15 Totally Unexpected but Cool Uses for Beer
When I overheard that my co-worker Camille gave conditioning her hair with beer a try, my first thought was probably similar to what you're thinking right now: Whaaaat?
As it turns out, your favorite brew may have more uses than just cooling you off after a long day. Just don't use that rare, imported stout on your hair or you may miss it when you're hosting your next party!
1. Condition your hair. The natural sugars, B vitamins and protein found in beer can give your hair body and shine. Wash your hair as usual, then pour half a can of a warm, flat beer into your hair. Wrap your hair with a towel and wait 10 minutes. For a deep, spa-style condition, carefully heat the towel with hot water before wrapping. Rinse with a cup of apple cider vinegar (didn't I tell you vinegar was useful?) and water.
2. Take a bath. If you're already washing your hair with beer, why don't you just go the extra mile and bathe in it? Add a can of beer to your next bath to create a skin-nourishing soak. Make sure to rinse off well before getting out of the tub.
3. Sleep better. Hops, a staple ingredient in most beers, is said to have properties that help you sleep. If you've got hops growing in your garden, try filling a sachet with the dried leaves and tossing it into the washer with your bed sheets.
4. Make a marinade. Serve up a drunk chicken at your next grill party: add a cup of your favorite beer to your usual marinade recipe for a sweet, caramelized flavor.
5. Bake some bread. Whether you're serving it with soup or just eating it as a snack, beer bread is delicious. (Try the recipe by Good Eats star Alton Brown.) Remember: the darker the beer, the more pronounced the flavor will be in the bread.
6. Keep slugs out of your garden. If you've ever found holes and a slimy, silvery trail on the leaves of your plants, slugs and snails are to blame. Luckily for your garden, slugs love a good brew. Place a small dish of beer near the base of your plants -- slugs and snails can't resist the sweet smell, and will crawl into the dish and won't be able to get out.
7. Keep wasps and bees away from your party. Spend less time at your party swatting at bees and wasps by putting a couple of cans of open beers around the outskirts of your party. You'll notice more of these winged party crashers hovering around the cans instead of bothering your guests.
8. Grow a beer garden. Here's one for the home brewers: try using empty bottles to create a trellis for growing hops, mint and other fragrant herbs for infusing delicious flavor into beer and other drinks.
9. Attract butterflies. Try soaking an old rag or sponge in a mixture of fruit juice and flat beer and then placing it outside to invite butterflies into your yard.
10. Enrich the soil. Rumor has it, pouring a little beer on patches of dead grass can act as a fertilizer. Though it's not recommended to spray your entire lawn with beer, it won't hurt to pour those flat, unfinished cans of beer from last night's shindig into the yard.
11. Revive wood. Old beer can also be used to give wooden furniture a quick polish. Just pour a little bit of beer onto a soft cloth and gently rub to make your furniture shine. Note: always do a spot test first.
12. Polish pots. Beer can give your pots an extra shine, too. Plus, the carbonation from a freshly cracked beer can aid in removing rust stains.
13. Start your engine. Corrosion on the battery terminal of your car can prevent it from starting up. Luckily for you, the carbonation in beer can melt away the buildup and get you back on the road.
14. Craft something. Put your bottle cap collection on display! Give one of our Designer MacGyver bottle cap crafts a try for a fun craft your kids will love.
15. Make a popsicle. Pull out the popsicle molds. Try mixing fruity ale with fresh orange juice for a fruit pop or mixing a dark stout with cream and coffee for a delicious take on a fudge pop.
Cheers! What tricks have you tried with beer (besides drinking it)?
-By Jessica Yonker for HGTV.com
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