Beachside bars love rum for the same reason we steal packets of hot sauce from chain restaurants: It's a cheap way to spice things up. But if you think the spirit's sole purpose in life is to give that Bahama Mama you slurp down on vacation a little kick, then you're missing out. It turns out that rum actually holds tons of beauty potential — just ask Zoe Saldana.
In a recent interview with Byrdie, the star shared how her Dominican Republic roots led her to an organic, slightly unconventional beauty routine. Instead of buying store-bought goods, she instead used the ingredients found in an umbrella drink for smoother hair and skin. "In the islands, rum isn’t only for drinking — you can actually put rum on your hair," Saldana told the publication. "If you put it on your ends, you get sort of an ombré thing. Because with the sun, the rum bleaches your hair. That was sort of a natural way of getting highlights."
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But before you start pouring a shot of Captain Morgan — or any other kind of alcohol — all over your head, know that her beauty advice extends beyond liquor. "If you live in the islands, you get a coconut, and you use every part of that coconut," she said. "You drink the water, you make food with the meat, you can squeeze it and make coconut milk, and that milk you can put on your skin, on your hair. And then you can make coconut oil and coconut butter. I grew up using the environment to its full potential."
The only thing making us feel better about not booking that all-inclusive trip to the Caribbean is the fact that DIYing her routine is as easy as a trip to the produce (and liquor) aisle. We can hear the seagulls cooing already.