Q. Hi Catherine,
I was watching the Ellen show last week and they were talking about shampooing your hair with beer to create volume. Is this true; does it work?
-- Sandra, Ottawa

Hi Sandra,
Yes, you heard correctly. It is a fact that beer is a great product to treat your hair. Just as yeast helps bread rise in the oven, the yeast found in beer causes the hair shaft to swell; therefore, creating more volume and fullness. In addition, the protein found in the malt and hops of the beer will coat each strand, healing the damage and adding overall body. The sugar will also help tighten the cuticles and add extra shine. Before you start pouring a bottle of beer over your head, I have a few tips: First, I would suggest using less than a 12 oz. bottle of flat beer. In this case, less is more and you don’t want to waste perfectly good beer. After you have finished shampooing, massage the beer for 2 minutes onto the scalp to enable it to be absorbed; then rinse and follow with a conditioner to eliminate the beer smell.

Q. Dear Catherine,
I am getting married next month and I was wondering what the most popular nail polish colours were for brides to wear?
-- Amy, Toronto

Hi Amy,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I know this is a big day for you and you will want to look your best with either a classic French manicure or absolute soft pink tone. Some shades I recommend from the OPI line are "At First Sight" and "Otherwise Engaged" or from the Essie lacquer line I like "Eternal Optimist" or "Flawless" on brides.

Q. Hi Catherine,
I hate spending a lot of money on mascara because they don’t seem to last long. What do you recommend? I don’t want to spend more than $10 for one.
-- Mirella, Brampton

Hi Mirella,
Fortunately, there are lots of options for good quality mascaras around the $10 mark. One that I tried recently and recommend is the CoverGirl LashBlast Luxe. I found that this mascara applied easily, quickly lengthened the lashes and did not clump up in the tube. It is priced at $8.99. Another option is the new Maybelline Lash Stiletto which is priced at $10.99. This mascara offers similar benefits to CoverGirl but in addition the lengthening formula is also enriched with Pro-Vitamin B which helps nourish the lashes. Both of these picks are found at most Canadian drugstores and mass retailers.


Send Catherine Main your beauty questions to counter_intelligence@hotmail.com