Soaking my hair in carrot juice made it so shiny it legit looked like glass

Growing up, I dreamed of becoming a mermaid—long, luscious locks and all. I can’t say I’ve since sprouted a fish tail, but after a bad box-dye job left me with a damaged bob, I vowed to to find the best tips for achieving long and healthy mermaid-like hair. I tried a ton of different things, but nothing really worked for me. As such, I began to turn into a skeptic and would roll my eyes whenever I heard someone call a product life-changing. However, one day as I was scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled across a woman with real-life mermaid hair down to her wrists—Farah Dhukai. Dhukai is a beauty blogger and the queen of DIY beauty, and her simple tip to achieving shiny hair immediately intrigued me—it’s straight-up carrot juice.

It’s often said that eating carrots are good for your eyes and as it turns out, you don’t have to eat one just to reap the benefits. Carrot juice is a good source of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, which is one of the most powerful plant-based antioxidants. It’s a substance that protects your cells against free radicals (aka damage), and you can reap its benefit when ingested and applied topically .

By now, you may have heard of the anti-aging benefits of retinol, the active form of vitamin A. But did you know that when applied topically, vitamin A is beneficial for your hair too? Just like our skin, our hair ages, and as we get older our hair begins to change pigment and loose its density. That’s why it becomes more wiry and turns grey.

As one study explains: “Although cosmetic treatments will not reverse the process of hair aging, such technologies help mitigate the effects of age.” It also states that there are a number of botanicals with anti-aging effects, and that herbal therapy exhibits holistic effectiveness by exerting multi-targeted effects. Another study shows that topical vitamin A can even prevent hair loss. In other words, just as you’d apply an anti-aging topical treatment to your skin, you should apply an anti-aging treatment to your hair as well.

With all the nutrients in carrot juice, your strands will absorb those beneficial vitamins and retain moisture. The end result is hair that’s shinier, healthier, and smoother than before.

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Shop it! Whole Foods organic carrots, $0.99 per lb., amazon.com

Now that my hair is down to my lower back, I can say with confidence this DIY method has helped me grow and sustain my long, mermaid-like hair. I’d even say that this easy hack has been life-changing. To make the easiest DIY hair treatment ever, I juice a few carrots and pour the juice into an empty spray bottle. With a towel draped over my shoulders (to protect my clothes from any potential stains), I saturate my hair with the juice, comb it from root to tip, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. After 15 minutes, I rinse and shampoo and condition as usual. After my hair has fully dried I can visibly notice a difference. My hair looks smoother, feels softer, and seems so much shinier.

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Shop it! Tolco Empty Spray Bottle 3-Pack, $7.15, amazon.com 

For people looking for a natural and affordable DIY beauty routine, this may just be the start!