Does Rinsing Your Hair with Coca-Cola Make it Thicker?

Sheree

Question: I read that models rinse their hair with coca-cola to make it look thicker - is that true? Will washing my hair with coke make it thicker? My hair is a bit thin on top so it can look lank and I want to find a way to make it look fuller.

Answer: Hi Sheree. Although the Coca-Cola founder was famous for regrowing his hair, sadly washing your hair with it will not help to thicken it.

We also read that models like Burberry girl, Suki Waterhouse have said they use Coca-Cola to rinse their hair but this is not something we would advise - particularly not if you have thinning hair.

Suki is quoted in Us Weekly as saying, "I rinse my hair with Coca-Cola sometimes... I don't like my hair when it's washed it's fine and limp but Coca-Cola makes it tousled." This doesn't make the hair look thicker, it basically just means that using a soda rinse adds traction to the hair by dirtying it. This makes it look more dishevelled than freshly washed hair, in a similar way to a volumising or texturising spray, or spritzing with dry shampoo.

We've all seen how Coca-Cola can be used to strip the dirt off old coins, clean toilets or even to dissolve a tooth, so rinsing your hair with such harsh chemicals is definitely inadvisable.

Artificial additives, such as those found in soda drinks, have been linked to hair loss when consumed, although we are unaware of any research carried out into topical use. However, rinsing the hair with Coca-Cola is likely to strip the hair of essential oils, weakening it if used too often. It is also possible that it could disrupt the hair's keratin - the protein which also makes up tooth enamel - so regular cola-rinsing may cause the shaft to become brittle, leading to hair breakage. This is in addition to the inevitable side-effects of having sticky soda hair and suddenly being targeted by wasps!

The best way to thicken your hair is to visit a specialist who can assess and help you to address what sounds like Female Pattern Hair Loss. This common hair loss condition is the women's version of Male Pattern Baldness but instead of presenting as balding patches or a receding hairline, it tends to cause thinning across the top of the head and at the temples.

After being diagnosed, a full service, personalised hair loss treatment plan comprising high strength minoxidil and relevant hair growth boosters, can be recommended to help you regrow your hair and restore its health and natural strength. These types of treatment courses have produced significant regrowth results for many women, as you can see in our Hair Loss Success Stories.