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View Full Version : Pour a bottle of coke on your hair for great shine. Really?



Frying Pan Paul
April 29th, 2010, 09:24 PM
As I was looking up 'how to clean a burnt stainless steel pot' I learned that using coca-cola works. Not only is cola suggested for burnt pots, it is suggested for hair conditioning and also used to help separate curls!

Has anyone tried this? The link is: http://www.angelofoz.com/coca_cola_hints/

If cola has the ability to clean pots and make old pennies with verdigris anew would it not be too acidic for human hair?

Trivia: Did you know the Statue of Liberty's green pigment comes from oxidation of the copper it's made from resulting in verdigris? Okay...most of you probably know that, but I only learned this in the past couple of years.:cool:

kabelaced
April 29th, 2010, 09:45 PM
I've never tried it, but there are a million uses for Coke besides drinking it - there are cookbooks out there on how to make 7-up/coke chicken and the like. How novel!

Personally, I don't think it would harm you to try it, but the amount of sugary crud in there along with the ingredients list makes me just say no. Rinsing my hair with cool (or not hot) water has always helped to increase the shine, so maybe it's the temperature of the liquid that makes the hair shiny? I don't know, that almost sounds too simple.

DARKMARTIAN
April 29th, 2010, 09:56 PM
Hair is really VERY hardy. One of the only few things that can completely destroy it is fire, which happens to be the one element that people do not typically expose themselves to willingly....

Arctic_Mama
April 29th, 2010, 10:20 PM
I don't know Dark Martian, baking soda tries awfully hard - it's not fire, but enough chelation will disintegrate it.

As for coke, that sounds... sticky. I'd stick diluted vinegar or citric acid solutions, same effect but cheaper and sugar free.

joiekimochi
April 29th, 2010, 10:21 PM
So...we can make the Statue of Liberty all blingy and new by air-dumping gallons of cola on it via helicopter?

teela1978
April 29th, 2010, 10:25 PM
I've heard it before, and I actually think it probably wouldn't be too bad. Its a little acidic to close the cuticle like vinegar or citric acid would be (the phosphoric acid in coke is what cleans chrome and the like, vinegar can be quite corrosive on its own... does a number on the limescale in my shower). The sugar would be a bit of a humectant, like honey or glycerine. You might want to rinse it out a bit, or dilute before using... but I can't imagine it hurting anything. Might be a bit crunchy once dry if you used it full strength... and your towels would get all cokey.

ZaBasDa
April 29th, 2010, 10:42 PM
I've done it and it was like an acv rinse to me. I did lightly rinse afterward to remove some of the sugar, but seemed like a waste of coke to me; I'd much rather drink it. :ale:

BlackfootHair
April 29th, 2010, 10:53 PM
I remember cleaning pennies with ketchup when I was a kid. lol

Darkhorse1
April 29th, 2010, 11:47 PM
Ew. I think coke would make your hair really sticky. Actually, I know it would because tonight, a horse decided to help me drink some Pepsi and knocked my bottle and I got some on my braid. It's disgusting. had to rinse it out. Don't notice any difference in that spot ;)

The fact they say to use coke to unclog a drain? Don't know if I want that product on my hair. :)

Aleria
April 29th, 2010, 11:48 PM
So...we can make the Statue of Liberty all blingy and new by air-dumping gallons of cola on it via helicopter?
This mental image made my day. :lol:

TheStorm
April 30th, 2010, 12:03 AM
I'm not so sure about Coke but Dr Pepper and hair equal one very sticky mess.. Mum used to have a shop and I had a bottle explode all over me in the freezing weather once. I'm assuming Coke would have a very similar effect.

Elenna
April 30th, 2010, 12:15 AM
Eventually if you stay around here for a while, you'll read about just any food product for the hair.

kittensoupnrice
April 30th, 2010, 09:07 AM
Maybe diet coke would be better? Since it doesn't have sugar in it, and won't get sticky.

I know that coke zero is definitely still acidic, though. I had a can sitting around for a while on my desk, unopened, at work, and it eventually ate a small hole in one side and leaked all over the place!

Isabel
April 30th, 2010, 09:40 AM
I think it's more about using something acidic than using Coke specifically. I used to have shinier hair when I was doing occasional ACV rinses after washing my hair to restore pH levels to slightly acidic. Never tried Coke though, and I'd almost opt for something that isn't quite as strongly acidic to begin with..

*thecatsmeow*
April 30th, 2010, 10:08 AM
I can't see how it would be a problem if you would rinse your hair with water afterward, it couldn't be worse than a vinegar rinse.

yellowchariot
April 30th, 2010, 10:16 AM
When I first read the title, I couldn't help but hear the song in my mind by Def Leppard, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" LOL!



So...we can make the Statue of Liberty all blingy and new by air-dumping gallons of cola on it via helicopter?


This mental image made my day. :lol:

^ LOL I could see about 20 transport choppers with a huge container dumping coke, and circling around it!


Maybe diet coke would be better? Since it doesn't have sugar in it, and won't get sticky.

I know that coke zero is definitely still acidic, though. I had a can sitting around for a while on my desk, unopened, at work, and it eventually ate a small hole in one side and leaked all over the place!

^ This MIGHT work. After all your are putting SUGAR in your hair, which would cause nothing more than a stick mess. I doubt you could even work with it, let alone, style it. Then once you rinsed it out. . . what would be the point? Is it the ingredients that you are suppose to let soak in, and then you would rinse it out?

I do know that coke will clean a car windshield flawlessly! :thumbsup:

Calista
April 30th, 2010, 10:29 AM
The fact they say to use coke to unclog a drain? Don't know if I want that product on my hair. :)
I use vinegar and baking soda to unclog my drains, and I use both products on my hair as well. ;)

IŽd rather pour Coca Cola on my hair than drink it - and even ratherer IŽd pour it down my toilet. :D Beer OTOH is very good for your hair, but IŽd rather drink that.

Islandgrrl
April 30th, 2010, 10:31 AM
As I was looking up 'how to clean a burnt stainless steel pot' I learned that using coca-cola works. Not only is cola suggested for burnt pots, it is suggested for hair conditioning and also used to help separate curls!

Has anyone tried this? The link is: http://www.angelofoz.com/coca_cola_hints/

If cola has the ability to clean pots and make old pennies with verdigris anew would it not be too acidic for human hair?

Trivia: Did you know the Statue of Liberty's green pigment comes from oxidation of the copper it's made from resulting in verdigris? Okay...most of you probably know that, but I only learned this in the past couple of years.:cool:

Hmmm....I find myself wondering why, if Coke removes burnt on ickyness from pots and makes pennies shiny and new looking....why would I drink the stuff? (I don't) And why would I put it in my hair? (I wouldn't)

*thecatsmeow*
April 30th, 2010, 10:37 AM
I think I have also heard you can use it to tenderize meat......

Cirafly24
April 30th, 2010, 10:58 AM
So...we can make the Statue of Liberty all blingy and new by air-dumping gallons of cola on it via helicopter?

:laugh:
:laugh: This post made my day!

rusika1
April 30th, 2010, 07:54 PM
Colas usually contain weak phosphoric acid (other carbonated beverages, including fizzy water, contain weak carbonic acid). So I would guess that it's the acid in cola that makes your hair shine, not all the other stuff. I suppose many people would prefer the smell of Coke to the smell of ACV though. And if you don't rinse too well the residual sugar might act like gel or setting lotion.

Have any of you seen the old episode of Mythbusters in which they put many cola myths to the test? I just rewatched in on youtube--here's the list of the tests and their results:

Can it clean a car battery terminal?--possibly; water alone worked as well
Can you polish chrome (car bumper) with cola & aluminum foil--yes. this was the best result.
Can it loosen a rusty bolt?--no
Can it degrease an engine?--no
Does it ruin car paint if spilled and left? (24 hr soak)--no
Is it a grease stain remover? (4 day soak)--no
Can it dissolve a tooth (24 hr soak)--no, but the tooth turned brown
Can it shine a penny (24 hr soak)--yes, the penny was slightly shinier (it was not gleaming copper though)
Can it clean up blood?--it helped, although they also blasted water on the area
Can it dissolve steak? (48 hr soak)--no

Flynn
April 30th, 2010, 08:01 PM
Heck, why not. We use coffee and molasses for darkening and vinegar for shine... so why not caffeinated acidic water and dark-coloured syrup mixed together?

Frying Pan Paul
May 1st, 2010, 06:48 PM
Can it shine a penny (24 hr soak)--yes, the penny was slightly shinier (it was not gleaming copper though) Aw...the idea that joiekimochi had won't work. Too bad because I was getting the Coke and the helicopters ready.

Frying Pan Paul
May 1st, 2010, 06:50 PM
shower). The sugar would be a bit of a humectant, like honey or glycerine. Some people use sugar scrubs on their skin and scalp. I didn't know it was a humectant. Good to know.

Schefflera
May 1st, 2010, 08:16 PM
Doesn't seem significantly weirder than vinegar or honey, but I'd rather drink it myself. ;)

(I haven't put honey in my hair, but I tried it as a face mask once. The skin nearest my lips probably didn't get a lot of benefit.... *innocent*)

Neoma
May 1st, 2010, 08:35 PM
So...we can make the Statue of Liberty all blingy and new by air-dumping gallons of cola on it via helicopter?We'd better let the French know why we're doing this before we do it. They may be offended by us dumping Coke on Lady Liberty. :silly:

Juliannaissance
May 1st, 2010, 08:37 PM
There are many things that coke supposedly does..like clean blood off the streets, gets rid of headaches, and now this? Shiny hair? Coooool if it works.. :p

ktani
May 1st, 2010, 09:01 PM
Clermont College, biology department
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/

tested a whole slew of products for pH values, with paper strips then a pH meter and averaged them out. There are some surprising results. Just to give some perspective, something with a pH below 3.5 can be damaging to hair, depending of course how much of it is used and for how long the hair is exposed to it.

From the list and results. pH
"Beverage‚ Cola‚ Coke‚ regular
No. of Tests - Avg. Paper Reading - Avg. Meter Reading - Std. Dev.
........55.....................3.23............... ............3.28...................0.82"
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/scripts/pHResl.pl

rusika1
May 1st, 2010, 09:04 PM
Aw...the idea that joiekimochi had won't work. Too bad because I was getting the Coke and the helicopters ready.



Well, that was the reason I mentioned the lack of total rejuvenation of the penny--I was afraid the Lady in the Harbor would just end up sort of--brownish. If she can't be shiny I think an elegant verdigris is the next best look for her.

Anje
May 1st, 2010, 09:26 PM
Interesting idea. As others have said, I think the sugar (OK, corn syrup...) in it would serve as a humectant, and the acid could help shine the way vinegar does. Like all sugary moisturizing treatments, you'd definitely want to rinse it after a little while.

I don't think I'll be doing it any time soon. Corn syrup + conditioner is plenty moisturizing for me, and I don't like the smell of cola.

Thinthondiel
May 1st, 2010, 10:02 PM
As others have said, I think the sugar (OK, corn syrup...) in it would serve as a humectant

The Coke that we get here in Norway is made with sugar, but I suppose the effect would be mostly the same. I don't think I will try it anyway, though; pouring Coke on my head sounds a bit too weird for me. Plus, it would be a waste of good Coke. It would be interesting to see if it might have a better effect on my hair than vinegar does, though, since vinegar makes my hair look greasy and lank (no matter how well diluted it is).