not feeling too good the next morning. Sadly, your hair may also be feeling the aftermath of your alcohol binge! Fortunately, you can do some damage control, so keep reading for some quick fixes to your dilemma:
Step 01. Drink water, and lots of it.
So the damage is done, but it’s never too late to dry and rectify the situation! Drink as much water as you can. If you are struggling to keep it down, grab some Re-hydrate from the chemist to help restore the lost nutrients and electrolytes to your body.
Step 02. Eat something.
Fuel your body with some nutritious foods such as avocado, egg, and toast! This breakfast choice will not only provide your body with healthy fats and oils that are good for your hair and skin, but the carbs will have you feeling a lot more human too!
Bananas, orange juice, and oats are also a fantastic choice! They are loaded with vitamin C, Iron, and Potassium which will all work towards reviving your dry hair!
Step 03. Put on a hair mask.
I recommend using a homemade mask with ingredients that are packed with natural, moisturizing oils. My personal favorite mask for dry, damaged hair is an avocado, honey, and olive oil concoction.
The fats and oils in avocado and olive oil do absolute wonders for your tresses! The ingredients work to repair dry, brittle, and damaged hair. They also work to protect your hair from any further damage, so this is a fantastic choice for those of you who love your blow-dryer and other hot styling tools.
Additionally, raw honey contains enzymes, similar to those found in any good shampoo product, that will give your hair a gorgeous shine!
04. Take a good supplement.
Investing in good quality hair supplement is always a good idea. My personal favorite is Hairfinity which you can order through Amazon. It is packed with Biotin and Amino Acids which are well-known to be excellent at promoting healthy hair growth and shine.
05. Take a nap.
Getting your beauty sleep is probably the best thing you can do for your hair once you have had some good food, water, and hair treatment. This will give your body the chance to repair itself, and put all those nutrients you have supplied it with to work.
How To Prevent Dry Hair After Drinking In 5 Simple Steps
Prevention is always better than cure, my dear friends! If you must drink, please do yourself (and your hair) a favor and follow these tips below to keep the damage to an absolute minimum:
01. Drink in moderation.
While this one may seem obvious, you really are doing yourself a big favor by limiting your alcohol intake. If you know you are going to be drinking more than usual, make sure that you try and drink a glass of water between each drink, to keep yourself (and your tresses) hydrated!
Additionally, try and dilute your drinks with water or soda instead of sugary, fizzy drinks that will only dehydrate you further and leave you a mess in the morning.
Beauty is sacrifice, right?
02. Drink beer.
While this may sound as if I am contradicting myself (or losing my mind) drinking beer in moderation is actually good for your hair!
According to the FDA, the silica minerals found in beer actually helps to treat hair loss! However, moderation really is key here. Drinking more than about two to three beers will certainly do you more harm than good.
03. Use a hydrating mask before bed.
Remember I said beauty is sacrifice? Well, putting on a hydrating mask to both your hair and your face before going to bed after a night of drinking will do you the world of good!
To make this easier, prepare the mask before you go out, so that the only thing you need to do when you get home is apply it, tie your hair up, cover it and hit the sack!
This will give your hair the moisture and nutrients it needs to do some damage control while you sleep, and minimize the damage caused by the alcohol.
04. Eat before bed.
Eating something before bed is the best way to absorb the alcohol and minimize the hangover and dehydration the following day.
Make sure you eat something with protein, fat, and carbohydrates to nourish your hair and soak up the alcohol.
Surprisingly, even just a little toast with butter can do you the world of good. Pizza, fried chicken, or fast food may seem tempting, but it won’t give your body what it needs to repair itself.
05. Drink water before bed.
Keeping hydrated is by far the best way to avoid a hangover and to protect your hair from drying out. Try and drink at least 2 full glasses of water before you go to bed, or alternatively, drink a packet of Re-hydrate if you struggle to down a lot of water. This will also help replenish any electrolytes and nutrients you may have lost from your night out drinking.
Final Thoughts
While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a fun night out with friends, following the above steps is the best thing you can do for your hair and your health! Prevention is always better than cure, so try and take the correct measures before you go to bed after drinking so that you wake up with less damage to fix.
Related Questions
Will my hair grow back after quitting alcohol?
The good news is that, after quitting alcohol, your hair will recover. Prolonged alcohol abuse affects your zinc and estrogen levels, as well as dehydration. Quitting alcohol will allow your body to regenerate hair growth, as well as giving your hair shine and strength.