We already know that alcohol can have some pretty nasty effects on the body, after all it is a toxin.
Those toxins can affect your liver, your heart, your skin and even your hair.
Yep, the more you drink the greater your chances of losing your locks.
It’s important to remember to stick within the recommended 14 units of alcohol per week, so about six pints of beer or six medium glasses of wine – those are the NHS guidelines.
Anything more than that is considered drinking in excess and increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, liver disease and some types of cancer.
Here we reveal seven ways booze affects your hair… and could leave your head bald.
1. Dehydration = brittle hair
Alcohol causes dehydration – it’s why you always need pints of water when you wake up the morning after.
“Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases our need to urinate which dehydrates the body at a very quick rate,” Dr Clare Morrison, from MedExpress, told The Sun Online.
“This is the reason why your hangovers can be particularly painful in the morning after a night of drinking, your body has a lack of nutrients and in need of proper hydration.
“Water makes up 55-75 per cent of human weight and its used to keep various bodily systems healthy.
“Water also plays a key role in the health of your hair follicles.
“A lack of hydration of the skin can cause a loss in the strength and elasticity which can lead to damage in the follicles swell as the hair shaft.
“It may also promote dry skin which then leads to itching and therefore an even more damaged scalp.”
2. Booze is too acidic
“When you drink alcohol, this can shift the balance over to the acidic side,” Clare said.
“And whilst a lot of the foods in our daily diets are weighted on the acidic side such as cheese and meats, we also need our vegetables which are alkaline based.
“When our body becomes too acidic it usually does all it can to reduce the acidity levels, and one of the ways it does this is by using protein stored in the body.
“The body can use a protein called keratin to reduce acidity, which is the key protein used to build hair follicles and make it stronger, thus more alcohol consumption means the body is using up the keratin, meaning it could cause your hair to feel damaged, brittle and to break, and even cause hair-loss.”
3. Preservatives don’t protect your hair
We all know preservatives aren’t great for us – despite what the name suggests.
“Preservatives are everywhere, in food, body products and medications and even in alcohol,” Clare said.
“Preservatives kill bacteria and essentially give foods and drink a longer shelf life.
“Digesting foods and liquids with preservatives in can lead to killing off the good bacteria and not having the right bacteria in your gut can cause a handful of health issues which can eventually lead to hair loss.”
[“source=cnbc”]