Cardi B’s Shiny Hair Hack Involves Just 1 Item You Probably Already Have

Cardi B has pretty much done it all when it comes to her hair — wigs, bold colors, and even jewels. That doesn’t mean she’s extra all the time, though. The “Up” rapper sometimes goes back to basics with DIY hair hacks that are surprisingly easy to recreate at home. Her latest beauty tip involves water and a single common ingredient that’s probably already stocked in your kitchen.

Cardi’s trick to sleek, shiny locks came courtesy of an Aug. 12 Instagram post. The rapper showed a photo of her hair seemingly before using her technique and then an after video highlighting the effects, with her process laid out in her caption. The secret? Boiling onions and washing her hair with the water.

“My last 2 washes I been boiling onions and using the water to wash my hair,” Cardi started her caption. “I used to do this 6 years ago when I started my healthy hair growth journey.”

Onions are notoriously pungent, but don’t worry: The smell is not a problem. “It’s odorless,” Cardi added. She then made a convincing case to try it and see, not just with her video but with the results she said she’s seen: “I notice that it’s been giving shine to my hair.”

Cardi’s followers also appreciated her glossy ’do. “Yassss hair! It’s giving Aaliyah signature style!” one person wrote. Heart-eyes emojis were another common response, and multiple others deemed the look “gorgeous.” She had people ready to try it. “Trusting the process,” one person wrote. Even the official Instagram IG account commented, “if cardi washes her hair with onion water, we wash our hair with onion water.”

It’s not just Cardi who vouches for the hair benefits of onions. Research has actually been done to see whether or not the vegetable can improve hair growth — and it turns out it can. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics showed an onion shampoo delivered nutrients and nourishment to hair follicles, was moisturizing for the hair and scalp, and yes, promoted hair growth, per Healthline.

Of course, if an onion hair wash sounds like too much work to do on the regular, well, even the rapper would probably agree. Cardi admitted that the reason she stopped doing it before was that she “got really lazy.” At least one fan suggested that the “WAP” singer just “make a[n] all-natural hair product that I can buy already.”

Cardi B’s entry into the beauty game has been much-anticipated. In April 2021, she trademarked “Bardi Beauty,” getting fans’ hopes up that her very own beauty company could be on its way. The documents submitted at the time indicated that she could be planning to create and sell fragrances, cosmetics, skin care, nail products, and, of course, hair care. So far, we’re still waiting for that to come to pass, but in the meantime, there’s her onion hair wash and the DIY hair mask she shared on Instagram on June 2020.