Brewer's yeast: what are the benefits for hair?

In the family of natural products for strengthening hair, brewer's yeast is without doubt an ingredient of choice!

For thousands of years, the most ancient civilisations have used beer or fermentation foam empirically to achieve beautiful hair. Although current scientific studies do not establish with certainty that brewer's yeast definitely contributes to the health of the skin and phanera (hair and nails) or to hair growth, there is nonetheless a body of concordant evidence to suggest that the elements of which it is composed are indispensable to the growth of healthy hair. Moreover, taken individually, the minerals and vitamins it contains have been the subject of numerous publications proving their beneficial role in slowing down non-catricial hair loss and androgenetic alopecia. A study on the role of vitamins and minerals in hair growth.

What exactly is brewer's yeast?

Brewer's yeast is a unicellular microscopic fungus whose name, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, evokes the "cervoise" beloved of the Gauls. It can be found in the soil, in the air and, quite naturally, on plants. It enables cereals to ferment, transforming the sugars they contain to produce alcohol or ... bread!

From the liquid form, we obtain 2 types of yeast:

• "active" => when heated to -40°C, the yeast is "alive" and the colony of fungi it contains acts as a pro-biotic, excellent for protecting the intestinal flora.
• nutritional or "inactive" yeast => when heated to over 40°C, it loses its pro-biotic qualities, so it is a food supplement that retains all its nutritional properties. This is what we are interested in.

Brewer's yeast, a concentrate of benefits for the hair

Healthy, strong, shiny hair is hair that is well nourished. But our lifestyles don't always provide it with the essential nutrients. The result: we soon find ourselves with dull, flat hair, limp hair, an itchy scalp and even hair that breaks or falls out too much. That's where brewer's yeast can come in to save our hair in distress.

The nutritional richness of brewer's yeast lies in its unique composition, which combines high-quality proteins, vitamins particularly beneficial to hair health, and a significant proportion of minerals and trace elements, not forgetting amino acids. 

What does brewer's yeast contain?

• Protein: this is one of the nutrients that contains the most protein, at 50 % of its weight. In fact, only spirulina contains more, with around 55 to 65 grams of protein per 100 grams. Hair needs protein for its growth. Keratin - which makes up more than 95 % of hair - is a protein made up of amino acids (see below). Healthy keratin means strong, healthy, shiny hair. Conversely, a lack of protein will result in hair that breaks, grows with difficulty and lacks elasticity.
• Group B vitamins: all, including vitamin B12. For healthy hair, pay particular attention to :
  • vitamin B9, which helps transport oxygen through the cells to the hair follicle,
  • vitamin B5, which helps regulate the sebaceous glands and stimulates cell renewal (with possible anti-ageing and colour protection benefits),
  • vitamin B8 (or biotin), which has an effect on cell metabolism,
  • vitamin B2 (or riboflavin), which plays a positive role in keratin synthesis and cell protection (antioxidant) and promotes iron metabolism 
• Minerals: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, sulphur, selenium, zinc
• Trace elements: iodine, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium
• 16 amino acids, including 8 amino acids that are essential for the body to function properly but which it cannot produce itself. Methionine is one of these essential amino acids and is involved in the formation of keratin.

How should brewer's yeast be used?

It is available in several forms: in flakes or grains that can be sprinkled on food, but without cooking or baking, as this would lose all its qualities, or in tablets or capsules. It can also be used in food supplements that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. In general, it is recommended not to exceed a dose of 2 to 3 grams a day, i.e. a few tablespoons. A course of treatment lasting 2 to 3 months is recommended to reap the maximum benefits.

And if you want to enjoy brewer's yeast in a different way?

Here are a few homemade hair care recipes to make your hair even more beautiful. Combined with brewer's yeast, a few ingredients 'from the cupboard' will work wonders on your devitalized lengths.

Follow these easy-to-make hair mask recipes for great-looking hair:

Brewer's yeast + avocado: better hydrated hair

How do you make it? Mix 1 small, ripe avocado with 2 tbsp. brewer's yeast powder or flakes and 1 tbsp. coconut oil. Apply this paste to damp hair, concentrating on the ends, and leave for 3/4 hour. Rinse thoroughly and shampoo as usual.

Brewer's yeast + olive oil: softer, shinier hair 

How do you make it? After mixing 5 tbsp. of brewer's yeast with 1 tbsp. of olive oil (virgin, 1st cold-pressed), add mineral water little by little until you obtain a supple, homogenous paste that you can apply to the entire head of hair (on dry hair) from root to tip. The effects will be maximised if you wrap your hair in a bathing cap. Wait about 1 hour before rinsing and washing your hair as usual.

Is brewer's yeast a vegan food supplement?

This is a legitimate question since, by definition, veganism is a choice that aims to minimise the use, consumption or exploitation of living things in the broadest sense.  

This means, of course, abstaining from all sources of animal protein (meat, eggs, fish) as well as its 'derivatives' such as honey and dairy products. The vast majority of vegans believe that plants, although alive, are not sentient beings and therefore do not suffer. Under these conditions, brewer's yeast can be perfectly adapted to a vegan lifestyle; it is even rather interesting because of its high content of group B vitamins, and B12 in particular, since this vitamin is involved in the production of red blood cells and is naturally present only in meat-based diets. So it's an excellent natural dietary supplement to help prevent anaemia and improve the immune system. deficiencies.

As you can see, brewer's yeast is a natural food supplement that can easily help us to keep our hair in good health. Its unique nutritional qualities can help improve hair growth when hair is weakened: the various nutrients, proteins, trace elements, minerals and essential amino acids it contains are essential for the formation of keratin. And to reinforce these benefits, why not choose hair care products enriched with brewer's yeast for radiant hair? At Clauderer, you'll find brewer's yeast in our food supplements Racines Plusour purifying milks, our anti-hair loss serums and our emulsion for fine hair. Come and discover them!