Here’s one way to convince yourself that drinking beer is good for you: The yeast in beer has many nutritional benefits, namely a bunch of B vitamins and proteins. (So the next time you see someone with a beer belly, just remind yourself that he’s well nourished!) And turns out, if you apply yeast extract to your scalp, it has numerous benefits for your hair’s strength and longevity—that is, when it’s an ingredient in shampoo or conditioner, as opposed to pouring out a beer on your head. Spare the beer please, or better yet, crack it open in the shower to get double the nourishment.

Yeast extract is extremely beneficial for the wellness of your scalp and for hair growth, thanks to its richness in B Vitamins, proteins, fatty acids, magnesium zinc, flavonoids, and more. Here are the primary reasons the ingredient is good to have in a shampoo and/or conditioner.

1. It is rich in antioxidants. Yeast extract can fortify the scalp to counter everyday environmental stressors (toxins) like pollution and UV rays, in addition to any biological stress that you experience. By arming your scalp (and hair) with antioxidants, yeast extract then promotes all of the following benefits by protecting the integrity of each cell and their respective functions. In short, antioxidants in yeast extract prevent cellular deterioration.
2. It is hydrating. Yeast extract is naturally moisturizing and, as an extension of its antioxidant benefits, also can prevent cellular dehydration. One job of your skin’s outermost layer is to trap moisture inside the deeper layers; by fortifying these cells, you further improve the skin’s ability to retain the moisture it already has. 
3. It has cellular renewal properties. Yeast extract can accelerate cellular turnover. So, when it is pumped into your hair follicles, it can promote faster growth (likely due to its Vitamin B properties, one of which is vitamin B7, or biotin). It can also stimulate the production of collagen and elastin in skin cells, which can keep skin firm and keep follicles anchored.
4. It is anti-inflammatory. Yeast extract can soothe skin and reduce inflammation across the scalp, helping to create a calm, balanced environment for the hair to grow unencumbered.

When you use any shampoo or conditioner, one important thing to remember is that you don’t get all of the benefits of these products if you quickly rinse them away. Otherwise, you may as well wash your hair with hand soap if all you want is an easy clean.

In order to absorb benefits like yeast extract in a hair-boosting shampoo or conditioner, you should take the following approach with the products:

1. Massage the shampoo all around your head. Not only is this a great excuse to give yourself a quick scalp massage—and one that stimulate circulation and ultimately improves hair retention—but it also fully distributes the shampoo product throughout your scalp. And in massaging it directly into the dome, you ensure that the ingredients are interacting with the skin, where they can then be absorbed. Start with this, and then if you have medium or longer hair, follow with distributing the shampoo throughout all of your strands.

2. Rinse after 30-60 seconds. It is not imperative for you to have shampoo soaking into your strands for too long; one minute should suffice in order to get a thorough rinse while also allowing some delivery of nourishment with the targeted ingredients. But on that note…

3. Make sure your shampoo has moisturizing properties. This ensures that it doesn’t parch your strands. Of course yeast extract itself is nourishing, but be certain your product of choice has a base that thoroughly nourishes the strands and scalp alike, rich in ingredients such as glycerin and dexpanthenol. (Like Cardon’s shampoo.)

4. Follow with a conditioner. This product helps pump nutrients back into the hair, and can seal off the cuticle to prevent further dehydration and things like breakage, frizzing, split ends, and so forth. Even if you keep your hair short, conditioner makes your hair more cooperative when styling, and ensures that it looks healthy as opposed to dry and brittle. Conditioner also hydrates and fortifies the scalp, in turn preventing things like dandruff and inflammation (especially if it is a balancing formula, rich in ingredients like yeast extract). Massage it in just like you did the shampoo, potentially adding splashes of water to help distribute it evenly. Be certain the hair is conditioned from scalp to ends, too. And remember, every time you shampoo, you need to chase it with a conditioner, and never at the same time; that’s because when used together, you render the conditioner less effective.

5. Rinse after 2 minutes. Let the conditioner sit longer in your hair than the shampoo, giving those nutrients ample time to absorb and to coat the strands. This is a good time to do your body cleansing. 

6. Shampoo every 2-3 days, condition almost daily (if not daily). You don’t need to wash your hair every day. In fact, it’s probably better for hair and scalp alike if you merely rinse it every other day in between washes, unless you worked up a good sweat and need a refresh. Overwashing can dry out the hair and scalp, no matter the product’s nourishing abilities. Instead, you can rely on conditioner on the non-shampoo days to act as a rinse aid, while simultaneously nourishing strands. But don’t feel compelled to condition every day, either; the most important thing is that you always use conditioner after shampooing. It’s just that you need to limit the shampooing, specifically.