Introducing beer into your hair care routine has been written and blogged about for a while now, but the idea of dumping a cold one on my head never sounded appealing. Eau de Frat is just not an eau I gravitate toward. However, after a countless number of bleach jobs and the daily ritual of straightening my naturally curly locks, I was in the market for something I could use more regularly than a hair mask, that would help my hair thrive.
That’s where Bröö comes in. Founded in 2010, Bröö’s products combine the benefits of beer with salon-quality scents. They’re also color safe and free of parabens, phthalates, dye—basically all the stuff that’s not good for your hair. The malt in beer smoothes hair, while yeast adds strength and volume. Bröö blends microbrewed beers with natural ingredients for three exceptional lines of products: a thickening line, a moisturizing line, and an invigorating line. Each mixes malt, freshly hopped craft beer with various proteins, butters, B vitamins, minerals, and caffeine to wake your scalp up. (Spoiler alert: it does.)
Curious, I tried out all three and upped washing my hair twice a week to four. Since Bröö ia super affordable (under $8 a pop), I felt comfortable using it more frequently than my sulfate-free Reference of Sweden .551 products. The results were intoxicating. Some worked better than others, but 10s all around. Read on for my breakdown of each. It's like hair of the dog for your hair.
Bröö Thickening Craft Beer Shampoo + Conditioner
Not to brag (but, like, really to brag), my hair does not need any more thickening. So I was a little hesitant to try these out. Most thickening products I’ve used have left my hair feeling either too heavy or too poofy to control. (They also haven’t been all natural. Oops.) Bröö’s, however, left my hair feeling manageable. The citrus crème scent was pleasant, but smelled just a littttle bit beer-y. Or maybe it was the barley protein this line employs to give it some lift. My biggest concern was frizziness and weight, which proved to be totally doable and stayed that way the day after.
Would I cheers to this? Sure; why not.
Bröö Moisturizing Craft Beer Shampoo + Conditioner
Moisture is a thing my hair lacks. Thanks to years of bleaching and straightening, my head is permanently parched. The shea butter—a natural hair conditioner—in this line fought that. The shampoo didn’t leave my hair feeling dry like others do, and the lavender notes hung in the air while I let the conditioner work its magic. My hair felt light, soft, and frizz free after I dried it. Thankfully, my scalp didn’t dry or shed, either. (I blame it on the shea butter.) Thirst quenched.
Would I cheers to this? Definitely.
Bröö Invigorating Craft Beer Shampoo + Conditioner
To be honest, I was pretty skeptical when I read that caffeine was among Bröö’s ingredients. Like, what could that possibly do for my head slash would it make my head feel, uh, buzzed? The answer is yes. I know it’s in the other two lines, but I really felt it with this one. Perhaps that’s because peppermint is among this line’s main ingredients, and peppermint stimulates the hair follicle to help dry scalps. (My scalp might also be sensitive due to the bleaching, too, and peppermint amplifies that.) Either way, the combination made my head feel great and my hair feeling soft and strong. I don’t like playing favorites, but if I did, this one would definitely be it. It combined the results of the previous two in a healthy way—not too thick and pretty moisturized. Plus, the menthol smell woke me up in the morning. I’ve read that caffeine helps hair grow faster, which isn’t necessarily a quality I look for, but it’s a nice bonus.
Would I cheers to this? Honestly, I’d buy the entire bar a round of this.
