We Tried Washing Our Hair With Coca-Cola and Here's What Happened


Model and Insurgent actress Suki Waterhouse has really good hair. Like, the lightly tousled waves that hair dreams are made of. When asked how she gets those perfect waves, she told Us Weekly that she rinses her hair with Coca-Cola. "I don't like my hair when it's washed — it's fine and limp — but Coca-Cola makes it tousled, like I've gone through the Amazon or something," she said. Like, the sticky soda? On your hair? Really?

Apparently, Coca-Cola contains phosphoric acid, a very low pH. So when you apply it to your hair, the cuticle tightens, which makes your strands look smoother and your curls look more defined. Others say the sugar adds build-up to your hair, making it look fuller.

Never one to shy away from being a guinea pig in the name of beauty, I had to try it for myself, and I enlisted three other Seventeen.com editors, all with different hair textures, to try it with me. Instead of using our usual shampoo and conditioner, we just rinsed our hair with Coca-Cola instead. Here's what happened:

1. Liz



Hair Before: My hair is naturally wavy, and I'm always fighting against frizz. It's fine but there's a lot of it, so I'm always searching for that happy medium between voluminous and flat.

Hair After: While it was definitely softer (bonus!), one side of my hair had way too much texture — kind of like I jumped in the ocean and forgot to brush my hair afterwards. Maybe I poured too much Coke on that side? It was really shiny, which is a major plus, but I'm wondering if that was only because rinsing your hair with cold water helps it shine — and my soda was cold.

Final Thoughts: I think this would work better on someone with naturally straight, frizz-free hair, who isn't fighting with their natural texture.



2. Jelani



Hair Before: I have fine, curly, natural hair that is prone to breakage. It's thin and needs product to give it a boost.

Hair After: My hair immediately felt thicker — like, so thick it was almost like I grew more hair! I usually finger comb my hair, but there was so much texture (kind of like when you go to the beach and have all that salt and sand in you're hair), I had to use a wide tooth comb. My hair took about two hours to completely dry, which is about half the time it normally takes. I was worried my hair would be really dry without any product or leave-in conditioner in it, but it felt surprisingly soft. My hair felt a lot bigger than normal and really really poofy, but my curls were still mostly defined.

Final Thoughts: After I took the picture above, I decided to wet my hair to some leave-in conditioner in it. My hair turned to mush. It was a big poofy mess — no curls, just super frizzy. The Coca-Cola rinse might work for same-day styling, but my hair's very fragile, and I need to be able to add product and re-style my hair. I would probably do it once a month, but not every day.



3. Thalia



Hair Before: My long hair is really voluminous and wavy.

Hair After: When I first poured the Coke on my head in the shower, I expected it to make my hair feel sticky and stiff. While it didn't feel as soft as it does when I use regular shampoo and conditioner in my hair, it felt pretty smooth afterward. After I blow-dried my hair, it actually had a bit more volume than usual, but it wasn't over-the-top. The Coke also gave my hair some shine, which I loved. I was also worried it would make my hair smell weird, but it didn't smell like anything.

Final Thoughts: Surprisingly, I liked the results for the most part — but not enough to do it often. It just didn't make that big of a difference.



4. Noelle



Hair Before: I have very fine hair. Normally after I shampoo and condition my hair, it ends up really frizzy unless I put a lot of product in it.

Hair After: My hair was noticeably less frizzy without adding any product. I also noticed it held a curl better on the second day.

Final Thoughts: Overall, the difference wasn't enough to make it worth dealing with buying tons of soda and pouring it all over my hair (and washing my tub) all the time.

Have you ever tried the Coca-Cola rinse? Would you try it? Let us know what you think.







Images/Source: Seventeen

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