Question of the day; Does a bloody mary belong in your hair?

While lactobacillus/tomato fruit ferment extract isn't a bloody mary, you might not be so convinced of your original answer by the end of this.

Because of the building blocks lycopene and cysteine, this antioxidant-rich ingredient improves sebum, grime, and inflammation. It does wonders for curly hair and frizz and fermentation is key to the delivery of some of these effects.

Why Does the Tomato Undergo Fermentation?

Fermentation with probiotics ensures that the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity is enhanced. It helps the nutrients become more bioavailable and gives us access to the incredible benefits of cysteine. 

Overall, fermenting helps the tomato become more health-enhancing, according to studies. And you can find more exciting resources on fermentation below!

Why Does This Help Hair?

Serine is a critical component of tomatoes. Although it does not directly impact hair in its current form, it turns into something that does. After a complicated process of changing, it becomes cysteine. This compound does have a nourishing effect on hair.

Cysteine improves hair and guards against breakage by delivering keratin amino acids to support hair. The bottom line is that for wavy hair, this means stronger waves. For curly hair, it means bouncier curls. And for all hair, it means improved elasticity.

But cysteine also has a friend to help it with oxidation issues. Lycopene is that friend. Together they are a dynamic hair care duo.

As a part of our conditioner formulation, we also pair tomato fruit ferment extract with glycerin. These ingredients, along with the panthenol in avocado butter, combine into a fantastic natural moisturizer. Adding shea butter and jojoba to that recipe only makes for even better moisture retention, shine, and health.

At first, that sounds like a hefty amount of oil. But the tomato regulates excess oil and secures hair strength with the moisture locked in. Plus, with the fatty acids in some of these ingredients, the nutrients are delivered even more directly. Any vitamins and antioxidants will be more accessible because of fat content alongside it.

Vitamins at Work

The vitamins present in tomatoes are excellent stimulants for hair. They make hair glossy, treat scalp, kill odor, soothe an itchy scalp and dandruff.  Vitamins A, B, C, E are the power team at play here.  They support new growth by making strands stronger, aiding circulation, and clearing out any inflammation impeding your hair.

Vitamin A aids vision, immune function, and cell growth. The trick with vitamin A in the body is maintaining the correct levels. Too much spills over and can cause unwanted effects on hair (such as hair loss). Too little, and there isn't enough for hair to be happy. So, the topical application helps a little differently and aids in sebum production, protecting hair and scalp from becoming too dry.

Vitamin B comes in a variety of forms, which we also store in organs throughout the body. Each form of vitamin B comes with specific adverse effects on hair and scalp when levels remain too low. Delivering this complex with fatty acids (such as the avocado butter we use in our conditioner) provides ample opportunity to restore hair health. 

Vitamin C has less to do with hair loss directly. But vitamin C has antioxidant activity, fighting against free radical damage. Free radical damage can be a culprit to skin wrinkles and inflammation. So, vitamin C supports hair by clearing away the harmful stuff in the background.

Vitamin E is another free radical fighter. It very much helps combat oxidative damage. When applied to the scalp with a fatty acid, it does wonders to protect and restore scalp and hair health.

So, Does a Bloody Mary Belong in Your Hair?

Well, the tomato part does!

The vodka...not so much.

Plenty of bloody mary recipes require some hot sauce as well. While we're not recommending that for your hair, people do use apple cider vinegar (hot sauce is vinegar-based) for an occasional wash. Before doing an apple cider vinegar wash, make sure to do some research. If your hair is dry, you could accidentally damage it and do more harm than good.

Other Ingredients to Watch Out for

Many products boasting of using tomatoes for hair benefits come with drawbacks. The drawback could be as simple as watching out for sulfates in the product (sulfates do serious damage by themselves). But there are other hidden harmful ingredients to keep an eye out for as well. Some brands talk of natural ingredients but then pair them with dyes. Artificial colors are not safe or natural and should be avoided at all costs.

But there is a safe and natural option for your family to benefit from.

Safe and Natural Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract for Hair

In our collection, we only use ingredients that are safe for everyone in the family. In our Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner we use tomato fruit ferment extract. We've mixed it with other powerful natural ingredients to build fantastic hair. We're careful to source our ingredients responsibly and cleanly. We take our mission to give families and the planet a little more Wellnesse every day seriously. We stand for building a healthier, cleaner world for our kids to grow up in, and that starts in the home.

Join us in creating lasting change by helping our families lead healthier lives and enjoy great hair along the way!

Resources

Clemente Plaza, N., Reig García-Galbis, M., & Martínez-Espinosa, R. M. (2018). Effects of the Usage of l-Cysteine (l-Cys) on Human Health. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 23(3), 575. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23030575

Liu, Y., Chen, H., Chen, W., Zhong, Q., Zhang, G., & Chen, W. (2018). Beneficial Effects of Tomato Juice Fermented by Lactobacillus Plantarum and Lactobacillus Casei: Antioxidation, Antimicrobial Effect, and Volatile Profiles. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 23(9), 2366. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23092366

Story, E. N., Kopec, R. E., Schwartz, S. J., & Harris, G. K. (2010). An update on the health effects of tomato lycopene. Annual review of food science and technology, 1, 189–210. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.food.102308.124120

Almohanna, H. M., Ahmed, A. A., Tsatalis, J. P., & Tosti, A. (2019). The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review. Dermatology and therapy, 9(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-018-0278-6

Wells, K., A., D., J., S., & K. (2019, October 07). Health benefits of fermented foods: Wellness mama. Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://wellnessmama.com/2245/fermented-food-benefits/

Wells, K. (2019, July 30). Why to try fermentation in your own kitchen: Wellness mama. Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://wellnessmama.com/402891/fermentation/